The canvas always works without signing in. You can land on a new diagram, build something real, and only later decide whether you want an account. To make that possible, livediagram gives every guest a quiet, per-browser identity that owns the diagrams you create.
Your per-browser id
The first time you visit, livediagram mints a unique guest id and stores it in your browser's localStorage. Every diagram, folder, and image you create as a guest is owned by that id, which is how the app knows which content to show you when you come back.
Two things follow from this:
- It is per browser, not per person. The id lives in one browser on one device. Open livediagram in a different browser or on another device and you get a fresh guest id, so your earlier diagrams will not appear there.
- It is not cross-device. Guest content does not sync between devices, because there is no account tying them together yet.
As a guest you still get the full feature set: persistence, share links, and real-time collaboration all work exactly as they do for signed-in users. The only difference is how the request is identified behind the scenes.
What this means for your data
Because your guest content is tied to a single browser, clearing that browser's storage, or using private browsing that discards it, means the app can no longer recognise you as the owner. Treat your guest diagrams as living in that browser.
If you want your diagrams to follow you across browsers and devices, signing in is the answer. When you create an account, the diagrams you built as a guest migrate into it automatically, so you do not lose the work you have already done.
Doing serious work as a guest? Create an account before clearing your browser data. Your guest diagrams move into the account on sign-up, so nothing is left behind.
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