Getting Started with Strongbox

    Learn how to set up Strongbox to start storing your passwords, credit cards and other secrets.

    Contents

    🔐 What Is Strongbox?

    Strongbox is a password manager that is beautifully designed and extremely secure.

    Use Strongbox to securely store all of your passwords and other secrets––credit cards, identification documents, notes, and more–so that you never forget them. 

    Strongbox makes it easy to use unique and complex passwords that are difficult for hackers to crack.

    Why You Should Use A Password Manager

    The most secure passwords are unique, complex and long. Unfortunately this also makes them very difficult to remember. 

    This leads many people to use a small collection of simple and short passwords that they share across multiple apps and websites. This makes them an easy target for cybercriminals. 

    Simple and short passwords are easy for hackers to crack in seconds or minutes using automated tools. Complex and long passwords would take multiple years to crack using those same tools, making the risk no longer worth the reward. 

    Furthermore, if you’re using the same password across multiple sites, then all of those sites could be vulnerable if a single one of them is compromised. Meaning if a hacker obtained your credentials for one site, for example Netflix, they would try those same credentials on other sites, such as Google or Facebook.

    What Makes Strongbox Different From Other Password Managers?

    Strongbox gives you more control over how your passwords and other secrets are stored, secured and opened. 

    Storage

    Unlike most other password managers, with Strongbox you can choose to store your password database file anywhere. 

    Most Strongbox users choose to store their databases in their cloud storage provider of choice, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud, etc. Others set up their own server or even keep their database local-only. It’s up to you! 

    Security

    Strongbox supports a wide range of state-of-the-art cryptographic technologies with which to secure your data from hackers. 

    By default Strongbox uses various symmetric ciphers like the DOD standard AES256 algorithm, but you can also choose the Bruce Schneier designed TwoFish or a modern stream cipher like ChaCha20. Strongbox supports a host of new technologies and options, such as the award winning GPU-resistant Argon2 KDF, as well as hardware keys such as YubiKey, and more. 

    Portability

    Strongbox is built on industry leading and open source standards. This means you can open your password database with a wide variety of different password managers that are based on these same standards, on every imaginable platform. And if you decide to leave Strongbox you can do so easily and immediately. There’s zero lock-in.

    🗂 Creating A New Database

    An iPhone showing the Strongbox app. A database is being created.
    The first thing to do is create a new database to store your entries in. Entries are passwords, credit cards, identification documents, or anything else that you want to keep secret and secure.

    You can keep all of your entries in a single database, or create several databases for different projects or areas of your life, e.g. Work or Personal, or perhaps a shared Family database.

    To Create A New Database

    On iPhone & iPad

    1. Tap the + button in the top right of the screen and select New Database.
    2. Enter a name for your database, such as ‘Kelley’s Database’ or ‘Personal’. Then tap Next.
    3. Create a strong and memorable master password (see below) and tap Create. 

    On Mac

    1. In the menu bar at the very top of your screen, click File
    2. Click New
    3. Choose Next on the Select Database Format screen (the default is ideal for most people)
    4. Create a strong and memorable master password (see below) and click OK

    🗝 Choosing A Master Password

    All of your passwords and other entries will be stored behind your master password. It needs to be something that you will remember but also something that’s very secure, so that it cannot be guessed by another person. 

    Your master password will be the only password that you ever need to remember once you start using Strongbox.

    There are many ways to create a master password that is both memorable and secure. Generally speaking, the total length of the password is more important than the variety of characters that are used. Therefore, a password made up of several recognisable words can be stronger than a shorter password that includes numbers and symbols. For more information, check out the following article from The Intercept: Passphrases That You Can Memorize — But That Even The NSA Can’t Guess

    ⚠️ Remember, if you forget your master password you will not be able to unlock your database!

    🚚 Moving To Strongbox From Another App

    It’s easy to import your passwords to Strongbox from another password manager, such as KeePass or 1Password.

