My database is corrupted or cannot be opened – how can I access my passwords?

Messages such as "Stream read error" or "Invalid File Format" when opening a database point to a damaged database file – for example after a crash, a power failure while saving, or a storage medium error. However, not every database that fails to open is actually corrupted. Work through the following steps in order.

1. Check the version first – especially if your correct password is rejected. If Password Depot rejects a master password that is definitely correct, or reports an invalid file format, first update all apps and clients involved to the latest version; symptoms like these were a program bug in individual app versions and were fixed by an update. Also note: databases encrypted with AES-GCM cannot be opened with Password Depot 19.1.0 or earlier – in that case the file is not damaged; the client is simply too old.

2. Open the most recent backup file. Password Depot automatically creates backups (extension .bckd), by default in Documents\Password Depot\Backup; you can view the location and behavior under Edit → Options → Save. To restore your data:

   1. Open the Home screen and click Local backup.

   2. Select the most recent backup file of your database and click Open.

   3. Authenticate with your master password and/or key file. Important: a backup is encrypted with the password that was valid at the time it was created – after a password change, older backups require the old password.

   4. Save the opened backup as a regular database again via Database → Save as (Shift + Ctrl + S) in the .pswe format.

   5. If the most recent backup does not open, try older ones step by step.

3. Database from the Enterprise Server: renew the local copy. If the locally cached copy of a server database is damaged, rename the folder Documents\Password Depot (with Password Depot closed) as a test, e.g. to Password Depot_old. The next time you connect, the client re-creates the folder and loads the database freshly from the server. You will find the option Database from Enterprise Server: Save local copy under Edit → Options → Save. (If you receive the error message “Invalid file format” from a server database, simply renaming the Network folder often solves the problem.)

4. Cross-check on the Windows client. If a database cannot be opened on a mobile device or under macOS/Linux, test the same file on a Windows PC: the Windows client runs as a full version in trial mode for 30 days, so no license is required for the test. If the file opens there, the problem lies with the app or platform, not with the database.

Note: We want to be honest with you: there is no repair tool for irreparably damaged database files. Even AceBIT cannot reconstruct a badly damaged, encrypted file. Your safety net is the automatic backup files – keep the creation of backup files enabled under Edit → Options → Save (2 to 32 copies) and additionally keep your own copies of important databases in a second location.

Related topics:

• What can I do if I have forgotten my master password?

• How can I use my passwords on multiple devices?

• Server backups: set up, change location, restore – and emergency access in case of server failure