Saving Data

Reading Forest offers two ways to save: save to your device directly ("Local Save") or save to Google Drive ("Cloud Save").

Save Locally (Reading Log Format)

Saves your reading log as a file (.rfnote format) on your device.

Quick Save (Overwrite)

Press Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+S (Mac), or click the toolbar icon to instantly overwrite the original file without any dialogs.
* On first save, a dialog will appear to choose the save location.

Save from Menu (Specify Location & Filename)

Open the "File" menu
Click "File" in the menu bar.
Click "Save"
A submenu appears.
Select "Local"
The save dialog opens.
Select the save folder
On first save or after login, a folder selection dialog appears.
Enter filename and click "Save"
Your file is saved (the .rfnote extension is added automatically).

What is rfnote format?

rfnote is Reading Forest's proprietary file format. It saves all data including book information, notes, and records, and can be loaded back into Reading Forest.

Why do I need to select a folder each time?
Due to browser security requirements, you must select a folder on first save (or first save after login/browser restart). This is an important security measure to prevent websites from accessing files without permission. Once you select a folder, you won't need to select it again during the same session.

For Android Smartphone Users

On Android, for security reasons, you cannot save directly to large folders like "Downloads". Create a dedicated folder during your first save:

Create a new folder in the save dialog
When the folder picker appears, use the menu or "New folder" button to create a folder with a name like "Reading Forest".
Select the folder and grant permission
Select the folder you created and tap "Allow" when prompted for read/write access.

Saving may fail if permissions are not properly configured. If you see a message saying "The file may not have been saved correctly" after saving, please check your folder permissions.

Save to Google Drive (Cloud Storage)

Saving to Google Drive lets you access the same data from different devices.
See How to Save to Google Drive for details.

Loading Saved Data

From local file: Menu → File → Open → Local → Select file
From Google Drive: Menu → File → Open → Google Drive → Select file

Loading Warning

Loading a file will overwrite your current data. Save important data beforehand.