Every online notepad is a textarea. The complaint is always the same
The note vanished. Not corrupted, not garbled: gone, with no message and no way back. Three things cause it, and none of them announce themselves at the time.
1. The browser cleared it
"Clear browsing data" with cookies and site data ticked wipes local storage as well. So does a privacy extension set to clear on close, and so do some system cleanup tools. The prompt says cookies, so nobody thinks about the notepad.
2. It was a private window
Everything written in a private or incognito window is discarded when the window closes. The page cannot ask the browser whether it is in private mode, because that has been deliberately blocked, but it can measure how much storage it is being offered, and a private window is offered a fraction of what an ordinary one is. When that number comes back small, this tool says so.
3. It is on the other device
Local storage is per browser and per device. A note written on a phone is not on the laptop, and there is no mechanism by which it could be without an account and an upload. That is the trade: no signup means no sync, and pretending otherwise would be the dishonest part.
So the recovery paths are the feature
A tool with no account cannot stop any of the above. It can do these four things properly.
- Say when it last saved, in plain words, and turn red if the browser ever refuses. Silent failure is the only unforgivable one.
- Keep earlier versions. One goes in every time you stop typing for a few seconds, and the last dozen are listed with the time and the first line. Selecting everything and typing over it is survivable, including after a reload, which browser undo is not.
- Keep a deleted note. No "are you sure" box, because those get clicked through. The note is kept and a link to put it back appears.
- Make downloading obvious. A file on your disk is the only copy that survives all three failures above, and it takes one click.
Why the versions are taken on a pause
A snapshot per keystroke sounds thorough and is useless: fifty entries covering the last sentence, and the version from before you started deleting is already off the end of the list.
Taking one when typing stops puts the boundaries where the natural ones in a document already are, so a dozen entries covers a working session rather than a paragraph.
Titles you do not have to type
Each note is named after its own first line. Asking for a title before letting you type is a form standing between you and a blank page, and the entire promise of a notepad is that there is nothing in the way. Start typing and the tab names itself.
Nothing here is uploaded, there is no account, and nothing is stored anywhere but your own browser.
Common questions
Where is my note actually stored?
In this browser, on this device, in something called local storage. It is not on a server, it is not in an account, and it never leaves the machine. That is what makes it possible to have no signup. It also means the note is not on your phone, not in another browser on the same computer, and not there if somebody else uses a different profile.
What would delete it?
Clearing your browsing data with cookies and site data ticked. A privacy extension set to clear on close. A private or incognito window closing. Reinstalling the browser. Some system cleanup tools. None of those ask about this page specifically, and none of them can be undone, which is why the download button is there.
Is it really saved, or does it just say that?
It writes on every keystroke and tells you how long ago it last managed it. If the browser ever refuses to save, the box at the side turns red and says so rather than carrying on quietly, which is the failure mode worth worrying about.
I selected everything and typed over it. Can I get it back?
Yes. A version is kept every time you stop typing for a few seconds, and the last dozen are listed at the side with the time and the first line, so you can put one back. Browser undo forgets across a reload; this does not.
I deleted a note by accident.
The most recently deleted note is kept rather than thrown away, and a "put it back" link appears as soon as you delete one. There is no confirmation box, deliberately: a box gets clicked through without reading and makes deleting an ordinary note irritating, whereas keeping the note actually works.
How much can I write?
A browser typically allows around 5MB per site, which is roughly 800,000 words, so you will not reach it writing prose. If the notes do get close, the tool warns you rather than letting a save fail silently.
Can I use it offline?
Once the page has loaded, yes. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing needs a connection. The page itself has to be fetched once, so bookmark it and it will load from the browser cache in most cases.
Can other people see what I write?
Nothing is uploaded, so nobody on our side can. Anyone with access to this browser profile on this computer can, because it is stored in the browser. Do not use a shared or public machine for anything you would not leave on the desktop.