Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Whispermarks and how your data is protected.
What is Whispermarks?
Whispermarks is a bookmark manager built like a password manager. Your bookmarks are encrypted on your device using AES-256-GCM before they ever reach our servers. Only you can read them - not us, not your cloud provider, not anyone.
How does the encryption work?
When you create a vault, a random encryption key is generated on your device. This key encrypts all your bookmarks locally. The key itself is wrapped using a key derived from your 12-word recovery phrase via PBKDF2-SHA-256 with 250,000 iterations. The server only ever sees encrypted blobs.
What is the recovery phrase?
A 12-word phrase generated when you create a vault. It is the only way to decrypt your vault key. Write it down and store it safely. We never see it, never store it, and cannot recover it for you.
What if I lost my recovery phrase?
If you still have a device where the vault is unlocked (the CLI, browser extension, or a browser where you previously unlocked it), your vault key is cached locally. You can continue using that device normally. From any unlocked client, you can rotate your recovery phrase - this generates a new 12-word phrase without changing your vault data. If you have no unlocked devices and no recovery phrase, the vault is permanently inaccessible. This is by design - it means nobody else can access it either.
Can I change my recovery phrase?
Yes. From any unlocked client, you can rotate your recovery phrase. This generates a new phrase and re-wraps your vault key. Your bookmarks are not re-encrypted - only the key wrapping changes. The old phrase immediately stops working. Devices that already have the vault key cached will continue to work without the new phrase.
Why can't I see vault names on the dashboard?
Vault names are encrypted along with your bookmarks. The server only stores opaque ciphertext - it cannot show you the name because it cannot read it. Use your vault ID and the creation date to identify your vaults. Once you unlock a vault in a client (CLI or extension), the name is visible there.
What does the server know about me?
Your email address (for authentication and routing), the number of vaults and bookmarks you have, and when they were last modified. That's it. All bookmark content - titles, URLs, notes, folders, tags - is encrypted on your device and unreadable to us.
Can Whispermarks read my bookmarks?
No. Encryption happens on your device using AES-256-GCM before any data reaches our servers. We do not have your recovery phrase or vault key. Even in a database breach, an attacker would get meaningless ciphertext.
How does sync work?
Each bookmark is encrypted individually on your device and synced as an opaque blob. The server stores these blobs and serves them to your other devices. Sync is incremental - only changed records are transferred. Conflicts are resolved by last-write-wins using revision timestamps.
How do I use Whispermarks on multiple devices?
Sign in on each device and enter your recovery phrase once to unlock the vault. After that, the vault key is cached locally and you don't need the phrase again. Bookmarks sync automatically between devices.
Why do you need my email?
Your email serves two purposes: authentication (we send you a magic link to sign in, no password needed) and routing (it tells the server which encrypted blobs belong to you). Your email is never connected to your bookmark content - the server cannot decrypt your data.
Can I have multiple vaults?
Yes. Each vault has its own recovery phrase and encryption key. Use separate vaults for personal and work bookmarks, or any other separation you need.
Does it work across browsers?
Yes. Whispermarks is available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox - the same extension also runs on Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, and other Chromium browsers. Your bookmarks sync across all of them. You can also access your vaults from the web app.
Is there a Firefox extension?
Yes. Whispermarks is available on Firefox Add-ons. It uses Firefox's native sidebar with the same features as the Chrome version - search, folders, drag-and-drop reordering, keyboard shortcuts, and encrypted sync.
How do I organize my bookmarks?
You can create folders and nest them as deep as you need. Drag bookmarks and folders to reorder them: drop onto a folder's middle to move inside, the top edge to place before, the bottom edge to place after. Folders can be pulled out of their parent and dropped onto Unsorted to move them to the root. The Unsorted section collects bookmarks that haven't been filed yet - there's no pressure to organize immediately.
Can I have multiple vaults open at the same time?
Yes. The extension can unlock and display multiple vaults simultaneously. Search spans all open vaults, and each bookmark is labeled with its vault name. When creating a bookmark or folder, you can choose which vault to save it to.
How do I install the extension?
Visit /clients on the website and click the install button for your browser - Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. After install, the sidebar opens automatically and walks you through signing in and creating your first vault. The whole setup takes a couple of minutes.
How do I save a bookmark?
Several ways: click the + button in the sidebar to save the current tab, right-click any link or page and choose "Save to Whispermarks", or press Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on Mac) to auto-capture alongside your browser's native bookmark. Favicons are captured automatically.
What happens when I press Ctrl+D?
Whispermarks silently saves an encrypted copy alongside your browser's native bookmark - same shortcut, no behavior change. Your browser bookmark and your encrypted Whispermarks bookmark stay in sync. If you'd rather use a different shortcut to open the sidebar instead, your browser's extension shortcut settings let you remap it.
Can I save all my open tabs at once?
Yes. The sidebar has a "Save all tabs" action that captures every open tab in the current window in one click. Duplicates are detected and skipped automatically, so you can run it on a research session without polluting your vault.
What is the address bar search?
Type "w" then press Tab (or Space) in your browser's address bar to search your encrypted bookmarks without opening the sidebar. Results appear as you type, hit Enter to navigate. It works the same on Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
What keyboard shortcuts does the extension use?
Alt+Shift+B opens the sidebar (Ctrl+Shift+B on macOS Firefox - check chrome://extensions/shortcuts or about:addons to customize). Inside the sidebar: type to search, arrow keys to navigate results, Enter to open, Escape to go back. Ctrl+D triggers the auto-capture behavior described above.
Can I add a PIN lock to the sidebar?
Yes. Each vault can be protected with a PIN. Once set, the vault locks when you close the browser or after a period of inactivity, and a quick PIN unlocks it again - no need to re-enter your recovery phrase. Useful when you step away from your desk.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Your bookmarks are cached locally on each device once you've unlocked the vault. You can browse, search, and open bookmarks without an internet connection. Any changes you make offline sync automatically when you're back online.
Does it work with private/incognito browsing?
Yes, and it's a great companion for private browsing. Your browser's private mode deletes bookmarks when you close the session. Whispermarks keeps your bookmarks encrypted and synced separately from the browser, so they persist across sessions without leaving traces in browser history.
Is Whispermarks free?
Whispermarks is free during the public preview. No credit card required, no account form - just sign in with your email. Future plans may include a paid tier for unlimited bookmarks, but there will always be a free tier.