How to move a project between devices

Local storage does not travel

Canvasola saves as you work, and that saving happens in the browser. The current document is stored under the key canvasola_document_v2 and the workspace tab strip under canvasola_workspace_tabs_v1, both in the local storage of one browser profile on one device. That is why closing the tab and coming back works.

It is also why switching devices feels like starting over. A laptop and a tablet have separate browser profiles, so they have separate storage. A private window has its own storage too, and clearing browsing data empties it. Nothing in the local autosave copies itself anywhere, and cloud sync is opt-in rather than automatic.

So there are two real routes for carrying work to a second device: save the project as a .canv file and move the file, or turn on the optional cloud account and store the project there. Which one suits you depends on how big the project is and how often you switch.

• The document autosaves under canvasola_document_v2
• The tab strip is stored under canvasola_workspace_tabs_v1
• Both live in one browser profile, on one device
• Cloud sync is opt-in, so nothing uploads by itself

Note: Workspace tabs are part of the local storage, not of a project file, so they do not travel with the .canv file either. A project moves as a document, not as a whole session.

Route one: the .canv file

On the first device, choose File, then Save Project (.canv), or press Ctrl/Cmd+S. The file downloads as canvas-project.canv and holds the canvas elements, the style, the mind map, the App Builder project, the camera and the layout mode, so it is the whole project in one document.

Move the file however you already move files: a USB stick, an email attachment, a synced folder or a sharing service. On the second device, open Canvasola and choose File, then Open Project… (.canv), or press Ctrl/Cmd+O, and pick the file. The project loads with its content and its view.

The limit on this route is size. A project file has a ceiling of 50 MB and anything larger will not open, so a project with a lot of drawing or several node images can be too big to move this way. The project backup guide covers what is inside the file.

1. Save on the first device. Choose File, then Save Project (.canv), and the whole project downloads as canvas-project.canv.
2. Move the file across. Copy it to the second device by stick, email, sync or sharing, keeping the .canv extension.
3. Open it there. Choose File, then Open Project… (.canv) on the second device and select the file you moved.

Route two: an opt-in cloud project

The second route runs through the optional cloud account, which you turn on yourself. Choose File, then Cloud projects…, sign in, and store the current project there. From then on that project is reachable from any device where you sign in to the same account.

This is the easier route when you work across devices every day, because there is no file to copy and no version to keep track of. It is also the route with a ceiling: the account holds 5 projects of 2 MB each, so it is a small shelf rather than a library.

Uploading is a choice, not a side effect. Nothing is sent to the cloud until you put a project there yourself, and you can clear a project out of the account when you are done with it. The offline guide covers how the app behaves with no connection.

• Cloud projects… is where the account lives in the File menu
• Nothing uploads until you store a project there
• The same account opens the project on any device
• The size limit makes it a working shelf, not an archive

What the cloud plan holds

An account holds 5 projects, and each one can be 2 MB. The Cloud projects dialog shows the count as you use it, so you can see where you stand before you try to store a fifth large project. The limit applies to the stored document, and a project with embedded node images reaches 2 MB faster than a map of text.

Sessions last 30 days. That is a real limit on how long you can leave the account alone and expect it to be there when you come back, and it is a good reason to keep the .canv file as well, even when the cloud copy is the one you use.

None of this is a limitless archive, and the guide would be dishonest if it implied otherwise. Five projects of 2 MB is enough for one or two active pieces of work. If you need a library of projects, the .canv files on your own disk are where they belong.

• 5 projects per account, 2 MB for each one
• Sessions last 30 days
• The cloud dialog shows the current count
• Embedded images use up the 2 MB quickly

Move a mockup project too

A project that includes app mockups moves the same way, because the App Builder work is stored inside the .canv project. The file carries the frames, the components, the layout and the theme, so opening it on the second device brings back the screens as they were rather than as a set of empty frames.

The .canv route is the better one for mockups, because the cloud account's 2 MB per project is tight once a design has several frames. The mockup export guide covers the four formats you can hand over instead: PNG, JPG, JSON and static HTML and CSS.

One thing to check after the move is the theme. App Builder has light and dark token sets with a toolbar toggle, and the toggle also changes the HTML export. Whichever theme was active when you saved is the one you get back, so check it before you show the screens to anyone.

• Frames, components and layout travel inside the .canv file
• The 2 MB cloud limit is tight for multi-frame projects
• The mockup JSON export can be re-imported on its own
• The active light or dark theme comes back with the project

Check the file arrived intact

After the move, do not assume. Open the project on the second device and check the things that would be missing if the transfer had gone wrong: the number of frames in the App Builder, the depth of the mind map, and the canvas elements that were on screen when you saved.

If the file did not open at all, the likely causes are a truncated copy during the transfer and a file over the 50 MB ceiling. A truncated file fails to parse and the app reports that it could not read it. Copy the file again, compare the file sizes on both devices, and check the size against the ceiling.

Then save a fresh copy on the second device. That gives you a file that belongs to the machine you are working on, and it proves the project is readable there. The complete Canvasola guide covers the rest of the File menu.

• Count the frames and the branches after opening the file
• Compare the file sizes on both devices
• Remember the 50 MB ceiling for project files
• Save a fresh copy once the project is open

A checklist you can reuse

• You know the local autosave stays in one browser profile
• The project was saved as a .canv file before it was moved
• The file was checked against the 50 MB project limit
• The copy on the second device was verified to open
• Frames, branches and canvas elements were counted after opening
• The cloud route was used only if the project fits 2 MB
• A fresh project file was saved on the second device

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the work followed you. The autosave lives in one browser profile, so a new device starts empty. Move the project as a file or through the optional cloud account.
• Trusting a copy without opening it. A truncated transfer produces a file that will not parse. Open the project on the second device and compare the file sizes before you trust it.
• Using cloud storage as an archive. The account holds 5 projects of 2 MB each, and sessions last 30 days. It is a working shelf for active projects, not somewhere to keep everything.
• Expecting the workspace tabs to travel. The tab strip is local storage, not part of a project file. Open the project in the workspace you want it in, and treat the tabs as a local convenience.

Frequently asked questions

Does Canvasola sync my work across devices automatically?

No. The autosave writes to the browser profile of the device you are working on, under canvasola_document_v2 for the document and canvasola_workspace_tabs_v1 for the tabs. The only route that carries a project to another device without a file is the optional cloud account, and you have to turn that on and store the project there yourself.

What is the difference between the cloud project and a .canv file?

The cloud project lives on a server and opens on any device where you sign in, which is convenient while you are working across several machines. The .canv file is a document on your own disk, it can be as large as 50 MB, and it never expires. Many people use the cloud copy for the current project and keep the file as the real copy.

How long does a cloud session last?

Thirty days. That is the window in which the session behind a cloud project stays alive, and it is a good reason to keep the .canv file even when the cloud copy is the one you use every day, since a file on your disk has no expiry at all.

Can I move a project with app mockups to another device?

Yes, and the .canv file is the better route for mockups because the App Builder project is stored inside it, frames and all. The cloud account also stores it, but the 2 MB limit per project is tight for a design with several frames, so keep the file as the master copy.

This guide is part of the export and import collection. For the wider product tour, read the complete Canvasola guide, and keep the keyboard shortcut cheat sheet open while you work.