Questions and troubleshooting
This page answers common questions and explains what to do when something does not work.
I forgot my master password
It cannot be recovered, by anyone: the vault is encrypted with it. If you have a backup made under a password you remember, choose Forgot the master password? on the unlock screen, confirm the reset, then restore the backup. Otherwise the accounts must be set up again at each service, using the recovery codes the services gave you.
The codes are rejected by a service
Codes depend on the time. Check that the device's clock is set automatically; a clock a minute off produces codes the service no longer accepts. If only one account fails, compare its settings (digits, period, algorithm) with the service's setup page, in Edit… and in the import preview.
Google Authenticator's export screen cannot be captured
The Android app blocks screenshots of its export codes. Photograph the screen with another phone or a camera and import the photos; a sharp, straight-on picture reads best. On an iPhone, screenshots work.
The preview says a code of the Google export is missing
A large export spreads over several codes, numbered on the phone. Import the pictures of all of them; the preview counts what it has seen and names the missing ones.
A Microsoft Authenticator account is listed as unsupported
Work and school accounts keep no secret on the phone that another app can use; newer versions of the app may also encrypt the others. Set those accounts up again at the service with Lockra as the authenticator.
Remember on this device is greyed out
No system keychain is available. On Linux, install and start a Secret Service keychain such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet, then restart Lockra.
The automatic backup failed
The Backup page shows the error and when it happened. Usually the folder is on a drive that is not connected, or Lockra may no longer write to it. Reconnect the drive or choose another folder; the next change, or Run automatic backup now, writes a new backup.
Does Lockra work offline?
Always: codes are calculated on the device from each account's secret and the time, with no network. Lockra goes online for updates (when you check, or at start after you turn on automatic updates) and, from version 0.4.0, for sync, once you set it up on storage of your own or a relay (Sync between devices). Without the network, sync waits and the codes work as before.
Where are my accounts stored?
In one encrypted file on each device, with your logins. See Privacy and Updates, uninstalling and your data.
The browser extension says Lockra is not running
The extension needs Lockra running on the same computer. Choose Start Lockra in its popup, and turn on Settings › Browser › Keep running after the window closes, so that closing Lockra's window leaves it in the tray (Running in the background).
The browser extension cannot find Lockra
The popup says "Lockra not found" when the browser has no connection file for Lockra: turn on Settings › Browser › Browser integration. For a browser installed after that, choose Write in its row under Browsers. A browser installed as a Snap or a Flatpak cannot reach Lockra (Platform notes).
The fill shortcut does nothing
Check the shortcut on the browser's own page: chrome://extensions/shortcuts in Chrome, edge://extensions/shortcuts in Edge, Manage Extension Shortcuts in Firefox's add-ons manager. A browser may leave Ctrl Shift L unassigned, for example when another extension uses it. Lockra fills only a login whose site matches the page; when none does, the popup opens and says so.
The browser's own password list opens under the field too
The browser keeps passwords of its own and lists them, with a key, under the field when you click into it. Lockra's menu opens above the field so that the two do not overlap (Keep clear of the browser's own password list on the extension's settings page). To be rid of the browser's list: in Firefox, turn on Let Lockra take over the browser's passwords, and Firefox lists none. In Chrome and Edge that switch stops only the offer to save new ones: import the passwords the browser keeps into Lockra, then delete them in the browser (The browser's own password manager).
Submit after filling did not submit the form
Lockra submits a form once its password is in, or, for a login with a linked code, once the code is. A page that asks for the user name alone is left for you to choose Next, and so is the password page of a sign-in that asks for the code on the next page. A form whose submit button stays disabled is not submitted either (Filling a sign-in form).
Should I turn on filling as pages load?
It is off by default for a reason. A login matched by its domain is offered on every subdomain of the site, and with filling as pages load, a malicious script on any of them can read the password without a click from you. Lockra then fills only under the conditions in Filling as pages load. Leave it off unless you trust every page of the sites you keep logins for; the shortcut fills with one key instead.
Can the phone fill in passwords?
No. On the phone, open a login and copy its password, then paste it; the browser extension works on computers only. Filling on Android is planned (Roadmap).
Is there an iPhone app?
Not yet. Lockra runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android phones; an app for iPhone and iPad is planned (Roadmap). Until then, Lockra on a computer can show export codes for Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator on the iPhone (Moving accounts to Google Authenticator).