Help & FAQ

What is CacheSleuth?

CacheSleuth is a free, ad-free collection of tools for geocachers and puzzle solvers. It has cipher and code solvers, coordinate and mapping calculators, number and image tools, puzzle-game solvers, and reference material, all in one place. Most tools run entirely in your browser, so what you paste in usually never leaves your device.

How are the tools organized?

The sidebar groups every tool into sections. Open it from the menu button in the header, or browse the same groups from the tiles on the home page.

• Map Tools, coordinate converters, projections, intersections, distance and area calculators, and formula solvers.
• Code Tables, hundreds of symbol and glyph alphabets you can look up, render, or identify.
• Cipher Tools, classic ciphers like Caesar, Vigenère, Playfair, Bifid, and many more, with encode, decode, and solve.
• Code Tools, encodings such as Morse, Baudot, Braille-style codes, keyboard shifts, and other letter-to-symbol schemes.
• Number Tools, base conversions, number sequences, dates, constants, and numeric puzzles.
• Image & File Forensics, EXIF, hex and steganography tools, QR and barcode readers, and image decoders.
• Misc Tools, text manipulation, notes, extractors, and other utilities that do not fit elsewhere.
• Games & Solvers, solvers for Sudoku, Nonograms, Kakuro, and dozens of other logic puzzles.
• Build Your Own, builders that turn a puzzle or mini-game into a shareable, keyword-gated geocache.
• Reference, lookup lists, transportation codes, geocaching lingo, and helpful links.

How does search work?

The search box on the home page and the filter box in the sidebar match on both a tool's name and its keywords. So you can search for what a tool does, not just its exact title. Typing "unscramble" finds the Anagram Solver, and "crossword" finds it too. You can also paste coordinates straight into the home search and be sent to the converter.

How do I switch between light and dark mode?

Use the theme button in the header. It cycles through three states, follow your system setting, always light, and always dark. Your choice is remembered in your browser for next time.

Can I read the site in another language?

Yes. CacheSleuth defaults to English and never switches your language automatically. If your browser prefers another supported language, a small banner offers to switch, and you can dismiss it for good. You can also pick a language any time from the Translate box in the footer. Translations are machine-generated and cached, so some may read a little rough. Your tool input is never sent to the translation service, only the visible page text is.

What are Share Links?

Many tools have a Share Link button that copies a self-contained URL recreating your current input. The state travels in the part of the URL after the #, which never leaves your browser, so opening or sharing the link does not send your input to any server. The payload is compressed but not encrypted, so anyone with the link can recover the input. Do not put anything sensitive in a share link you plan to post publicly. See the privacy page for details.

Where do I see what is new?

The What's New page lists recently added tools and site changes, newest first. It is linked from the welcome panel on the home page and from the footer.

Are my puzzle inputs private?

For the great majority of tools, yes. Cipher, code, coordinate, and number tools run locally in your browser and do not transmit what you type. A few features do send data on purpose, such as elevation and ISBN lookups, the Wherigo Solver upload, and cache checker pages. Each exception is spelled out on the privacy page.

Do I need an account?

No. Everything works without signing in. The one optional account is for syncing your Puzzle Notes across devices, and even then the notes are end-to-end encrypted in your browser before they are uploaded.

Is CacheSleuth free?

Yes, and there are no ads or trackers. If a tool has saved you time and you would like to help keep the site running, there is a "Buy me a coffee" link in the footer, but it is entirely optional.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. The site is mobile-first and responsive, so the tools, the sidebar, and the maps all adapt to small screens as well as desktops.

How do I report a bug or suggest a tool?

Please use the contact page. Bug reports, questions, and ideas for new tools are all welcome. For a bad or awkward translation, the "Report translation issues" link in the footer goes to a dedicated form.