Questions and answers
Where is the toolbar?
On the right edge of every page, next to the scrollbar (you can move it to the left edge in the settings). Hover over it to open the panel. Pin the panel to keep it open, or expand it to a large view. On Chrome's own pages, such as the New Tab page, click the extension icon to open the same tools in Chrome's side panel.
The toolbar does not appear on a page. Why?
- You may have hidden it on that site: click the extension icon to show it again.
- Chrome does not let extensions add anything to its own pages and to the Chrome Web Store. Use the side panel there.
- On local files (
file://), turn on "Allow access to file URLs" in the extension's details onchrome://extensions.
Why does Chrome say the extension can "read and change all your data on all websites"?
That is Chrome's standard warning for any extension that shows something on every site. Utility Multi Tool needs it only to show its toolbar there. It reads the page's host name (such as example.com), locally, to check whether you hid the toolbar on that site. It does not read or change the content of the pages, and its toolbar lives in its own isolated part of the page.
The toolbar says to reload the tab before typing. Why?
Text you type in the toolbar is kept from the web page: the extension starts before the page's own scripts and stops your keys from reaching them. In a tab that was already open when the extension was installed, updated or turned on, the toolbar arrives after the page's scripts, so a page that listens to every key could see what you type in the toolbar there. Such a toolbar says so the first time you click into one of its text fields; press Reload (or reload the tab yourself) and typing is private again. Pages you open later are not affected.
Can a site tell that I use the extension?
A page can see that its document holds the toolbar's element (<umt-root>), as with any extension that shows something on the page. It cannot see inside the toolbar or read your data.
Where is my data?
On your computer, in your Chrome profile. There is no account and no server: nothing is sent to us. The extension keeps a daily safety copy inside your browser for 30 days, and you can also back up automatically to a folder on your computer or to your Google Drive. See the Privacy Policy.
What can the extension see in my Google Drive?
Only the files it creates itself (the drive.file permission). It cannot see any of your other files. The options page shows the email address of the connected Google account, so you know where your backups go; it is kept only on your computer. Drive backup needs a Chrome profile that is signed in to a Google account.
How do I move my data to another computer?
Turn on the backup to Google Drive (or to a folder you share) on both computers, then use Import in the options page, under Backup. Import shows a preview first: replace everything, or merge only what is new.
What does settings sync send?
Only your settings, including the list of sites where you hid the toolbar, through your Chrome account. Your projects, tasks and times do not sync this way. You can turn it off in the options page, under Backup.
If you allowed the extension in Incognito and hide the toolbar on a site in an Incognito window, that site is saved in the same list and syncs with your settings like any other, after the window is closed too. You can remove it in the options page.
What are the keyboard shortcuts?
Alt+S opens or closes the panel, Alt+X the large view, Alt+P pauses or resumes the current task, Alt+B starts or ends a break, Alt+W starts or pauses the stopwatch, and Alt+K opens the command palette (Option on a Mac). You can change them in the general settings or in the options page. While you type in a text field, a shortcut of Alt and one key does nothing, so your typing is never interrupted.
What is focus mode?
A Pomodoro timer on the task you are tracking: 25 minutes of work and 5 of rest by default, in cycles. Each rest is recorded as a break of the task. Start it from the card of the running task; change the lengths in the tracker settings.
Something went wrong. How do I get help?
Open the options page, go to Diagnostics and press "Copy report". The report stays on your computer until you paste it yourself; it holds no names of projects or tasks and no notes. Send it with a short description to support@utilitymultitool.com.