Every vault has a master password, and it unlocks your vault on any device. Each device can add a faster way in, and a recovery code gets you back in if you forget the password.
At a glance
| Browser extension | Phone | Desktop app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master password | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint | No | Yes | No |
| Touch ID or Windows Hello | Mac, Windows | No | Mac |
| Security key | Chromium browsers | No | No |
| Recovery code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
All of them are under Settings → Security, and each is set up on one device at a time.
Master password
Your master password encrypts your vault. Bramble never stores it or sends it anywhere, so nobody can reset it for you.
- A device you add starts with the master password of the device it joined from.
- You need it to add a device, connect a browser and restore a backup, even when you unlock another way day to day.
- To change it, open Settings → Security and choose Change. This changes it on that device only, so change it on each of your devices.
Face ID or fingerprint (phone)
- Unlock with your master password.
- Open Settings → Security and turn on Face ID, Touch ID or Biometric unlock.
Your phone’s secure hardware keeps the key, so this works on that phone only. Your master password keeps working too.
- Allow passcode fallback (iPhone) lets the phone’s passcode unlock your vault too. It’s off by default: with it on, anyone who knows your passcode can open your vault.
- Unlock on open asks for Face ID or your fingerprint as soon as Bramble opens.
- Adding or removing a face or fingerprint on the phone turns biometric unlock off. Unlock with your master password and turn it back on.
Touch ID or Windows Hello (computer)
In the browser extension
- Open Settings → Security. Under Tap to unlock, choose Add.
- Choose This device and confirm with Touch ID or Windows Hello.
- If your computer asks where to save the passkey, choose iCloud Keychain or Windows Hello. A passkey saved in the browser can’t unlock your vault.
It works in that browser only. Set it up in each browser you use.
Turn on Unlock on open to get the prompt as soon as Bramble opens.
In the desktop app
- Unlock with your master password.
- Open Settings → Security and turn on Touch ID.
It works on that computer only.
- Allow passcode fallback lets your Mac’s login password unlock your vault too. It’s off by default.
- Linux has no secure equivalent, so the desktop app on Linux unlocks with your master password.
Security key
Use a FIDO2 key, like a YubiKey 5, in the extension in Chrome, Brave or another Chromium browser. Firefox can’t unlock with a security key.
- Open Settings → Security. Under Tap to unlock, choose Add.
- Choose Security key and tap your key twice: once to create the passkey, then once to read its secret.
Name each key so you can tell them apart later. Add a second key as a spare.
Unlock with a key only
Once a key is under Tap to unlock, you can turn off Require master password to unlock. Your key and recovery code are then the only ways in.
Recovery code
A recovery code gets you into your vault if you forget your master password. It looks like XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.
- Bramble shows you one when you create a vault. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe, away from your devices.
- No code yet, or lost it? Open Settings → Security and choose Generate or Reset next to Recovery code. Resetting replaces the code on that device only. Your other devices still accept the old one, so reset it on each of them.
Forgot your master password?
- On the unlock screen, choose Unlock with recovery code and enter your code.
- Bramble opens Settings → Security. Next to Change your master password, choose Change, enter your recovery code again and set a new master password.
- Your code keeps working. Reset it if anyone else could have seen it.
The new master password is set on that device only. Do the same on your other devices.
If you lose your master password, your recovery code and your keys, nobody can open your vault, not even us.
When your vault locks
Open Settings → General and set Auto-lock timeout: from Immediate to 1 hour, or Never. The desktop app has no Immediate.
- Never keeps your vault unlocked until you lock it or close Bramble.
- In Chrome and other Chromium browsers, Lock when the screen locks also locks your vault when your computer’s screen locks.
- Lock any time with the lock button at the top of Bramble.