FlashNote
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are solutions to the most common questions and troubleshooting scenarios for FlashNote.

1. Where are my notes stored? Is my data private?

  • Local-First Architecture: All notes are stored locally in your browser sandbox (Chrome Extension Local Storage & IndexedDB);
  • No Hidden Tracking: FlashNote does not collect analytics or upload notes to third-party servers. Without your explicit cloud sync configuration, your data never leaves your device.

2. What should I do if Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F doesn’t trigger?

  1. Another browser extension or OS hotkey might be conflicting;
  2. Type chrome://extensions/shortcuts into your Chrome address bar;
  3. Locate FlashNote, and reassign the “Open side panel” shortcut to an available key combination (such as Ctrl+Shift+X or Command+Shift+E).

3. How do I backup and export all my notes?

  1. Click the “Settings” gear icon in the bottom-left of the sidebar;
  2. Navigate to “Data & Backups”;
  3. Click “Export All Data” to download a .zip archive with Markdown files and media attachments, or a structured .json snapshot.

4. How do I migrate notes to a new device?

  • Option A (Cloud Sync): If you configured WebDAV or cloud sync, install FlashNote on the new device, enter your credentials, and your notes will sync automatically in seconds;
  • Option B (Offline Import): Export a .zip or .json file from your old device, and click “Restore from Backup” in the new device’s settings.

5. How do I configure AI services? What happens during 429 rate limits?

  • Multi-Provider Matrix: Go to “Settings” -> “AI Engine” to configure Google Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenAI, Claude, local Ollama, or Chrome Built-in AI;
  • 429 Automatic Failover: When hitting HTTP 429 rate limits or exhausting daily quotas, FlashNote auto-switches to healthy backup models within the same provider or falls back across providers, protected by a circuit breaker (maximum 3 auto-switches);
  • Single Round-Trip Dual Extraction: Our optimized pipeline generates both structured summaries and tags in one API call, saving 50% of your usage limit.

6. Will clipped web images break due to anti-hotlinking?

  • Automatic Offline Caching: FlashNote downloads and caches image binary data locally into IndexedDB upon clipping, preventing broken images caused by dead links or anti-hotlinking;
  • Self-Contained Export: Exported Markdown bundles include all offline images for complete offline readability.

7. How can I report bugs or suggest features?

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