CoraleVault CoraleVault - Free Open Source Password Manager v2025.11.6

Getting Started with CoraleVault

Complete guide to getting started with CoraleVault password manager

Getting Started with CoraleVault

Welcome to CoraleVault! This guide will walk you through your first steps with the password manager. By the end, you’ll have created your first vault, added some passwords, and learned the basics of keeping your data secure.

Time required: About 10 minutes

Quick Navigation

Step 1: Launch CoraleVault

Windows

  • Installed version: Click Start → CoraleVault
  • Portable version: Double-click CoraleVault.exe

macOS

  • Open Applications → CoraleVault
  • First launch: Right-click and select “Open” to bypass Gatekeeper

Linux

  • Menu: Applications → Utilities → CoraleVault
  • Command line: Run corale-vault

What You’ll See

When you first launch CoraleVault, you’ll see a welcome screen with two options:

  1. Create New Vault - Start fresh (choose this for your first time)
  2. Open Existing Vault - Open a vault file you already have

Let’s create a new vault!

Step 2: Create Your First Vault

Creating Your Vault

  1. Click “Create New Vault” (or File → New → Create New Vault)

  2. Choose a location for your vault file:

    • Windows: C:\Users\YourName\Documents\passwords.vault
    • macOS: /Users/YourName/Documents/passwords.vault
    • Linux: /home/yourusername/Documents/passwords.vault

  3. Name your vault file: Something like passwords.vault or my-passwords.vault

Important notes:

  • ⚠️ The .vault extension is recommended for clarity
  • ⚠️ Choose a location you’ll remember
  • ⚠️ Don’t store it in cloud sync folders yet (until you understand the security implications)
  1. Click “Save”

Now you’ll be prompted to create a master password.

Step 3: Choose a Strong Master Password

Your master password is the ONE password you need to remember. It encrypts everything in your vault.

Master Password Requirements

  • Minimum: 12 characters (we recommend 16+)
  • Must include:
    • Uppercase letters (A-Z)
    • Lowercase letters (a-z)
    • Numbers (0-9)
    • Special characters (!@#$%^&*)

How to Choose a Strong Master Password

Use a memorable phrase with modifications:

❌ Weak: correct horse battery staple ✅ Strong: Correct-Horse-Battery-Staple-2025!

Tips:

  • Use 4-6 words
  • Capitalize first letters
  • Add numbers and symbols
  • Make it personal but not guessable

Option 2: Random Characters

Use a mix of random characters:

✅ Example: 7k#Lm9@pQr2$Yx4&Bn

Tip: Write it down temporarily while you memorize it.

Option 3: Sentence Method

Turn a sentence into a password:

  • Sentence: “I love hiking in the mountains every summer since 2020”
  • Password: IlH!tM3Ss2020

Entering Your Master Password

  1. Type your master password in the “Master Password” field
  2. Type it again in the “Confirm Password” field
  3. Click “Create Vault”

⚠️ CRITICAL: There is NO password recovery. If you forget it, your data is lost forever. This is by design for security.

Memorizing Your Master Password

  • Type it 10 times - Right now, practice typing it
  • Write it down - On paper (not digitally) and store it securely
  • Use it daily - The more you type it, the better you’ll remember it
  • Teach muscle memory - Your fingers will learn the pattern

Step 4: Add Your First Password

Congratulations! Your vault is created and unlocked. Now let’s add your first password entry.

Adding a Password Entry

  1. Click the “Add” button (or press Ctrl+N / Cmd+N)

  2. Fill in the entry details:

    • Title: Name of the account (e.g., “Gmail”, “Facebook”, “Work Email”)
    • Username: Your username or email (e.g., “john@example.com”)
    • Password: Your password for this account
    • URL: Website address (e.g., “https://gmail.com”)
    • Notes: Any additional information (optional)
    • Group: Category (e.g., “Email”, “Social Media”, “Work”)

  3. Click “Save” (or press Ctrl+S / Cmd+S)

Example Entry

Title: Gmail - Personal
Username: john.doe@gmail.com
Password: [your Gmail password]
URL: https://mail.google.com
Notes: Two-factor authentication enabled
Group: Email

Viewing Your Password

By default, passwords are hidden (shown as ••••••••).

