Offline mode

In offline mode you work in the desktop application with an AI model that runs on your own computer (Ollama). You can then also work without an internet connection, for example while travelling or somewhere without wifi.

Switching on offline mode

1. In the sidebar, switch on Offline mode. The same switch is also in the local mode settings.
2. The first time, you read briefly what changes. Confirm with Switch on offline mode.
3. A new chat starts. While offline mode is on, the switch in the sidebar is coloured.

The app remembers your choice and starts in offline mode next time too. Switch it off to work normally again.

Sign in online once

First sign in online once in the desktop application. After that, the app also starts in offline mode without internet, up to 30 days after it last started online. After signing out you need to sign in online again first.

What stays on your computer

• The model runs in Ollama on your computer. Your questions and the answers are not sent to a server.
• New chats and messages are stored encrypted on this computer, never in the cloud, and are not synchronised. You will not see them in the web version or on another device. In the sidebar and the history, an offline chat has a crossed-out cloud.
• The local model creates the chat title.
• Reading and editing files in your chosen folder, creating Word, PowerPoint and Excel files and local commands keep working. Commands run in the sandbox without network. On a computer without a sandbox, the app asks for permission for every command.
• Viewing a local development server in the built-in browser (localhost) also works.

What does not work in offline mode

• Cloud models. The model picker only shows local models.
• Web search, weather, maps, finding or creating images, Wikipedia, Wikiwijs and SLO.
• Uploading files or adding them from File management, and searching the manual.
• Integrations (such as Google and Microsoft 365) and MCP servers, including locally installed ones.
• Speech, images, document creation and workflows.
• Continuing an existing cloud chat. You can still open it; switch offline mode off to continue in it.

What can still contact the internet

Offline mode sends no content of your chats to a server. When there is internet, the app can still exchange data without chat content, such as refreshing your sign-in or anonymous usage statistics. In offline mode the app does not check for updates automatically; you can still check yourself.

Ollama is not running or there is no model

If the start screen says that Ollama is not running, start the Ollama app (or run ollama serve in a terminal) and choose Check again. If there is no model yet, download one while you are online:

ollama pull qwen3-vl:4b-instruct

See Local AI models with Ollama for installing Ollama and choosing a model.

Settings for administrators

Offline mode is available by default. Administrators can switch it off for the whole environment in the admin area under Features, in the card Desktop app, with Allow offline mode. The app applies the setting as soon as it checks the policy online again. In closed mode, offline mode is never available, because every message is recorded on the server there.

In offline mode the app follows the extra instructions and the context and answer length limits of the AI policy, as they applied at the last online use. Access hours, usage limits and budgets do not apply offline: local models cost nothing and the app cannot check them without a server. To prevent this, switch offline mode off.