Saving is manual: no autosave

Updated Markdown

ListPlus does not autosave a list while you work in it. Editing a cell, running Fix or Fix all, filling empty cells from enrichment, or using find & replace all change the grid in your browser only — they stay unsaved until you click Save in the list header. Leaving the list without saving discards them, and ListPlus warns you first.

The Save button#

Save sits in the list header, next to the panel icons. It is greyed out with the tooltip "No changes to save" when there is nothing pending, and turns solid purple with the tooltip "Save your changes" as soon as you have an edit. There is no separate keyboard shortcut for it — the command palette (⌘K) lists a Save entry, but it only runs when you click it there; pressing ⌘S in the grid does not save.

How unsaved changes are shown#

  • Every edited cell gets a soft highlight, and the row number cell for that row is highlighted too, so you can spot changed rows while scrolling.
  • Hovering an edited cell shows a tooltip with the original value and a Revert button for that one cell.
  • The status bar at the bottom shows a Changes chip with a live count; click it to filter the grid to only the changed rows.
  • The Changes panel (one of the panel icons in the header) lists every pending edit grouped by row or by field, with how long ago each happened.

Undo all unsaved changes#

In the Changes panel, click All at the top of the list, then Revert in the Revert all changes? confirmation. This discards every unsaved edit and reloads the original data from the server. This is the fastest way to undo a batch of edits, a Fix all run, or a filled-cells dialog you regret, as long as you have not clicked Save yet. Once you save, All can no longer bring back the previous values.

Leaving the list#

  • Navigating away inside the app (clicking another list, Home, or a nav item) with unsaved changes opens an Unsaved Changes dialog with three buttons: Save, Discard, or Cancel to stay on the page.
  • Reloading the page, closing the tab, or closing the browser with unsaved changes triggers your browser's own "leave site?" prompt. If you confirm leaving (or the browser/tab crashes), the unsaved edits are gone — they only ever existed in that browser tab, with no draft kept anywhere.

What IS saved automatically#

A few actions write straight to the server in the background, without needing Save:

  • Hiding rows — Ignore, Restore, and the row-hiding side of a duplicate merge — sync to the server automatically, batched every few seconds. If a merge also copies field values onto the surviving row, those field values are regular unsaved edits like any other cell change.
  • Tags and manual row order (dragging rows).
  • Sublist membership — adding rows to or removing them from a manual sublist.
  • New columns created by a join (Enrich from List) — added to the list right away; the joined values themselves still need Save.
  • Enrichment results. A lookup writes its result next to each row on the server right away; it is never lost if you close the list. Those results only become visible in the grid, as unsaved cell edits, once you accept the "Fill empty cells with enrichment data?" prompt (or use Fill Empty Fields later) — at that point Save still applies to them like any other edit.

Everything else you type, fix, or fill in the grid needs Save.

Checks, segments and exports#

Analyze checks, smart sublists (segments), the export wizard and Export Data read the list as it was last saved, not your unsaved edits. Click Save first if you want your changes in a check, a segment's count or an exported file. The one exception is Export as Excel in the ⋯ menu: it downloads the grid exactly as you see it, including unsaved edits.

Do others see my unsaved edits?#

No. Other members of your workspace (and anyone viewing a public list) only ever see the list as it was last saved — your unsaved edits stay in your own browser tab until you click Save, and are never visible to anyone else viewing the same list.

  • editing-and-undo — inline editing, fill handle, undo/redo, reverting a single cell.
  • quality-checks-overview — why Analyze needs saved data and how to re-run it after saving.
  • duplicates — which part of a merge saves automatically and which part needs Save.
  • enrichment-overview — why enrichment blocks on unsaved changes and how results become cell edits.

FAQ#

Does ListPlus autosave my list?#

No. Edits, fixes, filled cells and find & replace changes stay in your browser as unsaved changes until you click Save in the list header. There is no background autosave and no local draft — if you leave without saving, the changes are gone.

Why did my changes disappear?#

You likely left the list, reloaded the page, or closed the tab before clicking Save. ListPlus warns before this happens — an in-app navigation shows an Unsaved Changes dialog (Save, Discard or Cancel), and closing the tab or reloading triggers your browser's own leave-site prompt — but confirming either one discards unsaved edits permanently.

How do I know which cells are unsaved?#

Unsaved cells get a highlighted background, and hovering one shows the original value with a Revert button. The status bar also shows a Changes chip with a count; click it to filter the grid to only the changed rows, or open the Changes panel to review every pending edit.

How do I undo all my unsaved changes at once?#

Open the Changes panel, click All at the top of the change list, then click Revert in the "Revert all changes?" confirmation. This discards every unsaved edit and reloads the original data from the server — it only works before you click Save.

Is there a keyboard shortcut to save?#

No. The command palette (⌘K) shows a Save entry, but pressing ⌘S in the grid does not trigger a save — you need to click Save in the list header or select Save from the palette.

Do I need to save after hiding or merging duplicate rows?#

Hiding rows (Ignore, Restore, or the hidden side of a duplicate merge) saves itself automatically in the background. But if a merge copied any field values onto the surviving row, those values are unsaved cell edits like any other, so you still need to click Save to keep them.

Do I need to save before enriching my list?#

Yes. The Enrich menu blocks starting an enrichment run while you have unsaved changes, so it writes results to the correct saved rows. Save first, then start the enrichment.

Will Analyze show my unfixed changes right away?#

No. The Analyze panel and smart sublists read the list as it was last saved, so click Save, then Re-run Analysis to see your edits reflected. Only Export as Excel in the ⋯ menu includes unsaved edits, because it downloads the grid as you see it.

If I close the list without saving, is the data lost forever?#

Yes, for anything that was still an unsaved cell edit — there is no draft or recovery. Enrichment results are the exception: they are written to the server as soon as the lookup finishes, so you can always fill them into cells later even if you closed the list before saving.

Can other people see my changes before I save?#

No. Other members of your workspace only see the last saved version of the list. Your unsaved edits exist only in your own browser until you click Save.