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What is a passphrase?

The single most important thing you control.

Thanasis Karavasilis avatar
Written by Thanasis Karavasilis
Updated over a week ago

By now, you’ve seen how much effort goes into keeping your files safe on Hivenet’s side. But there’s one piece only you can protect: your encryption passphrase.

This passphrase is not the same as your account password. It’s far more important—and it works very differently.

Let’s break that down.

Your account password

  • Used to log in to the Hivenet app or website

  • Can be reset using a “Forgot password?” link

  • Doesn’t give access to your encrypted files

Your encryption passphrase

  • Used to encrypt and decrypt your stored data

  • Never leaves your device

  • Cannot be recovered by Hivenet—ever

If you lose your passphrase, we can’t retrieve it. That’s by design. We don’t have access to your data, and we don’t hold any backup keys. This gives you full privacy and control—but also full responsibility.

That’s why the next few sections are all about choosing a strong passphrase, keeping it safe, and what to do if you lose it.


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