Your saves & your data

Front Office Hoops is local-first. Your leagues live in this browser, on this device, using the browser’s own file storage, as long as that storage is actually available to it (more on the exception below). There is no account in the middle and no server copy of your season waiting somewhere else.

That is good for privacy and offline play, but it makes one habit important: export a backup before you clear browser data or leave a device behind.

Where a save lives

A save belongs to the browser profile that created it. A league started in Safari will not simply appear in Chrome, and a league on your phone will not appear on your laptop. Private-browsing windows and separate browser profiles are separate homes too.

Clearing this site’s cookies or storage can remove the underlying browser files. Uninstalling a browser or using an operating-system cleanup tool may do the same. Because the game does not upload a shadow copy, that kind of deletion cannot be undone from our side.

There’s one setup where none of the above applies: on a browser where that file storage isn’t available at all (older Safari versions before 17, certain security settings, or some in-app and webview browsers), Front Office Hoops still runs, but it cannot save anything. Nothing is written between sessions, and closing or reloading the tab loses the league completely. You’ll know if you’re in this situation: a red banner runs across the top of the app saying storage is unavailable. If you see it, treat it as a hard stop, switch to a supported, up-to-date browser (or update Safari) before you put real time into a league there.

Backups and moving devices

Open Settings and export your save. The download contains all of your leagues in one file, which you can keep as a backup or import on another device. A good time to export is before clearing site data, changing browsers, moving computers, or sending a reproducible bug report.

The save-compatibility policy is straightforward: updates upgrade your save automatically; export a backup anytime from Settings. You do not need to start over to get a game update. An exported file is still the safest checkpoint whenever a league matters to you.

Offline and installed play

Once the game has loaded, the league loop runs offline: simming, rosters, trades, and the rest of the front office do not need a server round-trip. You can also install Front Office Hoops as a PWA, which gives it an app-style icon and window without changing where the data lives. The game offers to install itself: after you run a sim, a card appears with the option. On iOS, where the browser doesn’t support that prompt, you’ll see a short instructional card instead, walking you through it: tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Either way, the installed version still uses local browser storage.

Load the game once while connected before counting on offline play. Any logo or other image supplied by an imported file as a web link may need the network; the league itself does not.

The short version

• Your leagues stay on your device, as long as your browser can actually save. If a red storage warning banner is showing, nothing is being saved.
• Updates carry existing saves forward automatically.
• Settings can export every league into one backup file.
• Clearing site storage can delete the only local copy.
• Offline and installed play do not turn the save into a cloud account.

Local-first means the file is genuinely yours. Keep a backup like you would keep a good franchise’s future first-round picks: somewhere you can find it when the unexpected happens.