Questions and answers
The basics
Section titled “The basics”What is Distributed Cryptography?
Section titled “What is Distributed Cryptography?”A digital vault and Bitcoin wallet that runs on your own computer or server. Besides holding bitcoin, it encrypts your notes, files and passwords, and it lets people you trust help you back up, share or inherit what you protect. See What is Distributed Cryptography?
Is it a web site? I use it from my browser.
Section titled “Is it a web site? I use it from my browser.”No. The application runs on your machine and your browser is only its screen. The address
http://localhost:5000 means “this computer”. Nothing you type there goes to a web site of ours.
Who holds my keys?
Section titled “Who holds my keys?”You do, and only you. They are created on your computer and stored there, encrypted with your password. We never receive them, so we cannot move your money, and we cannot give your keys to anybody.
Which systems does it run on?
Section titled “Which systems does it run on?”Windows, Mac and Linux, and anywhere Docker runs. See Install.
Can I see the source code?
Section titled “Can I see the source code?”Yes. The code is public on GitHub. The license lets you read it, audit it, build it yourself, use it and share it. It does not allow distributing modified versions.
Passwords and backups
Section titled “Passwords and backups”I forgot my password. Can you reset it?
Section titled “I forgot my password. Can you reset it?”No. Nobody can. Your password is not stored anywhere, and it is part of how your keys are made.
What you can do depends on what you prepared:
- If you have a Consensus Backup, the members of the group can restore your wallet, and you choose a new password.
- If you have a Time-Encrypted Vault, its members can restore the wallet after the date.
- Otherwise the wallet cannot be opened. This is why we insist on setting up a backup while everything is fine.
I have my words. Why can I not restore my wallet?
Section titled “I have my words. Why can I not restore my wallet?”Because the wallet is made from your words and your password together. In the restore page, the field passphrase must contain the password the wallet had when it was created. With another password you get a valid, but different and empty, wallet. See Restore a wallet.
What exactly do I need to keep safe?
Section titled “What exactly do I need to keep safe?”- Your words.
- Your password. Keep it in a different place from the words.
- A copy of your wallet folder, for your encrypted notes, files and passwords.
The first two bring back your bitcoin and your identity. The third brings back the things you stored.
Can I restore my wallet in other software?
Section titled “Can I restore my wallet in other software?”Yes. It is a standard wallet: BIP 39 words, with your password as the BIP 39 passphrase, and BIP 86 (Taproot) addresses. Software that supports those standards can restore it. See Bitcoin standards.
My computer broke. What did I lose?
Section titled “My computer broke. What did I lose?”Your bitcoin, your user name, your contacts and your groups come back when you restore the wallet and log in (Recover contacts from server, Recover groups from server). Your encrypted notes, files, passwords and chat history were only on that computer, so they come back only if you kept a copy of the wallet folder.
Backups with other people
Section titled “Backups with other people”Can the members of my Consensus Backup take my money?
Section titled “Can the members of my Consensus Backup take my money?”Not one of them alone, and not fewer than the minimum you chose. But enough members together can restore your wallet: that is what the backup is. Choose people you trust and a minimum that takes a real agreement. You are warned when someone starts a restore and you can stop it. See Consensus Backup.
What is the difference between Consensus Backup and a Time-Encrypted Vault?
Section titled “What is the difference between Consensus Backup and a Time-Encrypted Vault?”In a Consensus Backup the members can restore at any time, as soon as enough of them agree. In a Time-Encrypted Vault they can restore only after a date, which you keep pushing forward. The first is for “I lost my wallet”. The second is for “I am no longer here”.
What if I forget to renew my Time-Encrypted Vault?
Section titled “What if I forget to renew my Time-Encrypted Vault?”Then the date arrives and the vault can be opened by the people you chose. That is its purpose. If it happens by mistake, move your funds to a new wallet. Put a reminder in your calendar.
What happens if a member of my group loses their wallet?
Section titled “What happens if a member of my group loses their wallet?”A member who restores their own wallet (from their words or from their own backup) gets their place in the group back. If a member is gone for good, the group still works as long as the remaining members reach the minimum. This is a good reason not to set the minimum equal to the number of members.
Multisignature
Section titled “Multisignature”Which multisignature should I use, Delegated or Legacy?
Section titled “Which multisignature should I use, Delegated or Legacy?”It depends on who should be able to pay alone.
Use Delegated Multisignature when the wallet is yours and you want people you trust to be able to spend from it without you: you can always pay alone, and K of the N members can pay together. It costs less in fees and shows less on the blockchain.
Use Legacy Multisignature when nobody should pay alone, you included, or when you need the classic format that other wallets and tools understand.
Can I see my multisignature group in another wallet?
Section titled “Can I see my multisignature group in another wallet?”Yes. The Descriptors button of the group’s Wallet Balance tab shows two standard texts that describe all the addresses of the group. A wallet that understands descriptors, Bitcoin Core for example, shows the same addresses and coins from them. They hold only public keys: they can watch, never spend. See Delegated Multisignature and Legacy Multisignature.
Do all the signers have to be connected at the same time?
Section titled “Do all the signers have to be connected at the same time?”No. Each one signs when they open their wallet. The payment is sent when the last needed signature arrives.
Privacy
Section titled “Privacy”Do I need an account?
Section titled “Do I need an account?”No. There is no registration. For the online features you log in anonymously with a key of your wallet.
What can you see about me?
Section titled “What can you see about me?”A user name that is a key, not a name. Your contacts, groups and messages are encrypted on your computer before they reach us. The full list is in What our servers can see.
Why does my user name look like a bitcoin address?
Section titled “Why does my user name look like a bitcoin address?”Because it is made the same way, from a key of your wallet that is used only for logging in. It is not an address for receiving bitcoin.
How large can an encrypted file be?
Section titled “How large can an encrypted file be?”Up to 1 GB through the browser. Any size with the exchange folder, because the file does not go through the browser at all.
How do I send the encrypted file to the other person?
Section titled “How do I send the encrypted file to the other person?”Any way you like: e-mail, a USB drive, a cloud folder. It can only be opened by the wallet it was encrypted for, so the channel does not need to be safe.
Problems
Section titled “Problems”On Mac the app does not open
Section titled “On Mac the app does not open”macOS blocks apps that are not signed with an Apple Developer ID. See Install on Mac for the command that allows it.
I invited a contact and nothing happens
Section titled “I invited a contact and nothing happens”Messages are delivered when the other person has their wallet open and logged in, and it can take about a minute. See Contacts.
Something else
Section titled “Something else”Open an issue on GitHub.