    1Password

    Exporting Your 1Password Database

    1. Open the 1Password desktop app and unlock your vault with your master password
    2. Click on File > Export > All Items…
    3. Enter your master password again
    4. Select the 1PUX file format
    5. Choose a location to save the exported .1pux file

    Importing Your 1Password Database on Mac

    1. Open Strongbox on your Mac
    2. Click File (in the menu bar) > Import > 1Password > 1Pux
    3. Locate and select the 1PUX file that you exported in Part 1 above. Strongbox will confirm the import was successful.
    4. You now need to set a master password for your Strongbox database. This can be the same as your old 1Password master password if you like.
    5. Lastly, save your new Strongbox database either locally or on your favourite cloud drive.
    6. Check your entries in Strongbox to make sure all of your data has been imported successfully
    7. Delete the 1PUX file that you had exported from 1Password

    Importing Your 1Password Database On iPhone And iPad

    1. Move your 1PUX file into a location that can be accessed by your iPhone/iPad
    2. Open Strongbox on your iPhone or iPad
    3. Tap the plus symbol (+) in the top right of the screen
    4. Tap More
    5. Tap 1Password (1Pux)…
    6. Tap OK when you see the ‘Import 1Password’ message
    7. Navigate to your 1PUX file and select it
    8. Tap OK when you see the ‘1Password Import Warning’ message
    9. Follow the instructions to create the new database
    10. Check your entries in Strongbox to make sure all of your data has been imported successfully
    11. Delete the 1PUX file that you had exported from 1Password

    See our full guide for more detailed instructions: Move Your Data From 1Password to Strongbox

    LastPass

    Check out our guide on how to move your data over from LastPass.

    Other Password Managers And Browsers

    If you’re coming from another password manager, such as LastPass or Dashlane, you will need to export your existing database to a CSV file. The same goes if you’re using your internet browser to store your passwords. 

    The process for exporting your passwords is slightly different for each password manager and browser. The process to then import the CSV file into Strongbox is the same in all cases. 

    Exporting To CSV

    See the individual guides below:

    Once you have the CSV file saved on your device, follow the steps below to import that file into Strongbox.

    Importing Your Database On Mac

    1. Export your LastPass database as a CSV file
    2. Open Strongbox
    3. In the menu bar at the very top of your screen, click File
    4. Select Import
    5. Click Import CSV…
    6. Navigate to and select your CSV file
    7. Click Open

    Importing Your Database On iPhone

    1. Open Strongbox
    2. Tap the plus icon (+) in the top right of the screen
    3. Tap More
    4. Tap Import CSV
    5. Navigate to and tap on your CSV file

    ⚠️ Make sure to delete the exported CSV file when you’re finished. This file is unencrypted, meaning if someone else was to get access to it there would be nothing stopping them stealing all of your data!

    KeePass

    KeePass is natively supported by Strongbox. This means that you can use your existing KeePass databases, and Strongbox will read and edit them for you, no need to change formats.

    On Mac

    1. Open the Strongbox app
    2. In the menu bar at the very top of your screen, click File
    3. Click Open…
    4. Navigate to and select your KeePass database file
    5. Click Open

    On iPhone And iPad

    1. Add your KeePass database to your iPhone or iPad – either locally in the Files app or in a cloud storage provider of your choice
    2. Open the Strongbox app
    3. Tap the plus icon (+) in the top right of the screen
    4. Tap Add Existing
    5. Select the storage location where your database is located (e.g. Dropbox)
    6. Navigate to and tap on your database file
    7. Tap Add

    ☁️ Syncing Your Database Between Your Devices

    Syncing means keeping your passwords and other entries up to date across your devices, such as your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Strongbox is different to most other password managers in that it allows you to control where you store your data.

    For most people, we recommend you use a cloud provider to store and sync your data, as this means that you won’t lose your passwords and other entries if your device is lost or damaged. 

    You can select from Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and iCloud when you create a new database. You can use any cloud storage app that integrates with the iOS Files app.

    ✍️ Creating Your First Entry

    Entries can consist of any information that you want to keep secret and secure. That could be a password, credit card or even a document or image, such as a scan of your passport.

    To Create A New Entry

    Let’s assume you want to store the login information for a website.

    On iPhone & iPad

    1. Tap More (…) in the top right of the screen
    2. Tap New Entry
    3. Enter a title for your entry, for example ‘Strava’
    4. Enter the username you use for that website (this is often your email address)
    5. Enter your password for that website
    6. Enter the URL for that website
    7. Tap Done

    On Mac

    1. Click the plus icon (+) in the top right of the screen, next to the search bar
    2. Enter a title for your entry, for example ‘Strava’
    3. Enter the username you use for that website (this is often your email address)
    4. Enter your password for that website
    5. Enter the URL for that website
    6. Click Commit & Close

    Now you’ve saved the password, you’re ready to log into that website using AutoFill for Safari.

