Your e-mail signs you in (with a code, or a password if you set one). Your Vault key is a separate passphrase that unlocks your encrypted responses — it never leaves your browser, and we never see it. That's exactly why nobody but you can read your data.
Steps
- After your first sign-in, you're asked to choose a Vault key (at least 10 characters). Pick a phrase nobody could guess — a short sentence works well.
- You're then shown your recovery code — a long code in groups of five characters. It's displayed once.
- Store the recovery code somewhere safe outside your browser: a password manager, or printed in a folder. Treat it like a spare key to your office.
Warning
We cannot reset your Vault key or resend the recovery code — we don't have them. That's not a support gap; it's the proof your data is truly private. With your recovery code, a forgotten Vault key costs you nothing (see “Forgot your Vault key? Recovery and the Lost area”).
Tip
On your own computer you can let Schweizerform remember the Vault key (stored encrypted, never as plain text). It re-locks automatically after inactivity — you choose how quickly in Settings → Vault.