Help
Local Journal keeps a journal on your device. Everything below happens right there — your entries are not sent to us.
Writing
Where is the save button?
There isn't one. Your entry saves as you type, again when you leave a field, and again if you close the tab.There isn't one. Your entry saves as you type, again when you leave a field, and again if you leave the app. The line under the editor tells you the state: Saving…, then Saved. If it ever says Couldn't save, a banner across the top explains why and your text stays in the editor so you can copy it out.
Can I write for a past day?
Yes. Change the date at the top of the entry, or open the Calendar and click a day you have not written on yet. A day that already has entries shows you those instead.
What are the mood markers for?
They are a marker for your own reference — Warm, Bright, Steady, Quiet, Low. Nothing is scored, ranked or added up. You can filter the list by one if that is useful to you, and ignore them entirely if it isn't.
Finding things
Search
The search box on the Entries page looks through titles, entry text and tags at once. Every word you type has to appear somewhere in the entry, up to the first eight words. Matches are highlighted in the preview line.
Filters
Tag pills and the mood menu narrow the list further, and they combine with search. Clear filters puts everything back.
Backups
How do I keep a copy?
Open Backup & lock and choose an export:
- Full backup (JSON) — everything, in the format the app can import back. This is the one to keep.
- Readable copy (Markdown) — a plain text file for reading or moving into another app.
- Printable copy (PDF) — a laid-out document for printing or filing.
The finished file is handed to the share sheet, and you choose where it goes — Save to Files, mail it to yourself, or send it to another app. Nothing leaves this device unless you send it somewhere.
Exported files are not encrypted, even if the passcode lock is on. Keep them somewhere you trust.
Restoring a backup
Choose your JSON backup on the same page. Before anything is written, you see exactly what will happen — how many entries would be added, how many replaced by a newer version, how many left alone — and you choose Merge or Replace everything. Merge never removes anything already in your journal.
Can I move my journal to another device?
Export a full backup on the first device, move the file across however you like, and import it on the second.Export a full backup on the first device, send the file across however you like from the share sheet, and import it on the second. There is no sync — moving the file is the whole mechanism.
The passcode lock
What does it do?
It encrypts your entries where they are stored on this device, so they cannot be read without the passcode. It is off by default.
What if I forget the passcode?
There is no reset. Your passcode itself is never stored — not in any form. What is stored on this device is a random salt and a small check value that lets the app tell a correct passcode from a wrong one; neither reveals the passcode. There is no server to ask either, so a forgotten passcode means the entries cannot be opened again, by you or by anyone. Export a backup before you turn it on.
Turning it off
Enter your passcode once more on the Backup & lock page. Your entries are re-saved unencrypted and the journal opens without a passcode from then on.
Common questions
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded once, it runs with no connection at all — including search, the calendar and every export.
Yes, always. Everything the app needs is inside the app, so there is nothing to load and no connection to wait for — search, the calendar and every export work the same with the device offline.
What happens if I clear my browser data?
Your journal goes with it. Because nothing is stored anywhere else, a backup file is the only way back.
What happens if I delete the app?
Your journal goes with it. Your entries live in this app's storage on this device and nowhere else — there is no account and no copy on a server — so deleting the app deletes them. Export a backup first; that file is the only way back.
Private or incognito windows
Those windows throw away storage when they close. A private window usually accepts everything you write and then discards it at the end, and the app often cannot tell the difference while you are in one. Export before you close the window.
Does my journal sync to iCloud or my other devices?
No. There is no sync of any kind, and the app writes nothing to iCloud. A journal written on this device stays on this device until you export a backup and move that file yourself.
"This device is out of space"
The browser has hit its storage limit for this site. Free space on the device, or export a backup and remove older entries, then try again. The entry stays on screen so nothing is lost while you sort it out.
The app has hit its storage limit on this device. Free space on the device, or export a backup and remove older entries, then try again. The entry stays on screen so nothing is lost while you sort it out.
Is there an account or a subscription?
No. There is no account, no sign-up, and nothing to pay for — every feature is free.
Still stuck?
Email support@edenapps.app. We can't see your journal, so please describe what you were doing and what happened.