I forgot my code. How do I get back in?

Before you start

Your items are still on this phone, and wrong codes do not delete them. York Vault adds a wait after 5 wrong codes, and the wait grows up to 1 hour. You can use the recovery key at any time, also during a wait.

Do not delete York Vault. A reinstall does not reset your code, and items that are only on this phone can be lost with the app.

Open your library with the recovery key

1. On the lock screen, tap Use recovery key. You can also tap Forgot your code? if York Vault shows it after wrong tries.
2. Read the screen. It says: “Your recovery key opens your library and lets you set a new code. We do not have your code or your key, so we cannot reset them.”
3. Tap Use recovery key.
4. Enter the 12 words from your paper, in order.
5. Set a new code. You can pick any lock type: Pattern, PIN or Passcode.
6. Confirm the new code.

Your library opens. Your recovery key stays the same, so the paper you have still works. If you think someone saw your old code, this new code fixes that.

If York Vault makes you wait

After 5 wrong codes, the wait grows: 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, then 1 hour. The lock screen gives the exact time, for example “You can try again at 3:42 PM.” The recovery key has its own count of wrong tries, so a code wait does not block it.

If you think you remember the code

Try the code you believe is right before the wait reaches 1 hour. Check these common causes first:

• Wrong lock type. If you set a passcode, the PIN pad will not take it.
• Caps or accents. A passcode is exact. “Summer” and “summer” are different codes.
• A cover code. If you set a cover code, typing it opens the cover library, not your main library. That is not an error.

If you lost the recovery key too

If you still know your code, open York Vault and make a new recovery key in Settings now. The old key stops working.

If you lost both the code and the recovery key, we cannot open your library. We never had your keys. Support cannot reset your code, and no support code exists. The one way left is the 72-hour account reset below, if you turned it on before.

Reset with your Apple Account or Google account (72 hours)

York Vault has an optional slow reset through your Apple Account, or through your Google account on Android. It is off by default, and it helps only if you turned it on before you lost the code and the key. To turn it on, open York Vault and go to Settings. On iPhone, a reset secret then sits in iCloud Keychain, which Apple encrypts end to end. On Android, it sits in Block Store, which Google encrypts end to end when the phone has a screen lock.

To use it:

1. On the lock screen, tap Forgot your code?
2. Pass the passcode check for this phone.
3. Wait 72 hours. Your library stays locked during the wait.
4. After 72 hours, set a new code.

During the wait, a banner shows on every device where you use York Vault. The right code or the recovery key cancels the reset. The wait is the guard: a person who knows your phone passcode could start a reset, and the banner gives you 72 hours to stop it.

If York Vault does not open at all

If York Vault crashes or does not reach the lock screen, your items are still on this phone. Do not delete York Vault. Write to us through the support page, which works without the app. A person replies within 1 business day. See Contact support.