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Offline mode lets you chat with AI models running on your own computer without requiring an internet connection. This provides maximum privacy and full control over your data.

What’s available offline

When using offline mode with local servers, the following features are available:
  • Local LM Studio Models: Run models loaded in your LM Studio server on your computer
  • Ollama Models: Use models from your Ollama installation
  • Standard Chat: Send messages and receive responses from your local model
  • File Attachments: Attach files to chats for analysis
  • Text-to-Speech: Synthesize AI responses using available voices
  • Templates & Character Cards: Use system prompts and roleplay characters

What’s not available offline

The following features require an internet connection and are not available when using local servers:
  • OpenRouter Cloud Models: Cannot access remote cloud AI services without internet
  • Web Search API: Web search is not available in offline mode; the feature requires internet connectivity to query search engines
  • Model Catalog Downloads: Cannot browse or download new models from online sources without an internet connection

Privacy benefits of offline mode

  • Complete Privacy: Your conversations never leave your local network. No data is sent to cloud servers or third parties
  • Full Control: You control all your data. Models run on hardware you own or control
  • No Usage Tracking: Your chats are not monitored, logged, or analyzed by external services
  • Sensitive Information Safe: Use LMSA offline for confidential documents, proprietary data, or personal information without privacy concerns

Enabling offline mode

1

Start your local server

Launch LM Studio on your computer and load a model, or start an Ollama server.
2

Connect in LMSA

Open LMSA Settings and configure your server’s local IP address and port.
3

Disconnect from internet (optional)

LMSA works whether internet is available or not, but for true offline operation, you may want to disable network connectivity on your mobile device.
4

Chat locally

Select your local model and start chatting with zero data leaving your network.

Offline vs. online comparison