The recovery key
Keep your key safe and recover your notes after forgetting your password.
Why a recovery key?
After a password reset, this key lets you read your notes again if recovery has been set up. The email link alone cannot decrypt them. It does not replace signing in or two-factor authentication.
What your key looks like
The current recovery key starts with “rk1_”. Copy the complete value shown when it is generated, without shortening it. Check in Settings > Security that recovery is configured for your account.
This key is different from two-factor authentication backup codes and a note PIN. Keep your key and backup codes separately.
Save, then confirm
Keep it outside Notance, in a protected place.
- A printed copy stored with your important documents.
- A dedicated entry in your password manager.
- An encrypted file kept on an external drive.
During signup, confirm that you have saved the key after storing it safely outside Notance.
Email, smartphone screenshot, text file in Documents, message to yourself. These copies may expose your key if someone else can access your mailbox or device.
If you lose both password and key
If you can still read your notes on a device, export them before losing that access. Protect these files, as they are exported in plaintext.
Without the old password, the recovery key or a session that can still read the notes, we cannot recover their content. A password reset alone is not enough.