Lost your master password, Secret Key or device · Help

Your vault can only be opened with your master password and your Secret Key, and neither is ever sent to us. That is what keeps the vault private from us and from anyone who breaks into a server. It also means nobody can reset your master password or recover your vault for you, including us.

What is recoverable

What you lost	Outcome
Your master password	The vault can’t be opened with a password again. A Mac where Touch ID unlock is already on can still open it and save a backup or export; act on that straight away, below.
Your Secret Key (Emergency Kit), but a device still works	Recoverable. Any Mac that still opens your vault keeps the Secret Key in its Keychain, synced or not. Make a new copy from there, below.
Your Secret Key and every device	The vault is lost. A new device can’t be added without the key. Items in an encrypted backup can still be restored into a new vault.
Both the master password and the Secret Key	The vault is lost, permanently. Items in an encrypted backup can still be restored into a new vault.
Your only Mac, with a This Device Only vault	The vault is lost, unless you saved an encrypted backup or an export and kept it somewhere else.
One Mac, with a synced vault	Nothing is lost. Your other devices and the server have it. Add a new Mac with your Emergency Kit.
Access to your email inbox	Your vault is unaffected. Your email address is only the name you sign in to the vault with. You do need the inbox to sign in to the website.

Forgot the master password, but Touch ID still opens the vault

Touch ID unlock keeps working after a restart, so you may still be able to get your items out. Do it now, while it works:

Unlock with Touch ID.
Open Settings → Encrypted backup, select Back up… and save an encrypted backup (or use Settings → Export vault → Export JSON). Either asks for Touch ID or your Mac password, not your master password.
Follow “Start a new vault and bring your items across” in Move to another server or storage mode to create a new vault with a new master password and bring every item back.

Deleting the old vault account from the app needs the master password. If you can’t remember it, write to privacy@remempass.org from the account’s email address and we will delete the old vault account once we have checked the address is yours.

Forgot the master password, no Touch ID

The vault can’t be opened. On the Remem is locked screen, Forgotten your master password? explains this and offers Erase and start again, which removes the vault from this Mac so you can set up a new one.

Try a few more times first: check Caps Lock and your keyboard layout.
When you are sure, select Erase and start again and confirm with Touch ID or your Mac password.
On Remem Cloud, the old vault account still holds your email address. Write to privacy@remempass.org from that address to have it deleted, and to hello@remempass.org for a new invite code.
Create a new vault.

Lost the Emergency Kit, but a device still works

See “Lost your kit but still have a working device” in Emergency Kit best practices. Do it before anything happens to that device.

Lost a device

If your vault syncs, remove the lost device from another one, then set up the replacement with your Emergency Kit. If it was This Device Only and you have an encrypted backup, set up Remem on the new Mac and restore the backup into the new vault. If the device could be in the hands of someone who knows your master password, see If you think your master password or Secret Key leaked.

Protect yourself now

Keep your Emergency Kit somewhere safe, away from your computer.
Use a master password you can remember without writing it in the vault itself.
Sync to at least two devices, and keep an encrypted backup somewhere other than your Mac, especially if you use This Device Only.

Was this missing something? Write to hello@remempass.org.