Configure sync

In short

Every workspace starts on This device only. Open Settings → Sync, pick a mode, and choose Save. Sync moves encrypted updates between your devices; it is not a backup.

Start a Book note on your laptop and finish it on your phone on the train. Turn on sync when you want the same workspace on more than one device, or when you want to share individual Objects with other people. Settings → Sync is available in the desktop app, the browser app, and the mobile apps.

Choose a mode

Open Settings → Sync and select a Sync mode. Nothing changes until you choose Save.

Mode	Use it when	What you enter	Depends on
This device only	The workspace should stay on this device. This is the default and the most private option.	Nothing	Nothing
Peer-to-peer	Your own devices can reach each other online. A signaling server only introduces them.	Room, Signaling URLs (one per line), and a Room password	The signaling server, with both devices online at the same time
Cloud	You want Lar’s hosted server for sign-in, sync, and sharing individual Objects.	Nothing; the address is built in	The hosted service
Self-hosted server	You run your own Lar server.	Server URL, which must start with https:// (http:// works only for localhost)	Your server

For peer-to-peer, choose Set password to add the room password. Lar won’t connect to a signaling server without one, because the password is what keeps that server from reading your updates. The phone-sized layout has no room password field. On desktop, new peer-to-peer settings take effect the next time the window regains focus.

Cloud and self-hosted modes use your Lar account, so sign in from Settings → Account. To point the app at a server you run, see Self-hosting Lar.

Add another device

With Cloud or a self-hosted server, you add a device by showing a one-time pairing code on a device that already has the workspace.

1. On the device that has your notes, open Settings → Sync. The Add a device group appears once the connection is up.
2. Choose Show the code and confirm. The pairing code appears as text and as a QR code.
3. On the new device, sign in to the same account and enter the code:
   • In the browser app, choose Use a pairing or recovery code when Lar first opens.
   • In a mobile app, open Settings → Sync → Join a workspace.
4. Keep the first device online and unlocked until the new one finishes syncing.

The code works once and expires after 10 minutes. Joining replaces the new device’s empty workspace; it never merges, so a browser that already has notes of its own refuses to join.

Caution

A pairing code gives the new device your account identity, so it can read and change all your synced notes on that account, not only this workspace. Show it only while you are adding a device you own.

Read connection status

The Connection row on the Sync page says whether the workspace is local-only, connecting, syncing, or connected as your account. On desktop, the Sync overview shows a badge per transport: Disabled, Idle, Syncing, Current, Offline, Degraded, or Error, plus a count of items still waiting to send.

Current means the live connection is up. It does not confirm that another device has received everything, so don’t treat it as a backup check. After working offline, leave the app open until the connection settles. Concurrent edits merge automatically.

Manage devices

While you are connected to Cloud or a self-hosted server, the Devices list shows each device that syncs the workspace. Your current device carries a This device badge.

To remove a device, choose Remove next to it, then Remove device to confirm. That device loses access to the workspace, and the workspace key rotates for every remaining device. This cannot be undone, and it does not erase content the removed device already received.

Control media and local storage

On desktop, the Media group has a Download policy that decides when original attachments are kept on this device: On demand, On Wi-Fi, or Always available offline. It also shows how much media is on this device and how much is not downloaded yet. Local storage breaks down the workspace database, media, exports, and a rebuildable cache you can remove with Clear cache.

Presence and cursors

Live cursor positions and other presence data are temporary and never saved as workspace content. When you share an Object, presence travels inside the same encrypted channel as the Object.

If sync is not moving

1. Confirm the selected mode. For a self-hosted server, check the Server URL.
2. For Cloud or a self-hosted server, check that you are signed in under Settings → Account and that the Devices list appears.
3. For peer-to-peer, check that both devices use the same Room, Signaling URLs, and Room password.
4. Keep Lar open while queued changes send. In the browser you can use several tabs; one tab handles the connection for all of them.
5. Before clearing or rebuilding anything, make a backup.

See Troubleshooting for safe recovery steps, and Local-first & encryption for what a sync server can see.