Data safety
Where your data actually lives
KontrolRoom stores everything in your browser, not on a server. That is the whole reason it is fast, private and free. It also means "your browser" is doing a job most people never think about, so here is exactly what that job is, where it can go wrong, and what to do about it.
Browser storage is not a hard drive
Every note, task and workbook line is written to IndexedDB, a real database built into your browser. It survives closing the tab, quitting the browser, and restarting your computer. What it does not automatically survive is the browser itself deciding to reclaim the space, or someone clearing "cookies and site data" without realising that bundles in everything else too.
Browsers distinguish between "best-effort" storage, which can be evicted under disk pressure, and "persistent" storage, which is protected from that. KontrolRoom asks for the persistent kind automatically, quietly, after your first save. Whether the browser grants it, and how reliably it reports that it has, varies a lot from browser to browser.
Safari is the hard case
Chrome and Edge tend to grant persistent storage readily and report it accurately. Firefox does too, though it asks you directly rather than deciding quietly. Safari, on both Mac and iPhone, is considerably more conservative, and its own signal for whether storage was granted is not fully trustworthy: it can report "not persisted" even in cases where your data is, in practice, being kept safe. That is a known characteristic of Safari's engine, not something specific to KontrolRoom, and not something you did wrong.
Because of that, KontrolRoom does not build a warning around Safari's signal. A false alarm every time you open the app would be worse than no signal at all. Instead, the sidebar shows a calm status, "Saved on this device" when it can confirm persistence, a neutral "Back up your data" when it cannot, and either way, a real safety net sits one click behind it.
The actual safety net: backup
Click the shield icon in the sidebar at any time. "Download backup" saves everything, every page, note, task and workbook, into a single file. "Restore" loads that file back in, whether that is undoing an accident on the same device or moving to a new browser or computer entirely. This does not depend on any storage API behaving correctly. It works the same way on every browser, every time.
If you use KontrolRoom for anything you would be upset to lose, download a backup now, and again before clearing browser data, switching browsers, or setting up a new device.
What else strengthens it
Installed apps are generally exempt from the storage eviction that can affect an ordinary browser tab. It is optional, and it is not a replacement for backing up, but it is worth doing:
Safari on Mac
Add to Dock. Open the File menu (or the Share button) and choose "Add to Dock".
macOS Sonoma or later.
Safari on iPhone or iPad
Add to Home Screen. Tap the Share button, then choose "Add to Home Screen".
Chrome, Edge, Brave and other Chromium browsers
Install app. Click the install icon in the address bar, or open the ⋮ menu and choose "Install…".
Installed apps get persistent storage automatically.
Firefox does not have an install-as-app option, but it handles persistence differently to begin with: when KontrolRoom requests persistent storage, Firefox asks you directly, a real permission prompt, the same way it would ask before using your camera. If you allow it, that is a deliberate grant, not a heuristic guess, and it is arguably the most trustworthy of the three. Backup is still worth having regardless, since it also covers you moving devices or undoing a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my notes if I close the tab or restart my computer?
No. Everything is written to your browser the moment you type, so closing the tab, restarting, or even losing power mid-edit does not lose your work. The real risk is different: the browser deciding, days or weeks later, to reclaim that space.
What actually causes browser storage to get cleared?
Two things, mostly. Someone using "Clear browsing data" and including cookies or site data in that clear, usually without meaning to. Or the browser itself reclaiming space under low-disk-space conditions, if it never granted persistent status to begin with. The second is rare on Chrome and Firefox once persistence is granted, and considerably less predictable on Safari.
Why is Safari worse for this?
WebKit, Safari's engine, is more conservative than Chrome or Firefox about which sites get to keep permanent storage, and it does not always confirm persistence even when nothing is wrong. KontrolRoom has seen Safari report storage as not persisted even after being added to the Dock. That is a known Safari limitation, not a sign your data is actually at risk. It just means Safari's own signal cannot be fully trusted, which is exactly why a separate, guaranteed backup exists.
Does installing KontrolRoom as an app fix this?
Yes. On Chromium browsers, installed apps get persistent storage automatically. On Safari, Add to Dock or Add to Home Screen works too, and KontrolRoom is able to confirm it once you open the app from the Dock or Home Screen rather than a regular bookmarked tab. Firefox has no install option, but it does not need one: it asks you directly for persistent storage the first time you save, and a yes there is a real, deliberate grant.
What is the actual, guaranteed way to protect my data today?
Download a backup. It is one click from the shield icon in the sidebar, produces a single file with everything in it, and Restore brings it back or moves it to a new browser or device. This works identically on every browser, does not depend on any storage API behaving well, and is what KontrolRoom itself treats as the real safety net rather than a fallback.
Will cloud sync fix this completely?
Yes, that is the point of it. Once your data lives on a server as well as your browser, your browser clearing its local copy stops being able to lose anything. It is on the way. Leave your email below and we will tell you the moment it ships.
Want it fully guaranteed?
Cloud sync removes all of this, your data lives on a server as well as your browser, so nothing your browser does can lose it. It is on the way.