Overview

"Open from Local" is a feature that lets you open reading log files (.rfnote) saved on your device (PC, tablet, or smartphone) in Reading Forest.

How to Open Files

There are three ways to open files.

From Menu

Open from the File menu

File → Open → Local
* Opens file selection dialog

Keyboard Shortcut

Quickly open with keyboard shortcut

* Opens storage selection dialog

Drag & Drop

Drag files to the screen to open

Drop file
* PC only

Method 1: From Menu

Open the File menu Click "File" in the menu bar.
Click "Open" Click "Open" to display the submenu.
Select "Local" Select "Local" to open the file selection dialog.
Select a file Select the file you want to open. Double-click folders to open them.
Click "Open" With the file selected, click the "Open" button.

Standard Browser Dialog
When you select "Local", your operating system's (Windows/Mac/Android/iOS) standard file selection dialog will appear. The dialog appearance varies depending on your environment.

Folder Access Permission Required
Due to browser security requirements, you must select a folder on first open (or first open after login/browser restart). At this time, the browser will ask for permission to access files in that folder afterward. This is an important security measure to prevent websites from accessing files without permission. Once you select a folder and grant permission, you won't need to select it again during the same session.

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

Quick Open
Press (Mac: ⌘+O) to open the "Open from..." dialog.
You can choose to open from "Local" or "Google Drive".

Press When you press the keyboard shortcut, the "Open from..." dialog opens.
Choose "Local" or "Google Drive" Select where you want to open the file from.
Select and open file Select the file you want to open and click "Open" or press Enter.

Method 3: Drag & Drop (PC Only)

PC Only Feature
Drag & drop is only available on PC browsers.
This feature is not available on smartphones or tablets due to browser limitations.

On PC, you can open files simply by dragging and dropping them onto the Reading Forest screen.

Select file in File Explorer Select the file you want to open in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
Drag to Reading Forest Drag the file to the Reading Forest browser window.
Drop to open Drop the file (release the mouse button) on the screen to open it.

Same-Name File Confirmation Dialog

If a file with the same name already exists on Google Drive and is newer or larger than the local one, a confirmation dialog appears (with Auto Sync enabled).

Cancel — Abort opening the file
Open from Google Drive — Open the Drive copy instead of the local copy
Open from Local — Continue opening the local copy

When does this appear?
After updating only the cloud copy from another device, this dialog helps you notice that the local copy is stale when you try to open it from your home PC.

Size and modification time
The dialog shows file size (with the exact byte count) and modification time for both sides. The newer side gets a "Newer" badge, the larger side gets a "Larger" badge. For files that are properly synced, both sides match and no badges appear.

File Information Display

When you open a file, the following information is displayed in the title area.

Filename - Displayed prominently
Book (work) count and timestamp - Example: (6 books (works), 2026/01/19)
File location - The filename is displayed in small, subtle text
my-books.rfnote

Absolute path cannot be displayed
Due to browser security restrictions, the complete file path cannot be retrieved. Therefore, only the filename is displayed.

Notes

File Size Limits
Reading Forest has file size limits (Free plan: 1MB, Paid plans: 10MB).
Files exceeding the limit cannot be opened.

Bookshelf Feature
With paid plans, enabling the "Bookshelf" feature allows quick access to previously opened files.

Open from Local