The guides
Fifty short guides on keeping one folder to yourself.
Written to be useful in isolation. Each page answers one question honestly, tells you when Elba is the right tool, and tells you when it isn't.
The basics
- Local file encryption with no cloud, no account
Encrypt files locally on your own machine — no upload, no account, no server ever contacted. One HTML file, AES-256-GCM at rest.
- A browser-based file encryption tool that never phones home
Elba is a browser-based file encryption tool: one HTML file, AES-256-GCM, zero network calls. Encrypt and decrypt inside a Chromium tab.
- Offline file encryption in a single HTML file
Elba is offline file encryption delivered as one HTML file. No installer, no internet, no telemetry — encrypt a folder with AES-256-GCM.
- Single-HTML-file encryption: why one file is the feature
One HTML file, one folder, one password. Why Elba's single-file design is a security property, not a limitation.
- How to encrypt files without uploading them anywhere
Encrypt files without uploading — no cloud, no account, no server. Elba seals a folder locally with a password only you know.
- How to encrypt files locally, in under a minute
A short, plain guide to encrypting files locally with Elba: open the HTML file, pick a folder, set a password. That's the whole flow.
- An encryption tool for sensitive documents that fits on a USB stick
Contracts, medical notes, client files. A small, offline encryption tool for sensitive documents — one HTML file, one password.
- File encryption with no installation required
Portable, install-free file encryption. Elba is a single HTML file — no admin rights, no installer, no leftovers on the machine.
- How to encrypt a folder with a password (properly)
The right way to encrypt a folder with a password: local, strong algorithm, and no recovery link. Elba does exactly that.
- Why one-file software is the quiet revolution
Single-file software has no installer, no update loop, and no dependencies. Copy it, keep it, run it in 2035. Elba is one HTML file on purpose.
Concepts
- What is mortalware? Software that dies into the commons
Mortalware is software with a release date — a scheduled transition from paid to free-and-open. Elba's mortalware plan explained.
- Mortalware: software with a written expiry on secrecy
Mortalware is software that becomes open source on a fixed date. Elba is priced to decline and free in 2030. Here's the idea and why it matters.
- Declining-price software: paying less the longer you wait
A declining-price software model lowers price on a schedule until the tool is free. Elba uses it to make patience a legitimate purchase strategy.
- Elba's open-source transition: the roadmap to 2030
Elba's licence flips to MIT on 1 January 2030. Here's the roadmap, what changes, and what stays the same for people who bought it earlier.
- Software that becomes free over time (and why that's the point)
A short case for software with a scheduled, declining price that reaches zero. Elba's price falls every year until it's free in 2030.
- Sovereign computing tools: owning a room in your own machine
Sovereign computing means the machine, the data, and the tool all answer to you. A short field guide, with Elba as an example.
- Digital self-defence tools: a short, practical shelf
Small tools that raise the cost of surveillance without changing your life. A practical shelf, with Elba as the local-encryption piece.
- AES-256-GCM, explained without a maths degree
AES-256-GCM in one page — what it is, why Elba uses it, and what it does and doesn't protect against.
- PBKDF2, in one page: why passwords need slowing down
PBKDF2 turns a password into an encryption key slowly on purpose. Here's how it works and why Elba uses it to derive your AES-256 key.
- Why WebCrypto is the boring, correct place to encrypt files
WebCrypto is the browser's built-in, hardware-accelerated crypto library. Elba uses it so you're not trusting our home-grown AES implementation.
- How client-side encryption works, in one page
Client-side encryption means the key never leaves your device. Here's how it works, why it matters, and how Elba applies it.
- What is client-side encryption, in plain language
Client-side encryption means your files are locked on your device before anyone else sees them. Here's what that means and why Elba does it that way.
- Zero-network encryption: a tool that never phones home
Zero-network encryption tools make no outbound requests — no telemetry, no licence check, no update ping. Verify it yourself in DevTools.
- Zero-knowledge encryption, explained without jargon
Zero-knowledge means the service can't read your files even if it wanted to. Here's the idea, and how Elba goes one further.
- Encryption at rest vs in transit: which one Elba is
Encryption in transit protects a file while it moves. Encryption at rest protects it while it sits. Elba is at-rest — for the folder that stays home.
- Why encryption software should be open source, eventually
Closed-source encryption is a promise you can't verify. Elba is source-visible today and becomes MIT open source on 1 January 2030.
- Verifiable privacy: why you should be able to read the code
Verifiable privacy tools let you inspect what they do before trusting them. Elba's whole program is inside one HTML file — open it in a text editor.
- What happens if you forget your encryption password?
The honest answer, with Elba: nothing gets in. There is no reset link. Here's how to make sure you never need one.
For a job
- Secure file encryption for journalists (2026 guide)
A local, offline encryption tool for journalists: no cloud, no account, no telemetry. Seal notes and source files with a password.
