Calmly Writer
Calmly Writer Online: Frequently Asked Questions
Where are my documents kept, and how do backups work?
In your browser, on the device you're writing on. Calmly Writer Online keeps them in the storage the browser gives this site, as you write, without you having to do anything. They are not sent to our servers or anywhere else. That's also why they are only in that browser: they don't show up in another browser, on another computer or on your phone.
Besides the document, the editor keeps a backup of your latest changes. If the tab closes, the browser crashes or the computer shuts down before they are kept, the next time you open Calmly Writer Online it brings those changes back and reopens the document you were working on. If you try to leave with changes that haven't been kept yet, the browser asks you first.
These backups protect you from an unexpected close, not from losing the browser's data: they are kept in the same place as your documents, so if the browser deletes its data, the backups go with it. There is no version history or trash either: a document you delete from Open can't be recovered.
To have a real copy, download the document or save it to Google Drive. If you're writing something that matters to you, do it every now and then, not only when you're done.
Can I lose my documents?
Yes, which is why the editor calls them temporary. The browser deletes them:
- if you clear its browsing data (cookies and site data),
- when you close a private or incognito window,
- and it may delete them on its own if it runs out of space.
Some browsers, such as Safari, also delete the data of sites you haven't visited for a while.
When you click Start writing, the editor asks the browser to keep its data, but each browser decides whether to agree. Whatever you want to keep, download it or save it to Google Drive.
The apps' backups are more reliable: there your documents are files on your device, and their backups and previous versions are kept in the app's data folder, outside the browser, so clearing the browser's data doesn't touch them.
How do I save a copy of a document?
Open the menu and choose Save, or press Ctrl + S (⌘ + S on a Mac). Type a name, choose the format and click Download: the file goes to your browser's downloads folder.
| .txt | Plain text |
| .md | Markdown, which any text editor can open |
| .htm | Web page, with its formatting |
| .docx | Microsoft Word™ |
To keep the formatting, choose .md, .htm or .docx. The name you choose also becomes the document's title in the Open list.
How does Google Drive work?
From Save you can choose Save to Google Drive, and from Open, Open from Google Drive. The first time, Google asks for your permission in a popup window; if the browser blocks it, allow popups for this site. The editor can only see the files you pick or the ones it creates in your Drive.
Changes are not saved to Drive automatically. As you write, the document is kept in the browser, and it is only updated in Drive when you save it there again. Saving it again updates the same file; if that file is gone, a new one is created.
How do I open a document I wrote before?
Open the menu and choose Open. Documents in this browser lists every document you've written here; you can search them by title, open them or delete them.
From the same panel you can open a file from your device (.txt, .md, .htm, .html, .docx or .calmly) or from Google Drive. A file you open becomes one more of the browser's documents: changes are not saved to the original file, so download it again when you're done.
Can I have several documents open?
No, the online editor opens one at a time. New starts a blank document and leaves the previous one kept in the Open list.
A document can only be open in one browser tab at a time, so that one tab doesn't overwrite what you write in the other: if you try to open it in a second tab, the editor asks you to close it in the first one.
Can I carry on with a document on another computer or on my phone?
Not directly, because each browser keeps its own documents. To take one with you, save it to Google Drive and open it from Drive on the other device, or download it and open the file there.
The desktop and Android apps work with regular files, so you can keep them in a folder that syncs between your devices.
Where are the documents I wrote with the previous online editor?
In the same place: the new editor uses the same documents, and you'll find them in Open. If you used to write at calmlywriter.com/online, without www, your documents are copied to www.calmlywriter.com/online by themselves the first time you come back.
The new editor reads a few things differently from the old one, so before it first saves over an old document it keeps its original version. If one of them is missing something, such as a video or a table's formatting, Documents as the previous version saved them appears under the Open list: from there you can download it as it was.
If you had the previous editor open in another tab and changed the same document there, your version is kept as a separate document, with “(copy)” in its title, so neither of them is lost.
What do I do if the editor says it couldn't keep the document?
Download the document as soon as you can so you don't lose it.
- If the message says the storage is full, delete the documents you no longer need from Open.
- If the browser doesn't let this site keep data, for example in a private window or with cookies blocked, what you write only lasts until you close the page.
The editor keeps trying to save as you write.
What can I do in the online version?
Write with syntax-free markdown (# for headings, *italic*, **bold**, > for quotes, * or 1. for lists, ~~strikethrough~~), focus mode, themes, three fonts, typewriter sounds, and a word count and reading time, all from Settings.
| Ctrl S ⌘ S |
Save (download or save to Google Drive) |
| Ctrl B ⌘ B |
Bold |
| Ctrl I ⌘ I |
Italic |
| Ctrl U ⌘ U |
Underline |
| Ctrl K ⌘ K |
Make a link from the selection |
| Ctrl Z ⌘ Z |
Undo |
| Ctrl Y ⌘ ⇧ Z |
Redo |
Every other combination belongs to the browser (Ctrl + N, for example, opens a new window).
Does it work offline?
No. You need a connection to open the editor. If you want to write offline, the desktop and Android apps work fully without one.
Are my documents sent anywhere?
No. What you write stays in your browser and never reaches our servers. It only leaves it if you save it to Google Drive, and then it goes straight from your browser to your Google account. See the privacy policy for details.
Calmly Writer has no AI and doesn't use what you write to train AI models. We explain why in our manifesto.
What is the difference between the apps and the online version?
The online version is a free, lightweight version, intended for quick writing in the browser. The apps for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android are the complete Calmly Writer: the same editor with everything it can do. This is what they add:
- Your documents in files on your device, in any folder, saved as you write, not in the browser's temporary storage.
- Permanent backups and previous versions of every document.
- Several documents open at once, in tabs.
- Comments, tables and images, task lists, code blocks, a table of contents, find and replace and writing targets.
- PDF export.
- Deeper customization: your own colors, line spacing and more fonts.
- They work fully offline, in a window of their own.
For serious writing, we recommend the desktop or the Android app. Each one is a one-time purchase, with no subscription, and the desktop app has a free 14-day trial.
Suggestions or bugs?
We appreciate user suggestions and requests for improvements. If you have features you would like to see added, or have a bug to report, please send us a message at [email protected], bluesky or reddit. Thank you!
