Every setting explained
Each page of Settings, each setting in one line, with its default value and where to read more.
On this page
Documentation sections
This page walks through Settings page by page, in the order of the list on the left. Each setting gets one line: what it does, its default value when there is one, and the article that goes further.
Open Settings
- Click Settings in the sidebar, or in the avatar menu at the top right.
- Press
Ctrl+,. - Type in the Search… box at the top of the list to find a page by name.
The pages are grouped under six headings: General, Privacy, Account & Sync, Automation and integrations, Data and Help. Settings opens on Appearance.
General
Appearance
Details in Themes and appearance.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Theme | Twelve themes, System (follows your computer) and Custom (your own theme) | Light or Dark, set from your system at first launch |
| Animated background | Living themes move: the Midnight sky twinkles | On |
| Note panels on hover | The notes list and the right panel hide and come back at the edge of the page | Off |
| Accent color | Main color of buttons, links and selections | Theme color |
| Font | Typeface of the whole app | Inter (desktop), Plus Jakarta Sans (web) |
| Page width | Centred or Full width for vaults, marketplace, reminders and trash | Centred |
| Bars display | Which bars frame your tabs, seven modes. Ctrl+Shift+B cycles them. | All bars |
| Recent notes on the home screen | Shows your latest edited notes on the home screen | On |
| File click behavior | On: a click opens the details panel, a double-click opens the file. Off: a click opens the file. | On |
| Hide the enterprise space | Stops offering the Enterprise choice at startup | Off |
The density (Comfortable, Compact, Dense) is not in Settings: it is in the Density menu of the top bar.
Language
Details in Change the language.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Interface language | Français or English. The change is immediate. | French if your system is in French, English otherwise |
Notifications
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop notifications | Lets Filarr show system notifications | On |
| Sounds | Plays a sound with notifications | On |
System
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Filarr at login | Starts Filarr in the background, in the notification area, when you sign in to your computer, so your reminders fire | Off |
| Display backend (Linux) | X11 (recommended), Wayland (native) or Automatic (Electron's choice). Applies at the next start. | X11 (recommended) |
| Hardware acceleration (Linux) | Turn it off if the window flickers or shows artifacts. Applies at the next start. | On |
Privacy
Security
Details in Lock Filarr, Passwords and recovery and Two-factor authentication and passkeys.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Passkeys | Sign in to your cloud account without a password. Created from app.filarr.com. Cloud accounts only. | |
| Encryption | Shows the algorithm used, AES-256-GCM | |
| Encryption key | Shows whether your encryption key is Active | |
| Change password | Changes the password that protects your key. Your files are not re-encrypted. Shows Set a password if none exists yet. | |
| Auto-lock | Locks after a period of inactivity: Never, 1, 5, 15 or 30 minutes, or 1 hour | Never |
| Enhanced lock (desktop) | Deletes the local key when you quit, so the password is asked at every launch. The row also shows in the web app, where the browser never keeps the key anyway. | Off |
| Link previews via server (web only) | Lets the ⚡ fill, pasted link titles and bookmark previews go through Filarr's servers. Only the link's URL is sent. | Off |
| Live editing of my personal notes | Edit the same personal note on several of your devices at once | Off |
| Web security model (web only) | Opens a page explaining what the web app guarantees and what it cannot | |
| Your recovery options | Lists which recovery means you have and what each one saves | |
| Recovery key (file) (desktop) | Export a recovery file protected by its own password, or Restore from one. The buttons also show in the web app but only work in the desktop app. | |
| Two-factor authentication (2FA) | Asks for a code from an authenticator app at sign-in. Cloud accounts only. | Off |
| Cloud account recovery phrase (24 words) | Regenerate phrase, or Set up recovery if you never did. Cloud accounts only. | |
| Your key fingerprint | Your safety number, to compare with a colleague before sharing a vault. Cloud accounts only. |
Desktop protection
Details in Desktop protection and the mini vault.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Default import behavior | Copy (the original stays unencrypted) or Move to vault (the original is deleted after verification) | Copy |
| Ask on every import | Asks Copy or Move each time you add files | Off |
| Auto-lock | Shows the delay set in Security, with Change in Security | |
| Lock with the session | Locks Filarr when your computer session locks | On |
| Lock on sleep | Locks Filarr when the computer goes to sleep | On |
| Purge temp files on lock | Erases the unencrypted working copies of opened files at every lock | On |
| Global keyboard shortcuts | Shortcuts that work even when Filarr is in the background | On |
| Open the mini vault | Opens the small quick-protect window. Changes apply at the next start. | Ctrl+Alt+F |
| Lock everything | Locks and purges temporary files. Changes apply at the next start. | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L |
| Purge temporary files now | Purge now erases all working copies left on disk | |
| My protected files (in place) | The files you protected where they are, with open, unprotect and locate actions |
Hardware security key
Details in Lock Filarr. This page also shows in the web app, but it is meant for the desktop app: enroll your key there.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enroll a key | Unlock with a YubiKey, Windows Hello or Touch ID. Your password keeps working. Solo plan and above. | |
| Trusted device (SSO) | After a single sign-on, unlock this device without the password. Organization accounts only. |
Hidden vault
Details in Hidden vault. This page also shows in the web app, but the hidden vault is meant for the desktop app.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Set up | A second password opens a decoy profile. Solo plan and above. |
Account & Sync
This group has a single page, Account & Sync. Its content depends on whether the profile is local or signed in to a cloud account. Details in Create an account and turn on sync.
