Guest Mode, Sync & Your Account

Using Anchor without an account

Anchor works the moment you open it. No signup wall. In guest mode, everything you build (desktops, bookmarks, widgets, themes) is stored locally in your own browser, and your data never leaves your device.

Guest mode is fully featured for everyday use, with two natural limits:

  • Your setup lives in one browser on one device, so there's nothing to sync from
  • Clearing your browser's site data would erase it, since there's no cloud backup

What happens when you sign in

Create a free account (email and password, or Google or Microsoft sign-in) and:

  1. Everything carries over. Your guest desktops are merged into your account automatically. Nothing is lost.
  2. Cloud backup. Your setup is stored securely and survives browser resets and new computers.
  3. Multi-device sync. Open Anchor on any browser, on any device, and your desktops are there. Changes sync in real time: edit a bookmark on your work machine and it's already updated on your laptop.
  4. Connected widgets. Calendar (Google or Microsoft) and Todoist connections become available, stored securely with your account.

How sync behaves offline

Anchor is built local-first. Changes save instantly on your device, then sync to the cloud. If you go offline, keep working; your edits are queued and sent up when the connection returns.

Signing out

Signing out on a device leaves your cloud data untouched. Sign back in anywhere and everything's there. If you've used a shared machine, you can also sign out of all devices at once from Settings.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account anytime from Settings → Account:

  • Deletion has a 30-day grace period. Changed your mind? Sign back in within 30 days and your account is restored.
  • After 30 days, your account and data are permanently removed.

Privacy, plainly

  • In guest mode, your data stays in your browser. Full stop.
  • With an account, your data is stored only to provide backup and sync. It is not sold, not shared with advertisers, and not used to train AI models.
  • Anchor has no ads and no trackers.