    🗃 Organise Your Entries With Tags, Groups and Favourites

    Once you have multiple entries in your database, you will probably want to organise them to make them easier to work with. Strongbox offers various ways to do this.

    Groups

    Groups function like folders. An entry can only be in one group at a time.

    One advantage of groups is that it’s possible to exclude specific groups from appearing in search results.

    To Create a New Group

    On iPhone/iPad
    1. Tap the More menu button (the three dots in the top right of the screen)
    2. Tap New Group
    3. Type the name of your new group
    4. Tap OK
    On Mac
    1. Click the icon with the folder and + symbol in the top toolbar (alternatively, click Database in the menu bar > Create Group)
    2. Type the name of your new group
    3. Click OK

    To Add an Entry to a Group

    On iPhone/iPad
    1. Long-press on an entry
    2. Tap Move
    3. Select the destination group
    4. Tap Move Here (at the bottom of the screen)
    On Mac
    1. Find the entry you want to move
    2. Drag and drop the entry from the list of entries to the group in the lefthand sidebar

    Tags

    You can add as many tags as you like to an entry. For instance, you could add both “work” and “messaging” tags to a single entry for Slack.

    To Add a Tag to an Entry

    On iPhone/iPad
    1. Open the entry
    2. Tap Edit
    3. Scroll down to the Tags section
    4. Type the tag name
    5. Tap Return on the onscreen keyboard
    6. Tap Done (in the top right corner of the screen)
    On Mac
    1. Open the entry
    2. Click Edit (the pencil icon above the entry name in the righthand column)
    3. Select the text field in the Tags section
    4. Type the tag name
    5. Hit return on your keyboard
    6. Click Save & Close

    N.B. On Mac you can also, like with groups, drag and drop entries across to a tag in the lefthand sidebar to add them to that tag.

    To Create a New Tag

    The process is very similar when creating a new tag. Simply follow the steps above except, instead of typing the name of an existing tag, type a new tag name and hit return. This will create a new tag in your database that you can then add to other entries.

    Favourites

    For the entries that you refer to most, add them to your favourites to make them easily accessible. On iPhone and iPad, favourites have a dedicated list that can be accessed by tapping the star icon in the bottom menubar. On Mac, they have their own section in the lefthand sidebar.

    Favourited entries also appear at the top of the results when you’re autofilling passwords in your browser.

    Mark an Entry as a Favourite on iPhone/iPad

    1. Long-press the entry from within the list of entries
    2. Tap Favourite

    Mark an Entry as a Favourite on Mac

    1. Right-click the entry from within the list of entries
    2. Click Favourite

    🪄 AutoFill Passwords

    Once you’ve saved your login information as an entry in the Strongbox app, you can automatically log into that website when browsing the web.

    Safari

    On iPhone And iPad

    Step 1: Setup AutoFill
    1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device, scroll down and tap Passwords
    2. Use Touch ID, Face ID or your passcode to authenticate
    3. Tap Passwords Options
    4. Tap AutoFill Passwords
    5. Make sure AutoFill Passwords is turned on
    6. Make sure that under the Allow Filling From section, Strongbox is ticked
    Step 2: Automatically Login To A Website In Safari
    1. Open the Safari app
    2. Navigate to a website for which you’ve stored a password in Strongbox
    3. Go to login to that site
    4. Tap on the username or password field on the website
    5. Select the username you want to use from your device’s keyboard
    6. Use Touch ID, Face ID or your phone’s passcode to authenticate
    7. Login!

    On Mac

    Step 1: Setup AutoFill
    1. Open the System Preferences app on your Mac
    2. Click on Extensions
    3. Click on Password AutoFill
    4. Tick the checkbox next to the Strongbox app
    Step 2: Automatically Login To A Website In Safari
    1. Open the Safari app
    2. Navigate to a website which you have a saved password in Strongbox for
    3. Go to login to that site
    4. In the username or password field on the website, click the small key icon
    5. Select Strongbox…
    6. Enter your master password and click Unlock
    7. From the list of entries in your database, select the website you’re logging into
    8. Login!

    Chrome & Firefox

    To autofill your browser when using Chrome or Firefox (as well as Chromium based browsers), simply download our official browser extension and unlock your database:

    Learn More

    🏔 Next Steps

    If you would like to learn more about Strongbox and how you can make the most of its powerful features, check out these resources:

    We hope you enjoy using Strongbox! If you do, please consider leaving us a review. It helps us out immensely.