HELP
& ANSWERS.

Getting Started

What is Portara?

Portara replaces your browser’s blank new tab with a start page you build yourself. Add cards for bookmarks, weather, clocks, sticky notes, stocks, calendar, news and more, then arrange them how you like. The idea is practical: most people open a tab to check the same handful of things, so Portara puts those things on the tab itself. Works as a new tab override or as a pinned start page you keep open all day.

How do I sign in?

Head to portara.me/login. You can sign in with your Google account (one click, no passwords) or with a magic link sent to your email — just enter your address and click the link. Either way you’re in within seconds.

Do I need the Chrome extension?

No. Portara works as a regular website at portara.me without any extension. The extension is optional — it lets Portara override your new tab page so it opens automatically, and gives the Bookmarks card access to your existing browser bookmarks. If you prefer, just visit portara.me, sign in, and pin the tab. Every other feature works identically.

Your Start Page

What are cards?

Cards are the building blocks. Each one is a self-contained widget — a clock, a weather forecast, a list of bookmarks, a sticky note, a stock ticker. You arrange them on a grid, resize them, and add as many as you need. Your layout saves automatically, so it’s the same every time you open a tab.

How do I add cards?

Click the + button in the top-right corner of your dashboard (it appears when you hover near the controls). That opens the card picker — choose a type and it drops onto your grid. From there, drag it where you want and resize by dragging the edges.

How do I move cards around?

Just drag them. Click and hold any card and drag it to a new spot. On desktop, cards snap to the nearest open slot. On mobile they stack vertically and you can reorder with a long press and drag.

Can I create multiple pages?

Yes, on Pro. One page for work, one for travel, one for home. Use the page tabs along the top to switch between them. Click the + tab to add a page, and rename or delete pages by clicking an existing tab. The free plan includes one page.

Customizing Your Look

How do I change my wallpaper?

Open Settings (the gear icon, top-right), then the Wallpaper tab. You can paste a custom image URL on any plan. Pro adds full Unsplash search, curated seasonal collections, and daily rotation that swaps the wallpaper every morning.

How do I adjust the glass effect?

In Settings, the Appearance tab has sliders for card transparency, blur intensity, border opacity, corner radius and shadow depth. Moving transparency left makes cards more frosted; right makes them more see-through. Blur controls how much the wallpaper smears behind each card. Changes apply in real time. The fine-tune sliders are a Pro feature.

What’s the difference between card styles?

All cards share the global glass style you set in Appearance. Individual card types also have their own options — the Sticky Note card lets you pick a background tint, the World Clock card lets you choose fonts and colours per clock. Open any card’s settings with the gear icon that appears when you hover over it.

The Browser Extension

What does the extension do?

Two things: it overrides your new tab page so every new tab opens Portara instead of the browser default, and it bridges your existing browser bookmarks into the Bookmarks card. Without it you can still use Portara — you just visit portara.me and add bookmarks manually inside the app. It works in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi and Opera.

How do I install it?

The extension is currently in early access. To install it:

• Download the extension files (link available in your account settings).
• Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions.
• Enable Developer mode using the toggle in the top-right corner.
• Click Load unpacked and select the folder you downloaded.

Once loaded, every new tab opens Portara. You’ll only need to sign in once.

Can I pin Portara as a tab instead?

Absolutely. Many people skip the new tab override entirely and pin portara.me as a dedicated tab they keep open all day. This works well if you lean on stocks, feeds, notes and tasks and would rather keep the browser’s default new tab. Right-click the tab and choose Pin tab. No extension needed.

How do I connect my bookmarks?

With the extension installed, add a Bookmarks card. It detects the extension and offers to load your browser’s bookmark folders — choose one from the dropdown in card settings and they appear instantly. One-click import is a Pro feature; without it you can still add bookmarks manually.

Account & Billing

What’s included in the free plan?

A fully working start page: 12 card types, one page with up to five cards, layout customization, a wallpaper, and cloud sync across devices. Live-data cards (weather, stocks, sports, AI news digest) and the customization engine are Pro.

How do I upgrade to Pro?

Open Settings and go to the Account tab. Pro is $34/year. Click the button, complete checkout, and your account upgrades instantly. Full breakdown on the Pro page.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Settings → Account → Manage Subscription opens your billing portal, where you can cancel anytime. You keep Pro until the end of the period you’ve already paid for. No partial refunds, but you won’t be charged again.

How do I delete my account?

In Settings → Account, scroll to the bottom. Deleting is permanent — all cards, pages, settings and data are removed and cannot be recovered. If you have an active Pro subscription, cancel it from the billing portal first.

Privacy & Data Storage

Cloud Mode vs Local Mode

Two ways to store your data, switchable anytime in Settings → Privacy.

• Cloud Mode (default) — layout, notes, card content and settings are saved to Portara’s servers and synced across devices. Sign in on your laptop and your phone and you get the same start page.
• Local Mode (Pro) — everything stays in your browser’s local storage. Nothing is sent to our servers.

What’s the catch with Local Mode?

Good for privacy, with three trade-offs worth knowing:

• No cross-device sync. Your page exists in that one browser only.
• Clearing browser data wipes everything. Clear your site data or cookies and your layout, notes and settings are gone permanently — there’s no cloud backup to restore from.
• No account recovery. New computer or OS reinstall means starting over.

One device and privacy-focused? Local Mode fits. Switching between devices or want a safety net? Cloud Mode is safer.

Does Portara sell my data?

No. We don’t sell, rent or share your personal data with third parties for advertising or marketing. Full detail in our Privacy Policy.

Backing Up Your Data

Can I export my data?

Yes. Settings → Data tab → Export Data. Your browser downloads portara-export-{date}.json containing everything — pages, cards, card configuration and settings — in one file.

How do I restore from a backup?

Same Data tab, click Choose Backup File… and select your .json file. You’ll get a confirmation prompt before anything changes, then Portara restores and reloads.

Important: importing is a full restore, not a merge. Everything in the file replaces what you have now — all current pages, cards and settings are overwritten. There’s no undo, so check you’re restoring the right file.

When should I export?

Before any big change — reorganizing pages, deleting cards, switching devices, or experimenting with a setup you might want to roll back.

Still Need Help?

If something isn’t working or isn’t covered here, the easiest route is the in-app support form: click the gear icon to open Settings, then the Help tab (the speech bubble). Fill it out and we’ll get back to you.

You can also email hello@portara.me. We’re a small team so replies might not be instant, but we read everything.