If you forget your vault password, nobody can recover it, including us. The password is never stored, so there is no reset link and no back door. What you can still do depends on what else you set up: a PIN or fingerprint that still works, or a backup made with a recovery code, can get your files back. Without either, the files in the vault can’t be opened by anyone.
Why can’t anyone reset it?
Stillgarth never stores your password. Your files are encrypted with a random key, and the password unlocks a locked copy of that key. There’s no copy for us, no server (the app has no internet permission) and no master key. That’s the point of the design: if there were a way for us to reset your password, there would be a way for someone else to use it too.
Can you still get in with your PIN or fingerprint?
Possibly. The PIN and fingerprint unlock their own copies of the key, so if you set one up and it still works, you can open the vault without the password. Do these things while you can:
- Export what matters. Open the files you need and use Export or Share to save a copy outside the vault.
- Make a backup with a recovery code. In Vault settings, open Encrypted backup, turn it on and choose With a recovery code. That choice doesn’t ask for your password. Write the code down. A backup restored with its recovery code lets you choose a new vault password.
- Lock the vault so the backup runs, then check the “Last backup” line in Vault settings.
The PIN and fingerprint have limits, so don’t count on them forever. The PIN locks for 30 minutes after 5 wrong tries. Fingerprint unlock turns itself off if a new fingerprint is added to the phone. In both cases Stillgarth asks for the password.
Can a backup get your files back?
Yes, if it opens with a recovery code. On a phone with no vault, tap Restore from a backup, pick the file, type the recovery code, and choose a new password. See restoring on a new phone.
If your backup opens with your vault password instead, it needs the same password you’ve forgotten, so it can’t help.
What if nothing else works?
Then the files in the vault can’t be recovered, and the way forward is to start again with an empty vault. There are two ways to clear the old one:
- Erase vault in Vault settings deletes every file, folder and unlock method. It needs the vault open, so it’s only an option while you can still get in.
- Uninstall Stillgarth. This deletes everything the app stored on the phone. Android first needs unlock detection turned off. If Guard settings asks for the vault and you can’t unlock it, turn it off in Android’s own settings instead. See before you uninstall.
A backup file you saved elsewhere isn’t touched by either. If you later remember the password it opens with, it can still be restored.
Can wrong guesses erase the vault?
No. Wrong passwords never erase the vault; they only make you wait longer between tries: 2 seconds, then 4, doubling up to 5 minutes. The one thing that erases the vault from the unlock screen is a duress code, if you set one. Keep it different from anything you might try while guessing your password.
How do you avoid this next time?
- Choose a password you can remember. A phrase of several unrelated words is long and memorable.
- If you write it down, keep it on paper, somewhere safe and away from the phone. Password managers can’t fill it in, on purpose.
- Turn on a backup with a recovery code, and keep that code safe too. It’s a second way back to your files on a new phone.
- Unlock with your password now and then, not only with the PIN or fingerprint, so you keep it fresh in your memory.