Local profile or cloud account?
The two ways to use Filarr, what changes between them, the 12-word and 24-word recovery phrases, and how to switch later.
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Documentation sections
When you set up Filarr, it asks Where should your data live? You have two answers: Local only, which creates a local profile, or With cloud sync, which uses a Filarr account. In both cases Filarr encrypts your files and notes on your device. What changes is sync, sharing and how you get back in if you forget your password.
The two modes side by side
| Local profile | Cloud account | |
|---|---|---|
| Account | None | An email address and a password |
| Price | Free | 5 GB free, then from €4/month |
| Where your data lives | On this computer. In the web app, in this browser | On your devices, plus an encrypted copy on Filarr's servers |
| What encrypts your files | The profile's encryption password | Your account password |
| Recovery phrase | 12 words, to reopen this profile | 24 words, to reopen your account |
| Sync between your computers and the web app | No | Yes |
| Share links, published pages, shared vaults | No | Yes |
| Works without internet | Yes | Yes. Your changes sync when the network is back |
Everything else works the same in both modes: files, folders, notes, tasks, search, tidying up, reminders and the rest.
When a local profile is the right choice
- You use Filarr on a single computer.
- You do not want an account, or you want nothing to leave your computer.
- You want to try Filarr first and decide later.
When a cloud account is the right choice
- You want the same files and notes on several computers, and in your browser at app.filarr.com.
- You want a copy of your data outside your computer, in case it breaks or gets lost.
- You want to share: a file by link, a note published as a web page, or a shared vault with other people.
These features need a cloud account: sync, share links, published pages, shared vaults, the inbox and mentions, the Marketplace, two-factor authentication, passkeys and pairing another device. Joining someone else's shared vault is free. Creating your own needs a paid plan: see Plans and limits.
12 words or 24 words
Each mode has its own recovery phrase, and they are not interchangeable.
- A local profile gets a 12-word phrase when you create it. It reopens this profile, on this computer, if you forget its encryption password.
- A cloud account gets a 24-word phrase when you create the account. It gives you back access to your account and your synced data if you forget your password.
Passwords and recovery explains every way back in.
Switch from local to cloud later
You can start with a local profile and link it to an account at any time. Your files and notes stay where they are and start syncing.
- Open the local profile.
- Go to Settings → Account & Sync.
- Click Enable cloud sync.
- Sign in to your account, or create one, and follow the wizard.
Once the profile is linked, your account password is the one that unlocks it and encrypts its files. Create an account and turn on sync describes each step, how to make sure your 24 words can reopen your files, and what to do if the wizard refuses.
Stop syncing a cloud profile
A cloud profile can stop syncing without losing what is on your computer. Go to Settings → Account & Sync, then:
- Disable on the Disable sync row stops sync on this profile. Choose Disable only to keep your cloud data and turn sync back on later, or Disable and delete my cloud data to erase it from Filarr's servers. Your local files are kept either way.
- Sign out signs this device out of your account. Your local data is kept, and you can sign back in later.
Both at once
You do not have to pick one mode forever. Filarr can hold several profiles on the same computer, local or linked to an account, each with its own files and notes. In the profile picker, New local profile creates a local profile and Add a cloud account brings in the profiles of an account. A profile belongs to one account only. See Profiles and several accounts.