Profile at the top opens your profile page: name, avatar, photo and PIN. See Profiles and several accounts.
| Row | What it does | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Enable cloud sync | Local profile: turn on sync with a new or existing account | Create an account |
| I have an invitation | Paste an invitation link or code | Invite people |
| Active organization | Pick the organization you work in, when you belong to several | Organizations |
| Lost access? Request team-vault recovery | Enterprise space: ask your organization to restore your team vaults | Run your organization |
| Sync status | Shows whether sync is active or paused | How sync works |
| Address book | Your Filarr contacts and contact requests | Contacts, inbox and mentions |
| Invite others | Your invitation link and the space you earned | Invite friends and earn space |
| Cloud storage | Space used on your plan. Check for unused space also shows in the web app but only works in the desktop app. | Plans and limits |
| Where synced files live | Use your own storage bucket (Pro, Teams, Enterprise) | Use your own storage |
| Upgrade your plan / Subscription | Change plan, or manage your subscription | Plans and limits |
| Connected devices | Manage your devices, pair a new one | Devices and pairing |
| Disable sync / Resume sync | Pause sync, keeping or deleting your cloud data | How sync works |
| Sign out | Signs this device out. Local data is kept. | Create an account |
| Delete my account | Deletes the cloud account. Local files are not affected. | Create an account |
| Offline (web only) | Folders kept available offline in this browser | Work offline |
| Display name | The name shared-vault members see | Shared vaults |
| How notes are stored | One single file, or one file per note | How sync works |
Automation and integrations
Watched folders
Details in Watched folders.
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Per-folder rules | Add a watched folder: a folder of your computer is imported into a chosen Filarr folder, then followed. The number of rules depends on your plan. |
| Downloads inbox | Every new file in the chosen folders (Downloads, for example) is imported into one Filarr inbox, to sort later. |
Web Clipper
Details in Web Clipper.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enable the Web Clipper | Opens the link between Filarr and your browser | Off |
| Pair a browser | Shows a one-time code to type in the extension | |
| Paired browsers | Your paired browsers, with Unpair |
Integrations
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| TMDB key (Movies source) | Your free TMDB key, used to fill database rows from the Movies source. Kept on this device only. | Empty |
| Source lookups via server (web only) | Lets source lookups of databases go through Filarr's servers | Off |
Details in Fill rows automatically.
Data
Storage & Data
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space used | Total size of the files stored in the app |
| Application statistics | Number of folders, files and tags |
| Clear cache | Deletes more than temporary files: it erases the preferences Filarr keeps on this device, such as the language, the font, a custom theme or the home layout. Your files and notes are not touched. |
| Export all (desktop) | Saves a backup of all your files, notes and metadata, encrypted by default |
| Import a backup (desktop) | Restores everything from a Filarr export file |
| Full backup (web) | Tells you that backups are made from the desktop app |
Details in Export and back up everything.
Help
Feedback
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send feedback | Choose Bug, Feature or Other, describe it, and add your email if you want an answer. The app version and system are attached. Without a network, it leaves later on its own. |
See also Get help and send feedback.
About
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Version | The version you are using |
| Updates (desktop) | Filarr checks at startup and every four hours, downloads quietly and installs when you quit. Check for updates checks right now. |
| Credits | Who develops Filarr |
| Support the project | Ko-fi or Stripe. Shown to local profiles and free accounts. |
| License | The license name, with Read the license |
| Interface tour | Relaunch replays the guided tour |
| Reset settings | Reset puts the theme back to Light, resets the accent color and turns notifications and sounds back on. Your language is kept. |