The OPFS Explorer, and when to reach for it EN

A diagnostic view of the local file store: browse it, pull a file out, or empty it.

The OPFS Explorer is a page inside the extension that lists the files Rekorder keeps on your computer. You can browse them, download one, or delete some or all of them. OPFS stands for origin private file system. It's a storage area that Chrome reserves for the extension, and it doesn't show up in Finder or File Explorer.

You don't need it for normal use. Reach for it when support asks you to look at local files, when you want to pull a file out of local storage, or when you want to see what's taking up space.

Deleting is permanent. There's no trash and no undo. If a file is the only copy of a recording, for example an Offline mode recording, deleting it loses that recording.

Open the Explorer

Click the Rekorder icon in your toolbar, then open the settings from the top bar of the popup.
Go to the Advanced tab.
Next to OPFS Explorer, click Access ».

The Explorer opens in a new browser tab. It's available in both Cloud mode and Offline mode.

What you see

The files and folders are shown as a tree, with folders first and then files, each sorted by name. Files show their size.

At the top of the page you'll see:

A count of files and directories.
A Storage bar with how much space is used out of the total Chrome allows. The bar changes color once usage passes 80%. If Chrome can't report storage figures, the bar is hidden.

If there's nothing stored, the page says OPFS is empty.

The names are internal, so most won't be meaningful to you. Broadly, what you'll find is:

Folders of small chunks for recordings that are being recorded or are still uploading.
Finished recordings saved on this computer in Offline mode, each with a small companion file describing it.
Saved log files, if you've turned on logging.

Download a file

Find the file in the tree.
Click the download icon at the end of its row.

Chrome saves the file to your usual downloads location under its stored name. This is the raw stored file, so it may not open in a video player. To get a finished Offline mode recording out of the extension, see Where offline recordings are stored, and how to keep them.

Delete files

Every deletion asks you to confirm first, and the confirmation says the deletion is permanent.

One file or folder: click the trash icon on its row, then click Delete. Deleting a folder removes everything inside it.
Several at once: tick the checkboxes next to the items you want. The Delete button at the top shows how many you've selected, for example Delete (3). Click it and confirm.
Everything: click Empty OPFS and confirm. This removes every file and folder in the list, including any saved log files.

The page shows a message when it's done. If it says some items couldn't be deleted, the list refreshes so you can see what's left.

Before you delete anything

Uploads in progress. Recording chunks are removed automatically once they've uploaded. If you delete them while a recording is still uploading, that recording can't finish uploading.
Offline recordings. These exist only on this computer. Download them first if you want to keep them.
Not the same as Reset. Emptying the Explorer only clears local files. Reset does more, so see What Reset clears, and what it destroys.

Troubleshooting

"Files could not be loaded." Close the tab and open the Explorer again from the popup. If it keeps failing, contact support.
"The file could not be downloaded." Try again. If it still fails, the file may be in use by a recording or upload that's still running.
"Some items could not be deleted." The same applies. Wait for any recording or upload to finish, then try again.