Lock vs sign out
On this page
Your browser remembers your unlocked keys, so you don't type your passphrase every visit. Lock and Sign out both make this browser forget those keys. Sign out also ends your sign-in.
You set the passphrase during setup. See create your account and passphrase.
How to do it
- Open Settings in the web app and choose Security. You can also choose Profile, which is where your name in the sidebar takes you. Both panes show the same two rows.
- To lock, select Lock. The row says "Clears your keys from this browser tab. Your passphrase will be required to unlock."
- To sign out, select Sign out. The row says "Ends your session everywhere this browser is signed in — every tab, not just this one."
- If you're on the unlock page, there's a Sign out link next to "Signed in as" and your email. Use it when you're signed in to the wrong account.
What you'll see
- After Lock, you land on the unlock page, titled Welcome back. Enter your passphrase and select Unlock to continue. See forgot your passphrase.
- After Sign out, you land on the sign-in page. The next time you open the app, you sign in, then enter your passphrase.
What each one clears
| What | Lock | Sign out |
|---|---|---|
| Keys in this tab | Cleared | Cleared |
| Keys saved in this browser | Deleted | Deleted |
| Your sign-in | Stays signed in | Ends |
| Your AI connections | Not affected | Not affected |
Good to know
- Lock reaches further than its label. The row mentions only this tab, but Lock also deletes the keys your browser saved. Any tab you open or reload afterwards asks for your passphrase. Tabs that were already open keep working until you reload them.
- Neither one disconnects your AI. Lock and Sign out only change this browser. Your AI keeps its access. To remove it, see manage your AI's access.
- Other devices aren't affected. Each browser keeps its own keys. Lock or sign out on each device you want to clear.
- Neither one deletes your session on Pennyweight's servers. This tab and your browser's saved store just stop holding it. See what Pennyweight can and can't see.
- Locking also drops what the tab had loaded. The decrypted transactions and report totals held by that tab are cleared along with the keys.
- Switching accounts is safe. If a different person signs in to this browser, the keys saved for the previous account are deleted, not reused.
- When you'll be asked for your passphrase. On a new device or browser, after you lock or sign out, or when your sign-in ends. Closing the tab doesn't lock you. If the unlock page rejects your passphrase, see unlock says the passphrase is wrong.