Create your account & Emergency Kit
Step-by-step account creation, choosing a strong master password, and safely storing your Access Key and Recovery Key — the Emergency Kit that keeps you from being locked out.
Creating a PulsVault account takes a few minutes. The most important part is what happens once during setup: your browser creates an Access Key and a Recovery Key, and you download each one as its own kit. Together with your master password, these are your Emergency Kit. Store them well — they cannot be recovered later.
Before you start#
PulsVault checks your master password when you sign in but stores only a one-way hash of it, so support can't read or reset it. Use a long passphrase you don't use anywhere else. If you forget it, you'll need your Recovery Key to regain access.
Create your account#
Signup has three steps, and the progress bar at the top shows where you are.
- Account. Enter your name, email address and master password. Aim for a memorable passphrase of 4+ random words; the checklist under the field ticks off each rule as you meet it.
- Verify email. Enter the 6-digit code we email you. If the address already has an account, you get an email saying so instead, and no new account is created.
- Save keys. Your browser generates your Access Key and Recovery Key and shows them once. Neither key ever leaves your device: the server stores only a hash of a one-way verifier of each, which proves you hold the key later and decrypts nothing.
- Download the Access Key kit and the Recovery Key kit. Each is a separate printable page (an
.htmlfile that opens in any browser, even offline). Each card shows Downloaded once its file has been handed to your browser; use Download again if the file didn't arrive. - Tick I've stored both kits somewhere safe, then choose Finish setup. If something is missing, the page tells you which kit or step it is.
- Download the Access Key kit and the Recovery Key kit. Each is a separate printable page (an
If the page is reloaded or closed during Save keys, the keys on screen are gone. The next time you open PulsVault it asks for your password, then issues a new pair. Nothing was encrypted with the old one, so nothing is lost; delete any kit you downloaded before the interruption.
Your Emergency Kit explained#
| Item | What it's for | If you lose it |
|---|---|---|
| Master password | Day-to-day unlock | Use the Recovery Key to set a new one |
| Access Key (Access Key kit) | Used with your password to unlock your vault, including on a new device | Recover the account with the Recovery Key |
| Recovery Key (Recovery Key kit) | Last-resort account recovery | Account cannot be recovered |
| Identification code | Identifies you during Access Key recovery | Issued once at signup and never changes — view it any time under Account → Recovery & Emergency Kit with your master password |
Print each kit or save it to an encrypted drive, and keep the two in different places — the Recovery Key exists for the day the Access Key is lost, so losing both together defeats it. A home safe, a safety-deposit box or a trusted person all work. Do not store them only in PulsVault — you may need them precisely when you can't get in. Your browser saves both files to the same downloads folder; move them out of it.
Turn on two-factor authentication#
Add a TOTP authenticator app and save your backup codes. This protects the authentication gate even if your password leaks. You can manage this any time under Two-factor authentication.
Add a passkey (optional)#
Right after you save your keys, PulsVault offers to add a passkey as your second sign-in factor. After your password you confirm with your fingerprint, face or device PIN instead of a 6-digit code. It does not replace your password or your Emergency Kit, and it does not unlock your vault. Choose Add a passkey and your browser asks you to confirm; because you just proved your password, it does not ask for it again. You are then shown a set of backup codes once: save them before you continue. Choose Continue to skip the step; you can add a passkey later under Two-factor authentication. If you do not save the codes, the Security Center keeps a reminder until you create and save new ones.
Next step#
Continue to the Quickstart to create your first vault and add an item.