---
url: https://spellingcreator.org/docs/guide/install-and-offline.md
---

# Install and use offline

You can use Spelling Creator in an ordinary browser tab, or install it so it
opens in its own window like any other app on your computer, tablet or phone.
Either way, your lessons are saved in the browser on the device you're using,
so you can keep writing and printing lessons without an internet connection.

## Installing on a computer

Most sessions happen on a computer, so this is the place to start.

**Chrome or Edge** (Windows, Mac, ChromeOS or Linux):

1. Open Spelling Creator in the browser.
2. Click the **Install app** button in the top bar. It's a small download icon
   next to the light and dark mode switch. You can also go to **Settings** and
   use **Install app** in the **This device** section.
3. Confirm when the browser asks.

The app then opens in a window of its own, without the browser's tabs and
address bar. You'll find it with your other apps: in the Start menu on Windows,
in Applications and Launchpad on a Mac, or in the app launcher on a Chromebook.
You can pin it to your taskbar or dock from there.

The **Install app** button only appears when your browser can install the app,
and it disappears once the app is installed. If you don't see it, the browser's
own install icon at the end of the address bar does the same thing.

**Safari on a Mac** doesn't show the **Install app** button. Recent versions of
Safari can still add the app to your Dock: choose **File**, then **Add to
Dock**.

**Firefox** doesn't install web apps. You can keep using Spelling Creator in a
Firefox tab, and the offline features below still work there.

## Installing on a phone or tablet

**iPhone and iPad:** use Safari. Other browsers on these devices can't install
the app.

1. Open Spelling Creator in Safari.
2. Tap **Install app**. On an iPad it's in the top bar. On an iPhone held
   upright the top bar is too narrow for it, so open the menu, tap
   **Settings**, and find **Install app** under **This device**.
3. The app shows you the two steps: tap the Share button in Safari's toolbar,
   then choose **Add to Home Screen**.

**Android:** in Chrome, tap **Install app** (in the top bar on a wide screen, or
under **This device** in **Settings**), or use **Install app** or **Add to Home
screen** from Chrome's own menu.

The app then has an icon on your home screen and opens full screen.

## What works without internet

The app has to have been opened once on this device while you were online.
After that, it opens and works offline whether or not you installed it.

**Works offline:**

* Opening the app, the editor, **On this device** and **Settings**
* Switching between the lessons saved on this device, and starting new ones
* Writing and editing lessons: adding, moving and deleting sections and blocks
* Pictures you've already added to a lesson
* Version history: browsing earlier versions and restoring one
* **Export DOCX** and **Print PDF**
* Pictures in published lessons you've looked at before

**Needs internet:**

* The **Lesson hub**, published lesson pages, profiles and comments
* **Save to cloud** (publishing a lesson or keeping a private backup)
* Proposing changes to a lesson you forked
* **Search images**
* AI help, such as **Generate with AI** and **Fix with AI** in **Check
  lesson**, and the fact check
* **Collaborate**
* Signing in, and **Save to Google Docs**
* Downloading a natural voice, translation or summary model the first time you
  use it

These buttons stay where they are when you're offline. Using one without a
connection shows an error instead, and it works again once you're back online.

Your lessons live in this browser on this device. Another computer, or another
browser on the same computer, won't have them unless you publish them or save
them to the cloud. Clearing the browser's data for the site deletes them, so be
careful with that.

## Updates

When a new version of Spelling Creator is ready, you'll see a message saying
**A new version is available**, with a **Reload** button. Your saved lessons
aren't affected. If you're in the middle of something, close the message and
reload later; the app will offer the update again. An installed app checks for
updates about once an hour while you're online.

## Signing in from the installed app

If you sign in with an emailed link, the link may not open in the app:

* On an **iPhone or iPad**, email links always open in Safari, which can't sign
  in the installed app.
* On a **computer**, the link opens in a normal browser tab. That signs you in,
  but leaves you in the tab instead of the app window.

The same email also contains a code. On the **Check your email** screen in the
app, type it into **Code from the email** and press **Sign in**. A code signs you
in wherever you type it. On a phone, the keyboard may offer the code for you.

If your Spelling Creator uses usernames and passwords instead of email, signing
in from the installed app works the same as anywhere else.

## Freeing up space

Some features download a model so they can run on your device: natural voices
for reading aloud, summaries, translation, and reading imported text. These can
add up to a few gigabytes. To see how much space they use, go to **Settings**
and look at **Downloaded AI models** under **This device**. **Delete models**
frees that space without touching your lessons. Each feature downloads its model
again the next time you use it.

For how the installable app and offline support are built, see
[Installable app & offline use](../developers/web-app/pwa-and-offline.md).