Encrypted albums: Maximum privacy vs Recoverable

Encrypted / Locked album encrypts photos on your device with AES-256 before upload. You choose a security level per album: Maximum privacy or Recoverable encryption. Encrypted albums are for private storage only — sharing and monetization are not available while encrypted. Other albums stay unchanged.

Where to turn encryption on

Open the album → tap Album lock (or Open full lock settings. for the full panel on album edit / #album-lock).
Under Encrypted / Locked album, tap Turn on encryption.
Choose Maximum privacy or Recoverable encryption and acknowledge each point for that level.
Use my vault PIN as the encryption passphrase, or enter a custom Encryption passphrase and Confirm passphrase.
Wait until encryption finishes before leaving the screen.

Maximum privacy vs Recoverable encryption

	Maximum privacy	Recoverable encryption
On-device crypto	AES-256 before upload	AES-256 before upload
Can FWDLink recover the album?	No — we cannot recover or view	Yes, with verification — escrow key for account recovery
Zero-knowledge?	Strongest private-storage stance	Not zero-knowledge
If you lose the passphrase / PIN	Photos are gone	Use Forgot passphrase? Recover with email
Best for	Content only you must unlock	Private storage with a recovery path

Maximum privacy

We cannot recover or view.
Lose your passphrase → photos are gone.
Photos are encrypted on your device; FWDLink stores ciphertext only for this album.
FWDLink and its employees cannot view or decrypt this album’s photos.
You are responsible for keeping your passphrase or vault PIN safe.

Recoverable encryption

Still AES-256 on device, but FWDLink holds an escrow key so account recovery can restore access.
This album is not zero-knowledge.
Recovery uses strong verification: email OTP, and phone OTP when phone verification is enabled.
On the unlock screen, use Forgot passphrase? Recover with email.

After encryption is on

New and existing photos in this album are encrypted on your device before they are stored.
Sharing and monetization are not available for this album while it stays encrypted.
You must unlock the album before uploading more photos (same key / passphrase).

Example — Maximum privacy

You back up sensitive personal documents. You choose Maximum privacy, use a strong custom passphrase you store offline, and never create share links for that album. You accept that if the passphrase is lost, nobody — including FWDLink — can restore those photos.

Example — Recoverable encryption

You want AES-256 private storage but worry about forgetting a custom passphrase. You choose Recoverable encryption and use your vault PIN. If you forget the passphrase later, you use email recovery instead of losing the album forever — knowing FWDLink holds an escrow key for that recovery path.

Remove encryption…

To reverse encryption later:

Unlock the album.
Choose Remove encryption…
Confirm Un-encrypt album after acknowledging the warnings.

Photos are decrypted on this device and re-uploaded in normal form. After this, FWDLink stores them like any other album. Standard features (sharing, thumbnails, moderation) may apply again. Explicit content remains subject to platform rules before any share or monetization.

Related guides

Troubleshooting

Unlock this encrypted album before uploading photos
Enter the passphrase (or vault PIN) on Unlock album, then upload. New photos must be encrypted with the same album key while encryption is on.

Escrow could not be stored
If recoverable escrow fails, try again from album settings or recreate the album encryption as Maximum privacy.

I can’t share or monetize
Expected while Encrypted / Locked album is on. Private storage only. Use Remove encryption… if you need normal sharing again (photos will no longer be device-encrypted the same way).

I chose Maximum privacy and forgot the passphrase
There is no FWDLink recovery for that level. See Forgot PIN and recovery.

Need more help?
Browse the Help Center or Contact support.