To view a password:

  • Click the eye icon 👁️ next to the password field
  • Or select the entry and press Ctrl+R / Cmd+R to reveal

Copying Your Password

To copy a password to clipboard:

  1. Select the entry in the list
  2. Click “Copy Password” button
  3. Or press Ctrl+C / Cmd+C

Security note: Passwords are cleared from clipboard after 30 seconds.

Step 5: Use the Password Generator

Never create weak passwords again! CoraleVault includes a secure password generator.

Generating a Strong Password

  1. Click “Add” to create a new entry (or edit an existing one)

  2. Click the “Generate” button next to the password field

  3. Configure your password:

    • Length: 16-32 characters (we recommend 20+)
    • Include:
      • ✅ Uppercase letters (A-Z)
      • ✅ Lowercase letters (a-z)
      • ✅ Numbers (0-9)
      • ✅ Special characters (!@#$%^&*)
    • Exclude ambiguous characters: Optional (avoids 0/O, 1/l/I)

  4. Click “Generate” to create a new password

  5. Keep clicking until you get one you like

  6. Click “Use Password” to apply it to your entry

Example Generated Passwords

  • 20 characters: K7#mP9@qR2$xL5&nB8!
  • 24 characters: Tm9#Lk2@Qr4$Yx7&Bn5!Zp3
  • 32 characters: Jk8#Lm3@Qr6$Yx2&Bn9!Zp4*Cv7-Wd1

Why use generated passwords?

  • Impossible to guess
  • Unique for each account (so breaches don’t spread)
  • No need to remember them (CoraleVault does that)

Step 6: Organize with Groups

As your vault grows, organizing passwords into groups helps you find them quickly.

Creating Groups

Groups are like folders for your passwords. Common groups:

  • Email - Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo
  • Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
  • Banking - Bank accounts, credit cards
  • Work - Company accounts, VPN, work email
  • Shopping - Amazon, eBay, online stores
  • Entertainment - Netflix, Spotify, gaming accounts

Assigning Passwords to Groups

When creating or editing an entry:

  1. Click the “Group” dropdown
  2. Select an existing group or type a new one
  3. Press Enter to create the new group

Viewing by Group

Use the group filter to view only passwords in a specific group:

  1. Look at the left sidebar (Groups panel)
  2. Click a group name to filter
  3. Click “All Entries” to see everything

Step 7: Search and Find Passwords

With hundreds of passwords, searching is essential.

  1. Click the search box at the top (or press Ctrl+F / Cmd+F)

  2. Type any part of:

    • Title
    • Username
    • URL
    • Notes

  3. Results appear instantly as you type

Search Examples

  • Type “gmail” - Finds all Gmail-related entries
  • Type "@work" - Finds all work email addresses
  • Type “amazon” - Finds Amazon accounts
  • Type “bank” - Finds banking entries
  • Click the X in the search box
  • Or press Esc to clear and show all entries

Step 8: Make Your First Backup

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP. Your vault file contains all your passwords. If you lose it, your passwords are gone forever.

Why Backup?

  • Hard drives fail
  • Computers get stolen
  • Accidents happen (file deletion, corruption)
  • No password recovery means no way to get your data back

How to Backup

Option 1: Manual Backup (Simple)

  1. Close CoraleVault (to ensure the file is saved)

  2. Find your vault file:

    • Windows: C:\Users\YourName\Documents\passwords.vault
    • macOS: /Users/YourName/Documents/passwords.vault
    • Linux: /home/yourusername/Documents/passwords.vault

  3. Copy the file to at least 2 other locations:

    • External USB drive
    • Another computer
    • Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive - file is encrypted)
    • NAS or home server

  4. Rename backups with dates:

    • passwords-backup-2025-11-04.vault
    • passwords-backup-2025-12-01.vault

Option 2: Cloud Storage (Automated)

Your vault file is encrypted, so storing it in the cloud is safe (as long as your master password is strong).

