End-to-End Encryption
Your research data is important. End-to-End Encryption ensures only you can read it, even if someone else gets access to the storage.
What It Means
When you turn on encryption, all your structured data (notes, saved papers metadata, tasks) is encrypted in your browser before being sent to the cloud. The key to unlock it never leaves your computer—not even we have it.
This is called zero-knowledge security.
What Is Encrypted?
- Projects and settings
- Journal entries and notes
- Paper metadata (title, authors, abstract)
- AI insights
- Kanban tasks
- Grant records
Not encrypted: Uploaded files (PDFs, images). Those are stored as raw files. If you need file encryption, consider encrypting them before upload or using Puter’s own encryption features.
Enabling Encryption
- Sign in and go to Settings
- Find End-to-End Encryption
- Enter a strong passphrase (8+ characters)
- Confirm and click Enable
The app will encrypt all existing data. You’ll see a confirmation when done.
Unlocking Your Vault
After enabling, the next time you open the app you’ll see a Vault Locked screen. Enter your passphrase to decrypt and load your data.
The app stays unlocked while the browser window/tab is open. Closing the browser requires unlocking again.
Changing or Disabling
You can change your passphrase anytime (Settings → Change Passphrase). The data is automatically re-encrypted.
Disabling encryption does not decrypt your stored data. If you disable, your data will remain unreadable unless you re-enable with the same passphrase. We recommend:
- Export an unencrypted backup first (Settings → Export Backup)
- After verifying the backup, you can disable if needed
Forgot Your Passphrase?
There is no way to recover it. Without the passphrase, encrypted data is permanently inaccessible.
Please store your passphrase in a password manager or a secure physical location. Do not share it with anyone.
Why Use Encryption?
- Privacy: Your university or employer can’t scan your cloud storage
- Security: If the storage provider has a breach, your data remains unreadable
- Compliance: Some research regulations require encryption for sensitive data
If you work with patient data, trade secrets, or classified research, you should enable E2EE.
Technical Details (for Admins)
AES-GCM-256, PBKDF2 with 100k iterations, 16-byte salt, 12-byte IV. Keys stored only in memory. See the developer documentation for implementation specifics.
Alternatively, if you just want basic privacy, the app already uses HTTPS and Puter’s own security. E2EE is an extra layer for the paranoid.