Keeping Your Day One Encryption Key Safe

Your journal is personal, and we believe it should stay that way. That’s why Day One uses end-to-end encryption to protect your entries with an encryption key that only you can access.

What Is an Encryption Key?

Your encryption key is a long string of letters and numbers that acts like a super-secure password. It’s automatically generated when you enable end-to-end encryption in Day One.

It’s unique to you, and Day One does not store a copy.
If you lose access to this key, you will not be able to read your encrypted entries, even if they’re still stored on your device or in the cloud.
You should never share your encryption key with anyone else, even when using shared journals.

⚠️ Warning: If your encryption key is lost and you don’t have a backup, Day One cannot recover your encrypted content. It will be permanently unreadable.

How to View and Backup Your Encryption Key

Follow these steps to view your encryption key and see the backup options available.

iOS / iPadOS

Open Day One.
Tap your account icon in the top right to open the app settings.
Tap Sync.
Tap View Encryption Key.

Android

Open Day One.
Tap your account icon in the top right to open the app settings.
Tap Sync.
Tap Encryption Key.

macOS

Open Day One.
Click Settings > Sync > Advanced.
Click View Encryption Key.

Web App / Windows App

Go to https://dayone.me/settings in a web browser.
Under Encryption Key click View/Back up

Best Practices for Backing Up Your Key

Depending on the platform you’re using, when you view your encryption key, you’ll see some/all of the following backup options:

Backup to iCloud
Backup to Google Drive
Manual backup options:
- Send to Email Address
- Save/Download PDF
- Print
- Copy

Because Day One cannot recover your encrypted data without your key, we strongly recommend backing it up right away using at least one online and one offline backup method.

Online – Backup your key to iCloud or Google Drive

Backing up your encryption key to either iCloud or Google Drive (or both!) is recommended for convenience as in future you’ll only need to sign into your Apple/Google account to automatically access your key without having to type it in, scan the QR code, or copy/paste it.

Note that although your key is securely stored in your Apple/Google account, it can only be accessed via the Day One apps – there isn’t a way to view your encryption key directly in iCloud/Drive using this method. For that reason, we also recommend using an offline method to backup your key manually.

Offline – Backup your key manually

While the online backup methods can be very convenient, they rely on your continued access to your Apple/Google accounts, so it’s strongly recommended to have your key backed up manually too, so you’ll still have access to it should you ever find yourself unable to access your Apple/Google accounts.

Downloading a PDF of your key is a good first step, so that you can view the key itself, as well as the QR code, which you can scan with an iOS/Android device to add your key to Day One.

You can then also store the PDF in multiple locations, such as an encrypted external drive, or a password manager like 1Password.

Beyond that, it’s also a good idea to print out the PDF and store it in a safe place, so that you’ll always have a hard copy to refer to if you ever need it.

What Happens If I Lose My Encryption Key?

If you lose your encryption key and no longer have access to any trusted device where Day One is installed, you will permanently lose access to your encrypted journal entries.

Your data is still there — it just can’t be decrypted.
There is no way for Day One to recover the key or the content.
If you can’t find it on an existing device, you can contact our support team and provide us with your user ID so that we can check whether you have previously saved your key and point you in the right direction to find it.
Note that you can still use Day One to write new content, but you’ll need to create a new account and a new encryption key.

⚠️ Important: We can’t stress this enough — make sure your encryption key is backed up safely.

Still Need Help?

If you need help accessing your encryption key or have questions about your specific situation, Please visit https://dayoneapp.com/contact to contact our support team.

Next Steps

Back up your encryption key today using at least one online and one offline backup method.
Store your key offline in a secure place.
Share this guide with friends or family who use Day One.