Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is LocalKeys?

LocalKeys is a local-first secret manager for developers. It stores your API keys, passwords, and other sensitive data in an encrypted vault on your local machine.

Is LocalKeys free?

No. LocalKeys is paid software. However, if you're facing financial difficulties or are a student, please contact us and we'll provide a free license.

Does LocalKeys work offline?

Yes. After initial installation/setup, LocalKeys works completely offline. Your secrets never leave your computer.

What platforms are supported?

LocalKeys supports macOS and Windows. Linux support is planned.
It has been tested and verified working on macOS 26 Tahoe (Apple Silicon) and Windows 11 (Arm and x64).

Security

How secure is LocalKeys?

LocalKeys uses AES-256-GCM encryption with PBKDF2-SHA256 key derivation. This is military-grade encryption that would take billions of years to crack with current technology.
LocalKeys' PBKDF2-SHA256 uses 4,000,000 iterations and 256-bit length.

Can I forget my master password?

Never forget it. Your secrets cannot be recovered without the master password, so always remember it or store it in a password manager.

Is it safe to store vault backups in non-E2EE clouds?

Yes, since LocalKeys' vault is already encrypted, you can safely store it even in clouds without end-to-end encryption like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.

Note

For maximum security, it's better to use verified third-party tools like Cryptomator or Veracrypt, or cloud services that support E2EE from the start (iCloud with ADP enabled, Filen, Proton Drive, etc.).

Usage

Can I use LocalKeys with any programming language?

Yes. LocalKeys injects secrets as environment variables, which are available in all programming languages. However, if it doesn't work, please let me know. I'll fix it quickly.

How do I share secrets with my team?

LocalKeys is designed for individual use. For team sharing, you need to export secrets to an encrypted file and share it.
However, if needed, I'm willing to develop a cloud-based version of LocalKeys. Please contact me if you need this.

Can I have multiple vaults?

Currently LocalKeys supports one vault per installation. You can use the project feature within the vault to organize your secrets.

Troubleshooting

CLI doesn't work.

Check if LocalKeys CLI is installed, and if it's already installed, try removing and reinstalling it. (This may resolve PATH-related issues)

Access request not appearing

Ensure LocalKeys is running in the background. Check your system tray/menu bar for the LocalKeys icon.

Billing & License

How does the license work?

LocalKeys licenses are per-user, not per-device. One purchase allows you to use LocalKeys on all your devices.

Is there a refund policy?

Yes, if you're not satisfied, you can request a refund within 7 days. Please send me a direct email or request a refund through the Paddle consumer center within 7 days of purchase.

Do I get future updates?

Yes, you'll receive all future version updates.