Help Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about Form Recover's local security, compatibility with modern apps (React/Vue), data recovery troubleshooting, and our privacy boundaries.

General

What is Form Recover used for?

Form Recover is a browser extension that automatically saves your form entries as you type, so you can recover your text if a page refreshes, crashes, or closes unexpectedly.

Can Form Recover recover text after a page refresh or browser crash?

Yes. Form Recover continuously saves your form data locally. If a page refreshes, crashes, or a tab is accidentally closed, your text can be restored instantly when you return.

Does Form Recover send my data to a server?

No. By default, all encryption and storage happen locally in your browser. Your drafts never leave your device. We do not operate any centralized servers to receive your content.

Is it free?

Yes. Form Recover’s core features are free to use. We may introduce optional premium features in the future (such as cloud synchronization or advanced filtering), but the fundamental local-recovery engine will remain free.

If I reach 30 active sites, will Form Recover stop saving?

No. Your newest site is always protected. When you start filling in a form on a site that is not in your vault yet, Form Recover makes room by letting go of the site you have not visited in the longest time — the new one is never turned away.

That does mean the older site’s drafts are removed, so if some of them matter, pin that site. Open the All Vault tab and use the star on any site to protect it permanently; you can pin up to 10. Pinned sites are never replaced, no matter how long you leave them.

Will it work on dynamic sites like Gmail or Jira?

Yes! Form Recover is designed to handle modern Single Page Applications (SPAs) and many popular platforms such as Gmail, Twitter (X), Reddit, and complex CMS editors. It monitors input events across dynamic DOM changes to capture your work as you type.

Does it work on Google Docs, Notion, or Figma?

Generally, no. These complex “Cloud Editors” use specialized rendering technologies (like Canvas) that are difficult for extensions to read. More importantly, they already have excellent built-in cloud auto-save. Duplicating such massive data into your local browser storage would be inefficient and could quickly fill up your disk space. We focus on protecting web forms that don’t save themselves.

Does it support checkboxes, radio buttons, or dropdown menus?

Currently, no. Form Recover is specialized for text-heavy data loss prevention. We focus on input fields, textarea blocks, and contenteditable elements—including popular rich-text editors like TinyMCE, QuillJS, and CKEditor. Recovering structured form selections (like checkboxes) is on our long-term research list, but our priority is ensuring your long-form writing is never lost.

Security & Privacy

Does it save my passwords or credit cards?

No. Form Recover is built with a “No-Touch” policy for sensitive fields. It automatically ignores input fields marked as type="password", type="hidden", or those containing sensitive identifiers (like CVV or credit card patterns). These fields are ignored by design and are not stored or processed.

How does it know what to ignore?

We use a real-time filtering engine that analyzes field attributes against a strict set of safety rules. We categorize fields into “Hard Block” (Passwords, Keys) and “Soft Block” (PII). For a complete technical breakdown, please see our Sensitive Data Policy.

Does it work in Incognito Mode?

By default, Chrome disables all extensions in Incognito/Private mode. If you want Form Recover to protect your drafts in Incognito, you must manually enable “Allow in Incognito” in the Chrome Extension settings. Even then, your drafts remain locally encrypted.

Can I use this on a public library computer?

We recommend NOT installing it on public computers. If you do, anyone who uses the computer after you could potentially restore your drafts. If you must use it, please disable the extension via the browser settings or uninstall it immediately after you finish your work to prevent access.

What happens if I forget my Master Password?

Unfortunately, we cannot recover or reset it for you. Because your password is stored only on your local device (Zero-Knowledge design), there is no “Forgot Password” mechanism. If you are completely locked out, the only way to regain access is to Uninstall and Reinstall the extension.

Warning: This will permanently delete all your saved drafts. We are currently developing a “Password Hint” feature to help prevent this in the future.

What happens to my data if I uninstall the extension?

