Rhythm Writer

Where your songs are saved

Your songs never go to a server. There's no account and nothing to sync. They stay on your device, in one of two places, and the line at the bottom of the song list tells you which.

In a folder you choose (Chrome and Edge on a computer)

On Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, Chrome and Edge can save songs as files in a folder you pick:

  1. At the bottom of the song list, click choose a folder…
  2. Pick or create a folder, for example Documents\Drum charts, and allow access.

Each song becomes one small .json file in that folder. Songs already in the browser are moved into it. Because they're ordinary files, they're backed up with the rest of your computer, and if the folder is inside Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud Drive, they sync to your other computers too.

After a browser restart you may see reconnect folder instead. Click it and allow access again; browsers ask for permission each session.

Inside the browser (everything else)

Safari, Firefox, and phones and tablets keep songs in the browser's own storage. The hint reads songs: this browser only. The first time you save a song, the app asks the browser to keep its storage permanently, so the browser won't clear it to free space. Chrome and Edge decide this on their own; Firefox asks you once, and it's worth allowing. Even so, two cautions apply:

Keep a backup. Use Export after a writing session and keep the files somewhere safe, such as email, cloud storage or a computer. On iPhone and iPad, add the app to your home screen so Safari doesn't clear its data. See Moving songs between devices.

Undo

Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y, or the ↶ and ↷ buttons in the header, step back and forward through every change to the song that's open, including deleted rows. Deleting a whole song can't be undone, which is why the app asks first.

Still stuck?

Email info@rhythmwriter.app with your device, your browser and what happened. A person reads every message.

Open the app   All help pages
More help Your first chart in five minutesPhones, tablets and installing the appSections, phrases, notes and lyricsPainting grooves: hits, accents, ghosts and hi-hatsTime signatures and grid resolutionTempo, dynamics and swingPlayback: hearing your chartPrinting, PDFs and gig viewMoving songs between devicesYour license: buying, activating, devices and refundsKeyboard shortcutsTroubleshooting and FAQ