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Password & Encryption

General Information​

Password & Encryption is a feature in AmneziaVPN that encrypts files created in the app and saved to your device:

  • AmneziaVPN settings backup file — created in the Backup section, saved with the .backup extension
  • Amnezia VPN configuration file — created in the Configuration Files section, saved with the .conf extension
  • Self-hosted configuration file — created in the Share VPN Access section, saved with the .conf or .json extension

Encryption helps protect configuration and backup files from unauthorized access. For example, you can send an encrypted file to a friend so they can connect to the VPN without worrying about the file leaking online — without the password, no one can open the file in AmneziaVPN or view its contents.

If the encryption feature is unavailable in AmneziaVPN, or you get error 900 when opening an encrypted file, install the latest version of AmneziaVPN (mirror).

If someone shared an encrypted file with you and AmneziaVPN asks for a password, you can only get the password from the file owner.

After you enable encryption, every configuration and backup file you save/export from the app will be encrypted. Files saved before encryption was enabled will remain unchanged.

Only the person who enabled encryption in the AmneziaVPN app knows the encryption password.

The encryption password is not stored in plain text on the device and is not stored on Amnezia servers. This means that Amnezia support cannot tell you the password or help you recover it.

If the password is forgotten or lost, it is impossible to access the contents of the encrypted files.

How to Enable Encryption​

  1. Open AmneziaVPN and go to Settings (⚙️ icon on the bottom bar).
  2. Open Password & Encryption.
  3. Set a password. Optionally, add a hint to help you remember it, and tap Continue.

Make sure to remember the password or save it in a secure place (for example, in a password manager).

If you forget the password, you will lose access to encrypted files, and you will only be able to disable encryption in AmneziaVPN by resetting the app settings.

  1. On the next screen, enter the password again and tap Enable encryption.

Encryption is enabled — from now on, all files you save/export from AmneziaVPN will be encrypted, and the app will ask for the password when you try to open them.

How to Disable Encryption​

  1. Open AmneziaVPN and go to Settings (⚙️ icon on the bottom bar).
  2. Open Password & Encryption.
  3. Tap Disable encryption → enter the password you used to enable encryption → tap Done.

Encryption is disabled — from now on, all files you save/export from AmneziaVPN will not be encrypted, and the app will not ask for a password when you try to open them.

How to Change Encryption Password​

  1. Open AmneziaVPN and go to Settings (⚙️ icon on the bottom bar).
  2. Open Password & Encryption.
  3. Tap Change password → enter the password you used to enable encryption → tap Done.

  1. Set a new password. Optionally, add a hint to help you remember it, and tap Continue.
  2. On the next screen, enter the new password again and tap Save new password.

The encryption password is changed — from now on, all files you save/export from AmneziaVPN will be encrypted with the new password, and the app will ask for the new password when you try to open them.

All files encrypted before the password change will be protected by the old password.

It is impossible to change the password of an encrypted file. An encrypted file can only be opened with the password used to encrypt it.

I Forgot the Encryption Password​

If you forgot the password, you won’t be able to access the contents of encrypted files. To disable encryption, you’ll need to reset all settings and delete all app data — this option is in AmneziaVPN settings under Application.

After the reset, you’ll need to add your connections again and set up AmneziaVPN (for example, configure Split Tunneling).