Help & Learning

🚀 Getting Started

Trove Fortress is an offline encrypted vault. There's no account or email needed — your master password is your identity.

Creating your first vault

1. Install the app from Google Play (Android) or download the Windows installer from GitHub Releases.
2. On first launch you'll see the Setup screen. Enter a strong master password of at least 12 characters. The strength meter must reach at least 75%.
3. Confirm the password and tap Create Vault.
4. Write your master password down and store it in a safe, offline location outside the app.

🗂 Managing Vault Items

Trove supports six types of vault items: Login, Bank, Payment Card, Identity, Note, and Document. All are stored encrypted.

Adding an item

1. Unlock your vault and tap the + button.
2. Choose the item type and fill in the fields.
3. Use Additional Fields for any custom data (Text, Secret, PIN, Email, or URL).
4. Tap Save. The item is immediately encrypted and saved locally.

Copying sensitive values

Tap the copy icon next to any field. The value is copied to the clipboard and automatically cleared after your configured timer (default 30 seconds). A countdown banner shows how much time remains.

🏦 Bank Records

Bank is a dedicated vault item type with fields purpose-built for Indian banking: Account Number, Customer ID, IFSC Code, Internet Banking Password, Transaction Password, Mobile MPIN, and TPIN.

Adding a bank record

1. Tap + and select Bank.
2. Enter the bank name, account number and any fields you want to store.
3. Use Additional Fields for UPI ID, nominee info, or a relationship manager contact.
4. Save. All bank secrets are masked by default — tap the eye icon to reveal.

📁 Document Vault

Upload PDFs and files to the encrypted document vault. Files are padded and encrypted before storage. You can view them directly inside the app.

Uploading a document

1. In the vault, tap + and select Document.
2. Choose a file from your device. Give it a name and optionally add a custom document password for an extra layer of protection.
3. Tap Save.

🔢 Offline 2FA Authenticator

Generate TOTP one-time codes for any of your accounts — works entirely offline, no internet needed.

Adding a TOTP account

1. Open the 2FA tab in the app.
2. Tap + Add Account.
3. Either scan the QR code from your account's 2FA setup page, or manually enter the secret key.
4. The 6-digit code is generated every 30 seconds.

🧬 Biometric Unlock (Android)

On Android you can unlock the vault with your fingerprint or face instead of typing the master password every time.

1. Unlock your vault with the master password.
2. Go to Settings → Biometric Unlock.
3. Enable the option and confirm with your master password and then your device biometric prompt.
4. On the lock screen, tap Unlock with biometrics.

💾 Encrypted Backups

Always keep an encrypted .trove backup. This is the only way to restore your vault on a new device or after data loss.

Creating a backup

1. Unlock the vault and open Settings → Export .trove.
2. Enter a custom backup password (different from your master password is fine).
3. Tap Download. Save the file somewhere safe — ideally on a separate device or storage.

Restoring a backup

1. On the new device, create or unlock a vault.
2. Go to Settings → Import .trove.
3. Select your backup file and enter the backup password.
4. Records merge into the current vault.

🚨 Emergency Safe PIN

The Emergency Safe PIN is an optional 8-digit PIN that, when entered on the lock screen, opens a fake decoy vault — not your real one. Use it if you're ever pressured to unlock the app.

1. Unlock with your master password and go to Settings → Emergency Safe PIN.
2. Enter and confirm an 8-digit PIN (cannot be a repeated digit or simple sequence).
3. The decoy vault is created. It looks real but contains sample data only.

🛡 Security Audit

The Security Audit tab automatically scans your vault locally and reports:

• Weak passwords (low zxcvbn score)
• Reused passwords across multiple accounts
• Old passwords not updated in over a year
• Login accounts without 2FA enabled in Trove
• Expiring credit/debit cards
• Expiring identity documents

The audit runs entirely on-device. Nothing is sent anywhere.

⚠️ Reset & Panic Wipe

Panic Wipe permanently deletes your vault. Always export an encrypted backup before doing this.

From inside the app (vault unlocked)

1. Go to Settings → Panic Wipe.
2. Type DELETE when prompted and confirm.

From outside the app (Android — vault locked)

Open Android Settings → Apps → Trove Fortress → Storage → Clear Storage.

From outside the app (Windows — vault locked)

Press Win+R, enter %APPDATA%, and delete the Trove Fortress folder.

🎬 Video Tour

Watch the full 2-minute tour to see every feature in action.