Bramble is a local-first password manager: your vault is encrypted and stored on your own device, with no account and no server. The answers below cover the most common questions. If you are stuck, email us and we will help.
Getting started
On first launch, create a vault by choosing a master password. That password encrypts everything and is never stored or sent anywhere, so keep it safe. You can then add logins, payment cards, secure notes, and TOTP (2FA) codes.
Turning on AutoFill (iOS)
Open the iOS Settings app, go to General → AutoFill & Passwords, and enable Bramble. To also show your logins as suggestions above the keyboard, turn on Keyboard suggestions in Bramble's own Settings → General. Then, on a sign-in screen, tap the key icon above the keyboard to fill.
Turning on AutoFill (Android)
Open Android Settings, search for Autofill service, and choose Bramble as your autofill provider. On a sign-in screen, tap a field and pick Bramble to fill your saved login or one-time code.
Unlocking with biometrics
After you unlock once with your master password, you can enable biometric unlock in Settings. Bramble caches the key behind your device's biometric gate; it is never readable without a successful Face ID, Touch ID, or Android biometric check.
Importing from KeePass
Bramble can import a KeePass .kdbx (KDBX4) database, including key files. The file is read entirely on your device and is never uploaded anywhere.
Syncing across your devices
Bramble can keep one vault in step across all of your own devices, browsers and phones alike, with no account and no server holding your data. Your devices form a small personal mesh: you link each one once, and after that they sync directly to each other, peer to peer, whenever they are unlocked. It is optional and stays off until you set it up.
A few things worth knowing before you start:
- It is a group, not a pair. Add as many devices as you like. Any device already in the group can add the next one, so you never have to link every pair by hand.
- It syncs in the background. Once devices are linked they reconcile automatically while unlocked. There is no sync button to press and no window to keep open.
- Both devices need to be awake at the same time. Sync is live and device-to-device, with no server holding a copy in between, so a device that was offline catches up the next time it is unlocked alongside another.
- Same network or not, your vault stays private. Devices on one network connect directly; on different networks they still connect. Either way the vault stays end-to-end encrypted, and the relay that helps them find each other never sees it (see the Privacy Policy).
To link a device, one device shows a one-time code and the other joins with it:
- On a device that already has your vault, open Settings → Sync, then under Device sync choose Add a device. Enter your master password when prompted; this confirms the request is really from you, not just an unlocked device.
- Bramble shows a QR code and a matching text code, then waits for a device to join. The code holds no vault secrets.
- On the device you are adding, open Bramble and choose to join: on a fresh install, pick Join a device during setup; in the browser extension, add a vault and choose Join a device. Then scan the QR code, or paste the text code.
- Give the new device its own unlock method (a master password, plus biometrics if you want). It joins the group and pulls in your vault, and from then on the devices sync on their own.
Repeat the first step on any device already in the group to add more. To review the group, open Settings → Sync: it lists every device and when each last synced, and lets you remove a device or disconnect this one. Disconnecting stops syncing and keeps this device's entries on it; your other devices are not affected.
Advanced. Under Settings → Sync → Advanced you can point Bramble at your own signaling relay or your own TURN/ICE servers instead of the hosted defaults. Most people never need to touch this.
If you lose your master password
Bramble keeps no copy of your master password or your keys, so it cannot reset them for you. If you set up a recovery code, you can use it to regain access. Without your master password and every recovery method you set up, your vault cannot be decrypted by anyone. That is the trade-off for there being no backdoor.
Privacy
Bramble collects nothing and has no telemetry. See the Bramble Privacy Policy for details.
Contact
Questions, bug reports, or feature requests? Email [email protected] and we will get back to you.