Why ToolBerry Doesn’t Work in Incognito or Private Mode
ToolBerry is built to work offline - for real. Your jobs, customers, and schedules live right on your device, so you can pull up anything on a job site even…
Updated April 16, 2026
ToolBerry is built to work offline - for real. Your jobs, customers, and schedules live right on your device, so you can pull up anything on a job site even with zero signal. No spinning loaders. No "you're offline" screens.
But that offline-first approach has one catch: it requires your browser to be able to save data permanently to your device. Private and Incognito modes don't allow that - and a couple of browsers block it outright. Here's what's going on and how to get back to work in about 30 seconds.
What's happening
ToolBerry stores your data directly on your device using a browser feature called local storage. Think of it as a tiny locked filing cabinet that lives inside your browser - just for ToolBerry - that keeps everything fast, private, and available even when you're offline.
Private Browsing and Incognito modes intentionally block this. That's actually the whole point of private mode - your browser leaves no trace after you close the window. For most websites that's fine, but for an app like ToolBerry that's designed to remember your jobs, customers, and schedules, it means your data would vanish every single time you close the tab.
To protect you from that happening unexpectedly, ToolBerry detects this situation and lets you know before you enter any data.
Which situations are affected?
✅ Works great:
- The ToolBerry app - iOS and Android, no restrictions at all
- The PWA app - MacOS and Windows, no restrictions at all
- Chrome - All platforms (regular mode)
- Edge, Brave, and other Chromium browsers - All platforms (regular mode)
- Safari - Mac, iPhone, iPad (regular mode only )
- Firefox - desktop and Android (regular mode only)
⚠️ Works with some restrictions - great for experiments
- Chrome - Windows, Mac, Android, works with some restrictions (120 MB limit, data lost after closing the tab)
- Edge, Brave, and other Chromium browsers - Windows, Mac, Android, works with some restrictions (120 MB limit)
❌ Won't work - data can't be saved:
- Safari Private Browsing - Mac, iPhone, iPad
- Firefox Private Browsing - Desktop and Android
- Any private or incognito window in any browser on iPhone or iPad
What should I do?
📱 Option 1 - Get the app (best experience)
The ToolBerry app works perfectly on iOS and Android with no browser limitations whatsoever.
If you're running jobs from your phone, this is the way to go.
🚫 Option 2 - Exit private mode
The simplest fix: just close the private/incognito window and reopen ToolBerry in a regular browser tab. Everything will work normally and your data will be saved between sessions.
🖥️ Option 3 - Switch to a supported browser
If you're on a computer, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, or Brave all work in regular mode. Just open toolberry.app in any of them.
Why the app is the best choice for field work
ToolBerry was built for the truck, not the desk. The native app gives you:
- True offline mode - works with zero signal
- Faster performance - no browser overhead
- Contacts and calendar access - straight from your phone
- Job reminders - push notifications for upcoming schedules
If you're managing a crew or running jobs all day, the app just makes more sense.
Have a question?
We're always happy to help. Reach out at contact@toolberry.app
For the Technically Curious
If you want to understand exactly what's going on under the hood, here's the full picture.
What ToolBerry uses: SQLite over OPFS
ToolBerry doesn't store your data in a traditional cloud database. Instead, it runs a real SQLite database directly on your device - the same database engine used in virtually every mobile app on iOS and Android. In the browser, it uses a browser API called OPFS (Origin Private File System) as the storage layer.
OPFS gives each web app its own sandboxed file storage area on the device, with fast synchronous read/write access from a background worker thread. This is what makes true offline operation possible: the database lives on the device, not on a server.
ToolBerry uses SQLocal (which wraps sqlite-wasm's opfs-sahpool VFS) to bridge SQLite's synchronous C I/O with the browser's async JavaScript environment, without requiring special server-side headers.
Why private/incognito mode blocks it
Some browsers has independently decided to block OPFS in private/incognito mode, but for slightly different reasons:
Safari (WebKit): navigator.storage.getDirectory() - the entry point into OPFS - throws a SecurityError in Private Browsing. This is a deliberate WebKit policy decision documented in Apple's own WebKit blog.
Firefox: Private Browsing completely blocks OPFS (Mozilla Bugzilla #1785125). Mozilla's reasoning: supporting OPFS in private mode would require either in-memory storage (impractical for any meaningful dataset) or encrypting data with a session-only key that never touches disk. They haven't implemented the latter, and there's no public timeline for it.
Chrome / Edge / Brave Incognito: This is the most nuanced case. Incognito does allow OPFS, but stores everything in RAM instead of on disk. Storage is capped at approximately 120 MB and is completely wiped when you close the Incognito window. That's enough to browse around, but not suitable for a real work session - you'd lose all your data every time.
Regular mode works fine on all major browsers
Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Brave all fully support OPFS in regular mode. ToolBerry works on all of them. The restriction is specifically about private/incognito mode, which intentionally blocks persistent storage by design.
The compatibility table
| Browser & Mode | Works in ToolBerry? | Data persists? |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome / Edge / Brave (regular) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Safari (regular) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Firefox (regular) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Chrome / Edge / Brave (incognito) | ⚠️ Session only | ❌ Wiped on close |
| Firefox (private) | ❌ Blocked | ❌ N/A |
| Safari (private) | ❌ Blocked | ❌ N/A |
| Any browser on iOS (private) | ❌ Blocked | ❌ N/A |
| ToolBerry native app | ✅ Always | ✅ Always |