Skip to main content

Account Recovery

If you've forgotten your master password, you can recover access to your account using your Recovery Key.

Prerequisites​

To recover access to your account, you need:

  • check_circle Your email address
  • check_circle Your Recovery Key from the Recovery Key PDF, or if you have copied it somewhere safe at the time of creating it.
  • check_circle Access to the device where your LockYit vault is stored
No Recovery Key?

If you don't have your recovery key, there is no way to recover access to your account. Your data is encrypted with zero-knowledge encryption, meaning even we cannot access it.

Check Your Recovery Key​

A recovery key is only useful if it is the right one, and the moment you find that out should not be the moment you need it. Check Recovery Key answers that question at any time: it tells you whether the key you hold is the one currently protecting your account.

Open it from the Tools menu - the wrench icon in the app bar on phones and tablets, or the Tools button on the desktop navigation rail. See Tools Menu.

  1. Open Tools → Check Recovery Key
  2. Type or paste in the recovery key you saved
  3. Tap Check

The key is case-insensitive and the dashes are optional, so a key typed out by hand is read the same as one pasted from the PDF.

Reading the result​

A match confirms the copy you saved is the current one and will work if you ever need it.

If it does not match, the result also shows when your account's current recovery key was created. That date tells you whether you are holding an older key that was replaced, and it is the same date shown against Recovery Key in Settings → Account.

A key that does not match cannot recover your account. Generate and save a new one using Step 5 below, and make sure you complete every step.

What this check does and does not do

It is read-only. It never displays your key, never changes it, and never unlocks anything. It answers one question: right key, or wrong key.

Check after every change

Check your saved copy whenever you generate a new recovery key, and again after recovering your account. Both replace the previous key and make the old copy useless.

Recovery Process​

Step 1: Start Recovery​

  1. Open LockYit on your device
  2. On the login screen, tap Recover your Account

Step 2: Enter Your Email​

  1. Enter the email address associated with your account. Your email address will be prepopulated if you have used LockYit before on this device.
  2. Tap Send Code
  3. Check your email for a verification code
  4. Enter the verification code in the field provided on your screen
  5. Tap Verify Code

Step 3: Enter Recovery Code​

  1. Locate your Recovery Key PDF, or Recovery Key that you saved somewhere safe at the time of creating it.
info

You can verify if your recovery key is the correct one, by checking the date it was created. It should match the date displayed in your account settings. To confirm it directly, use Check Your Recovery Key before you start a recovery.

  1. Find the recovery code (a long alphanumeric string)
  2. Enter or paste the code into LockYit
  3. Enter your New Master Password
  4. Confirm your New Master Password
  5. Tap Recover Account

Step 4: Login With the New Password​

  1. Enter your New Master Password
  2. Tap Login
note

Your vault items will be restored from your synced data

Step 5: Save a New Recovery Key​

After recovery, we recommend that you create and save a new Recovery Key.

  1. Go to Settings → Account
  2. Tap Recovery Key
  3. Follow the instructions to generate and save your recovery key
    • Tap on Download PDF to save a PDF
    • Alternatively, you can copy the recovery key to your clipboard
  4. Store this file in a safe place (USB drive, printed copy, etc.). You'll need this key if you forget your master password.
  5. Tap I've saved my recovery key in a safe place to confirm you've saved it.
  6. Tap Save Recovery Key in Account to save it to your account. If you do not do this, you will not be able to recover your account if you forget your master password.
Important

Going through all the steps given above is mandatory for the creation of your recovery key. Otherwise the recovery key will not be registered in your account, and you will not be able to recover your account if you forget your master password.

Never Lose Your Recovery Key

Without your recovery key, there is no way to recover access to your vault.

Your data is encrypted on your device and we cannot decrypt it. You can only access your vault by using your master password, or recover access to your vault by using your recovery key, if you have successfully created one using the steps outlined above.

warning

Your old recovery key is now invalid. Only the new one will work. You can check the "Created" date on the key to ensure you have the latest one.

Where to Find Your Recovery Key​

During the account creation process, or later when you create a new recovery key, you were prompted to download a Recovery Key PDF, or to copy the recovery key to somewhere safe. Common locations include:

  • Downloads folder on your computer
  • Cloud storage (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox)
  • Printed copy in a safe place
  • USB drive or external storage

The PDF contains a code that looks like this:

Your Recovery Key:

ERRZ-UMPF-JW6M-2GWV-X8N3-L2LT-XXY9-HOXF

Tips for Keeping Your Recovery Key Safe​

  1. Save multiple copies - Store in at least 2 different locations
  2. Print a physical copy - Paper can't be hacked
  3. Don't store with your password - Keep them separate
  4. Use secure cloud storage - With strong 2FA enabled
  5. Label it clearly - So you can find it when needed

Recovering on a New Device​

If your original device is lost or broken:

  1. Install LockYit on your new device
  2. Tap Already Have an Account? Login
  3. Follow the standard recovery process above
  4. Your account will be restored on your new device.
  5. If you had exported any local backups, you can restore them by following the steps in the Restoring from a Local Backup section below.
tip

A pro account makes it easier to sync with your other devices. You can also optionally store encrypted backups in the cloud, which can be restored on a new device.

Restoring from a Local Backup​

If you have a local backup file from a previous device:

  1. Login to your account
  2. Go to Settings → Backups → Restore Backup
  3. Select the backup file
  4. Your vault items will be imported
note

Account recovery on a new device requires either your recovery key, synced data, or a local backup. If you only have local data on a lost device and no backup, that data cannot be recovered.

Important

If you had uninstalled LockYit from your device, the local backups will be deleted from your device. In this case, you will need to have a local backup that you have saved somewhere safe, or you will need to sync with your other devices that have LockYit installed.