Safe for cloud:

  • ✅ Dropbox
  • ✅ Google Drive
  • ✅ OneDrive
  • ✅ iCloud
  • ✅ Any cloud storage

How to set up:

  1. Move your passwords.vault file to your cloud sync folder
  2. CoraleVault will save changes automatically
  3. Cloud service syncs the encrypted file

Benefits:

  • Automatic backups
  • Access from multiple devices
  • Disaster recovery

Important: Your master password is never stored in the cloud. Only the encrypted file.

Backup Checklist

  • ✅ Backup exists in at least 2 locations
  • ✅ Backups are recent (within last month)
  • ✅ Test restoring from backup occasionally
  • ✅ Keep master password written down separately (in a safe place)

Next Steps

Essential Tasks

  1. Add your existing passwords

    • Start with your most important accounts
    • Use the password generator for new accounts

  2. Change weak passwords

    • Use CoraleVault’s generator to create strong replacements
    • Update one password per day to avoid lockouts

  3. Set up multiple backups

    • External drive + cloud storage = safest

  4. Practice using CoraleVault

    • Type your master password 10 times
    • Add, edit, search for entries
    • Copy passwords to clipboard

Advanced Features

  1. Import existing passwords

  2. Learn keyboard shortcuts

  3. Read security best practices

  4. Set up vault file sync

Common Questions

Q: How do I unlock my vault?

A: When you launch CoraleVault, click “Open Existing Vault”, select your .vault file, and enter your master password.

Q: Can I change my master password?

A: Yes! Go to File → Change Master Password. You’ll need to enter your current master password first.

Q: What if I forget my master password?

A: Unfortunately, there’s no way to recover your passwords. The encryption is designed so that even we can’t access your data without the master password. This is a security feature, not a bug.

Prevention:

  • Write down your master password and store it securely
  • Create regular backups of your vault file
  • Consider a trusted family member or friend as emergency contact

Q: Can I use CoraleVault on multiple devices?

A: Yes! Store your vault file in cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) and open it from any device. Just ensure you have the latest version of CoraleVault installed on each device.

Important: Only open the vault on one device at a time to avoid sync conflicts.

Q: Is it safe to store my vault in Dropbox/Google Drive?

A: Yes! Your vault file is encrypted with AES-256. As long as your master password is strong, the encrypted file is safe to store anywhere. Even if someone steals your vault file, they cannot decrypt it without your master password.

Q: How do I add passwords from my browser?

A: Currently, you need to manually copy and paste passwords from your browser into CoraleVault. Browser extensions are planned for the future.

Workaround:

  1. Open your browser’s password manager
  2. Export passwords to CSV (Chrome, Firefox have this feature)
  3. Import the CSV into CoraleVault (see Import Guide)

Q: Can I share passwords with family members?

A: Currently, CoraleVault is single-user. To share:

  • Option 1: Share the vault file and master password (least secure)
  • Option 2: Create separate vaults for each person
  • Option 3: Export specific entries to CSV and import to their vault

Family sharing features are planned for the future.

Q: Does CoraleVault work offline?

A: Yes! CoraleVault is completely offline. It never connects to the internet. Your passwords are stored only on your device.

Q: Can I trust CoraleVault with my passwords?

A: CoraleVault is:

  • Open source - You can review the code yourself
  • Audited - Community security reviews
  • Local-only - No servers, no cloud, no accounts
  • Encrypted - AES-256 with PBKDF2 key derivation (600,000+ iterations)

See Security Information for technical details.

Q: How do I update CoraleVault?

A: CoraleVault does not auto-update. To update:

  1. Visit Download page
  2. Download the latest version
  3. Install it (your vault file remains untouched)
  4. Open your vault file with the new version

Tip: Subscribe to our GitHub releases to get update notifications.

Get Help

Need more help?

Congratulations! 🎉

You’ve completed the Getting Started guide! You now know how to:

  • ✅ Create and open vaults
  • ✅ Add and organize passwords
  • ✅ Generate strong passwords
  • ✅ Search for entries
  • ✅ Backup your vault

Remember:

  1. Use a strong master password (and don’t forget it!)
  2. Backup regularly (multiple locations)
  3. Keep your device secure (antivirus, updates, lock screen)

Welcome to secure password management with CoraleVault!

Have feedback on this guide? Let us know!