Saving and moving puzzles
How the solver's local library works, what clearing site data removes, and how to move puzzles between devices with .flow files.
The solver has no accounts and no cloud storage. Saved puzzles stay in the browser you saved them in, and a .flow file takes a puzzle anywhere else.
Saving a puzzle
After a board is solved, tap Save. At any other time, open the menu (the three dots at the top right) and choose Save in this browser, which works once every color has exactly two dots. You'll see Saved in this browser. Export a copy to keep a backup.
To see them, choose Saved on this device from the menu, tap Library at the top of the page, or tap the Saved button on the start screen, which shows the count, such as Saved (3). The Puzzles tab lists each one with a small preview, an Open button, an export button and a delete button.
The library holds up to 100 puzzles. Beyond that, saving fails with Could not save locally. Browser storage may be full; download a copy instead.
A saved puzzle keeps the colors read from your image. A .flow file doesn't, so a board opened from a file uses the standard color for each letter.
Where the library lives
Saved puzzles and problem reports are kept in your browser's IndexedDB storage for this site.
- They belong to one browser on one device. Chrome and Safari on the same phone have separate libraries, and nothing syncs between devices.
- Clearing site data deletes them. Clearing this site's data, or cookies and site data for all sites, empties the library and the report inbox. Deleting a puzzle in the library is immediate, with no undo.
- Private windows forget. In a private or incognito window, storage is discarded when the window closes.
Browsers can also remove storage on their own, for example when the device runs low on space or, in Safari, for sites you haven't used in a while. Export anything you want to keep.
Exporting and opening .flow files
To export the board on screen, choose Export .flow file from the menu. For a saved puzzle, use its export button in the library. Either way you get a small text file named local-puzzle.flow. Every export has that name, so rename them as you like.
To open a file, tap Open .flow file on the start screen or in the menu. The solver accepts .flow and .txt files smaller than 10 KB. A file with a pair problem, such as a color with three dots, still opens so you can fix it on the board. A file the solver can't use shows the reason, such as This file isn't a square board this page can open. or Puzzle files must be smaller than 10 KB. The .flow file format describes a valid file.
Below each puzzle on this site, Solve it in the solver opens the board in the solver, and Download .flow saves it as a file.
Moving a puzzle to another device
- On the first device, export the puzzle as a .flow file.
- Send the file any way you like, such as AirDrop, email or a cloud drive. It is a few hundred bytes of plain text.
- On the second device, open the solver, tap Open .flow file and pick the file. On an iPhone or iPad, downloads are usually in the Files app under Downloads.
- Save it there too if you want it in that device's library.
Problem reports
When an import or solve goes wrong, choose Report a problem from the menu. As the dialog says, Nothing is sent. Preview the report, then download it to share or save it in this browser.
- Describe the problem under What went wrong?, in up to 2,000 characters.
- If the image matters, turn on Include a resized copy of the image (may show the whole photo). The copy is at most 800 pixels on its long side, saved as a JPEG, and Device and location metadata are removed from the image.
- Tap Preview report to see Exactly what the report contains. That is your description, the board text, the stage reached and its outcome, any error message, the image and grid size, the corner positions, and the solver's timings and counters.
- Tap Download to save it as a JSON file, or Save in this browser to keep it in the library's Problem reports tab.
A report can be at most 256 KiB. If yours is larger, the solver asks you to turn off the image. The browser keeps at most 50 reports and 5 MB in total and removes reports older than 30 days, oldest first when a limit is reached.
A report reaches someone only if you send the downloaded file yourself. To share one with the site, see the contact page, and leave the image out if the photo shows anything private.