Papr
Editor
← Back to Docs

Local Sessions and Auto-save

Papr stores your work locally in your browser to help you recover if you close the tab or refresh the page. This data never leaves your device, and it is not sent to our servers.

What Gets Saved

While you edit, Papr saves a local session that can include the PDF file, your annotations, and your current view. This makes it possible to reopen recent work without re-opening or re-uploading anything. Sessions are stored in your browser using local storage and IndexedDB.

  • PDF file data and page count.
  • Annotations and form field placements.
  • Current page and zoom level.
  • Last modified timestamp for sorting recent sessions.

Recovering a Session

When you return to the editor, recent sessions appear so you can pick up where you left off. If you want to keep a permanent copy, use Export to download a finished PDF.

Recent sessions are a convenience, not a replacement for exporting. If a file is important, export it and store it somewhere safe.

Storage Limits

Browsers limit how much local storage each site can use. Very large PDFs or many saved sessions can hit those limits. If you see warnings, export your work and clear old sessions. If auto-save cannot complete, Papr will keep the editor running but your most recent changes might not be preserved after closing the tab.

Clearing Saved Data

You can remove local sessions by clearing site data in your browser settings. Incognito or private browsing sessions do not persist once the window is closed.

If a Session Is Missing

The most common reasons for missing sessions are cleared site data, private browsing, or storage cleanup by the browser. This is normal browser behavior and is outside of Papr's control.

  • Check that you are using the same browser profile.
  • Confirm you are not in a private or incognito window.
  • Look for storage warnings that indicate a quota limit was reached.

Best Practices for Important Files

  • Export a finished PDF after major edits.
  • Keep backups of important documents outside the browser.
  • Clear old sessions if storage warnings appear.