If you uninstall Form Recover, all saved drafts are immediately and permanently deleted by the browser. Because we do not store your data on our servers, we cannot recover it for you once the extension is removed. We are working on an “Export” feature for future releases to help you keep long-term backups.

Usage & Performance

Can I search through my saved drafts?

Yes, since v0.2.2. The All Vault tab now has a search bar that filters your saved sites by name or URL path in real-time. For the current site, a quick search bar automatically appears once you have more than 3 saved entries, so you can find the right draft without scrolling.

What does "Active Sites (##/30)" mean?

It is the number of different websites that currently have drafts saved in your vault, out of the 30 Form Recover keeps at once. It counts sites, not drafts — one site can hold many saved fields.

It is a description of what is stored, not a restriction on what you can do. Reaching 30 does not stop anything: see the question above.

Why is there a 30-site limit at all?

Because everything is stored in your own browser. Drafts are encrypted and kept on your device, and an unbounded vault would slowly consume disk space and make the extension slower to search — for the sake of sites you may have visited once, months ago.

The limit exists to keep the vault fast and small, not to hold anything back. That is why reaching it no longer costs you your newest work: it recycles instead of refusing.

Will the limit be raised or removed later?

Possibly raised; “unlimited” is not the goal. Storing every form field from every site you have ever visited is not actually useful, and it would make your vault heavier and slower for no benefit.

We would rather the limit stop hurting than pretend local storage is infinite — which is what rolling and pinning are for. If we do raise it, it will be for everyone. We do not plan to sell the site limit: basic protection from losing your work is not something we will put behind a price.

How much disk space does it use?

Very little. Form Recover is designed to be extremely lightweight. It only stores text metadata and the content itself. You can clear your entire history at any time through the extension settings to free up space.

Does it slow down my browser?

No. We use passive event listeners and smart “debouncing” (waiting for you to stop typing before saving). This ensures that Form Recover never blocks your browser’s main thread, even on low-spec devices or heavy websites.

Can I export my drafts?

This feature is on our future roadmap. In current versions, drafts are stored locally for recovery within the browser. We plan to add an optional export tool (JSON/Text) in a future update to allow for external backups and cross-device migration.

Use Cases & Comparisons

How is this different from Typio or Lazarus?

Unlike older legacy extensions, Form Recover is built specifically for the modern web (supporting React, Vue, and Shadow DOM inputs) where older tools often fail. Most importantly, we prioritize Zero-Telemetry Privacy: your data never leaves your device, and we use industry-standard encryption at rest.

What’s the difference between Form Recover and Lightning Autofill?

Lightning Autofill focuses on automatically filling forms using saved profiles or rules. Form Recover focuses on recovering the text you’ve already typed when a form is lost, refreshed, or the browser crashes. They solve different problems and can even be used together for a seamless form experience.

Can it save Reddit comments or GitHub issues?

Yes. We specifically optimize for complex text editors found on social platforms like Reddit, Twitter (X), and developer tools like GitHub, Jira, and StackOverflow. If a site uses a standard text input or contenteditable div, we can likely save it.

Does it work if I accidentally close the tab?

Absolutely. That is our primary use case. As soon as you re-open the tab (or restore your session), just click the Form Recover icon in the toolbar or context menu to find your lost text waiting for you.

Troubleshooting

How do I restore my text?

If a draft exists for a field, just click into (focus) that empty form field. A subtle Form Recover icon will appear in the corner. Click it to restore your text. Alternatively, open the extension popup in your toolbar to search and copy past drafts.

Why do I see multiple versions of the same text?

Form Recover uses Adaptive History. It groups your typing sessions to keep history clean, but if you leave a page and come back hours later, or change the text significantly, it will create a new “Version” point. This allows you to undo major changes or revert to yesterday’s draft.

It didn't save my form! Why?

While we support most websites, some sites use non-standard ways of handling text (like canvas based editors or proprietary iframes) that block browser extensions. We are constantly improving our detection engine to support more platforms.
Last updated: January 24, 2026