Overview
Getting Started with Zero
Welcome to Zero: Your Private Vault for Structured Data
Zero is your personal, encrypted workspace for securely storing structured data — passwords, private notes, credentials, and any custom records you define. You decide the fields and the shape of your data; Zero keeps it private on your machine.
No Accounts. No Cloud. No Tracking.
Zero is offline-first and runs locally. There are no user accounts or background network calls. Your data stays on your device.
- No registration: No emails, usernames, or sign-ups.
- End-to-end encryption: Your vault contents are unreadable without your master password (or a valid recovery kit you created).
- You hold the key: The app never uploads or stores your master password anywhere.
What Can You Use Zero For?
Zero is schema-based — you define the fields for each table. A few common uses:
- Password vaults — usernames, passwords, notes, recovery hints
- Private journals — personal entries or therapy logs kept fully private
- Trackers & logs — licenses, subscriptions, finances, health data, projects
- Contacts or assets — names, emails, phones, keys, serials, and more
Why Zero is Different
Local-first and zero-trust by design. Vaults are encrypted files on disk. Fields marked as sensitive are stored encrypted and only decrypted on demand when you choose to view them. There are no analytics, telemetry, or cloud services.
First-Time Setup
- Open Zero.
- Create a master password. This unlocks your vault(s). If you forget it, you can only regain access if you previously created a Recovery Kit.
- Create your first vault. A vault is a single encrypted file that will hold your tables and rows.
- Create a table. Pick a template or define your own fields (text, password, choice, file, date/time, and more). You can mark fields to be encrypted.
- Recommended: Create a Recovery Kit. This generates a one-time code/file you can store offline. It lets you restore access if you forget the password. Keep it safe; anyone with it can unlock your data.
- Optional: Make a backup. Use the Backups page to create a full ZIP (vaults + configs, and media if enabled). You can also turn on automatic backups.
How Zero Organizes Your Data
- Vault — a single encrypted file protected by your master password
- Tables inside a vault — like sheets; each table has columns you define
- Rows — your actual records
- Field types — text, password, email, URL, integer, float, boolean, date/time, choice, file, and more
Everyday Tasks
- Add & edit rows: Use the table view to create, edit, and filter records. Encrypted fields show as hidden until revealed.
- Import & export: Import CSV/XLSX with a two-step “validate → map → import.” Export the current filter or all rows to CSV/XLSX. Files are handled safely; scalar encrypted fields are decrypted for export when appropriate.
- Backups: Create, download, restore, and delete backups. You can enable automatic backups (daily at a set time or on an interval). Only automatic backups are rotated; manual backups are never auto-deleted.
- Recovery: From the Recovery page you can create, rotate, test, or disable a Recovery Kit, and set a new login password after recovering.
Security Basics
- Field-level encryption: Mark sensitive columns as encrypted; their values are stored encrypted at rest and decrypted only when needed.
- Files: You can store files on disk under a media folder or inside the database. Encrypted file fields are decrypted on download/view.
- Your responsibility: Keep your master password and Recovery Kit secure. If you lose both, your data cannot be decrypted.