Questions people ask
Plain answers about where your information is kept, licences, and what Cairn does and does not do.
Does my estate information ever leave my computer?
No. Everything you enter is stored on your computer, in Cairn's own folder. We never receive it, and Cairn has no way to send it to us. The licence service sees only what it needs to check your licence, and How it works lists the main things it holds.
What happens if my licence lapses?
Everything stays readable and exportable — only editing stops. Nothing you have entered is deleted or lost. Renew, or let Cairn reconnect if it could not check your licence, to make changes again.
Does Cairn need an internet connection?
Only now and then. Cairn checks your licence from time to time and works offline in between. If it cannot reach the licence service for more than 45 days on a perpetual licence, or 30 days on a subscription, nothing is lost: everything stays readable and exportable, and only editing stops. Cairn is read-only until it can check in, and editing returns once it does.
Can I use Cairn on more than one computer?
You can install it on any computer you own or control, but your licence is active on one at a time. Activating it on another computer moves it there and deactivates the one it was on. The licence moves; your estate information stays on the computer where you entered it.
What is an estate slot?
A perpetual licence includes one estate slot, which lets you edit one estate, and you can buy more. Giving a slot to an estate is permanent: it cannot be moved to another estate later, and deleting the estate does not return it. Estates without a slot stay readable and exportable. A subscription needs no slots and covers any number of estates.
What if something happens to my computer?
Your computer holds the only copy, so Cairn gives you two kinds of protection. Automatic restore points, kept on the same computer, cover a damaged database. An export, saved somewhere else, covers a computer that is lost, broken or stolen — restore points cannot help with that.
Does Cairn give legal or tax advice?
No. Cairn organises an estate's information; it does not provide legal, tax or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for a lawyer, notary or accountant. Rules for wills, probate and tax differ by province, state and country, and a professional licensed where the estate is settled can tell you what applies.
Which computers does Cairn run on?
Windows, today. Versions for macOS and Linux are planned for later.
Can I get a refund?
Sales are final: a perpetual licence and extra estate slots are not refundable, and cancelling a subscription stops future payments without refunding the time already paid for. That does not affect any cancellation right consumer protection law gives you. And a product that does not work as described is a different matter — if something is genuinely broken, email us.