- A privacy tool for journalists (2026 shortlist)
One-file, offline privacy tool for journalists in 2026. No accounts, no telemetry, no server ever contacted. Elba, explained briefly.
- File encryption for lawyers: privilege, at rest
A quiet, offline way for lawyers to protect client files at rest. Elba seals a folder with AES-256-GCM — no cloud, no account.
- File encryption for therapists and counsellors
Session notes are the most sensitive files most therapists keep. A small, offline, one-time-purchase way to seal them.
- File encryption for doctors: HIPAA-grade, at rest
AES-256-GCM local file encryption suitable for HIPAA at-rest requirements. Elba is a single HTML file — no cloud, no account.
- Encryption for nurses — private notes, on your own device
Handover notes, study material, and personal reflections sealed in a local Elba vault. No hospital portal, no compliance minefield.
- Encryption for social workers — case notes off the clipboard
Personal casework notes, home-visit reflections, and supervision material sealed locally with AES-256-GCM. Compliant with your policy, not a vendor's.
- Encryption for clergy — pastoral notes kept privately
For pastors, priests, and chaplains: seal pastoral and confession notes in a local Elba vault. Nothing crosses a server, ever.
- File encryption for writers and novelists
A quiet fence around the manuscript. Elba seals your draft folder locally so the work-in-progress stays yours until you decide.
- File encryption for researchers: sealing research data on your own machine
Interview transcripts, participant data, unpublished results. A one-file, offline way to seal a research folder with AES-256-GCM.
- File encryption for activists and organisers
A small, offline, no-account way for activists to seal sensitive files. Elba is one HTML file with no metadata trail.
- Encryption for human-rights workers — a quiet, verifiable tool
For frontline workers: a single HTML file that seals a folder locally, verifiable in source, never phones home. No account, no vendor lock-in.
- Encryption for private investigators — case files sealed
For PIs: per-case Elba vaults for surveillance notes, photos, and witness statements. AES-256-GCM at rest, portable to any client meeting.
- File encryption for photographers: RAW files, sealed
A local, offline way to seal a folder of RAW files and unreleased shoots. One HTML file, one folder, one password.
- File encryption for accountants and bookkeepers
Tax files, payroll, and client books belong sealed. A one-time-purchase, offline HTML tool for folder-level encryption.
- Encryption for independent auditors — engagements sealed per client
Working papers, evidence, and management letters sealed in per-engagement Elba vaults. AES-256-GCM, no audit-firm SaaS required.
- Encryption for translators — NDAs and confidential source texts
For freelance translators: sealed per-client vaults for source texts, glossaries, and drafts. Meets typical NDA ‘encryption at rest’ clauses.
- Encryption for executive assistants — the private drawer, digital
Travel plans, personal correspondence, and sensitive scheduling sealed in a local Elba vault. AES-256-GCM, no shared cloud folder needed.
- File encryption for designers: sealing source files and client work
Figma exports, Adobe source files, unreleased brand work. A small, offline way to seal your design folder.
- File encryption for founders: cap tables, drafts, and quiet plans
Term sheets, cap tables, board decks in draft. A small offline tool for the folder that shouldn't live in the shared drive yet.
Specific use cases
- Encrypt tax documents locally — receipts, returns, and P&Ls
Tax paperwork is a decade-long liability. Seal it in an Elba folder on your own machine — no accountant portal, no cloud drive, no account.
- Encrypt medical records on your own computer
Personal medical records deserve a private folder, not a patient portal. Elba seals scans, letters, and test results with AES-256-GCM locally.
- Encrypt legal case files without a document management system
For solo counsel and small firms: a per-case Elba vault gives you privileged-material discipline without a monthly DMS subscription.
- Encrypt manuscript drafts before a publisher sees them
A private folder for novelists, screenwriters, and non-fiction authors — draft chapters and research sealed locally with AES-256-GCM.
- Encrypt family photos without handing them to a cloud
Keep the photo archive that matters most on your own drive, sealed with a password only you know. Backup to cloud storage is still fine.
- Encrypt a password list without a password manager
For people who keep a plain-text password file: Elba seals it with AES-256-GCM so a lost laptop doesn't become a lifetime of breaches.
- Keep a diary on a shared computer — sealed with a password
On a shared home or family computer, a private journal needs more than a folder name. Elba seals the whole thing behind AES-256-GCM.
- Encrypt files before emailing — a folder your recipient can open
Seal a folder with Elba, send the sealed bytes over email, and share the password out of band. Your mail server sees a locked box.
- Encrypt source-code secrets without a hosted vault
For solo developers: keep .env files, API keys, and deploy notes in a sealed Elba folder — no HashiCorp, no 1Password subscription.
- Encrypt a crypto wallet seed phrase — a digital, sealed backup
A metal plate is best. A sealed Elba vault is a strong second: your seed phrase encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, offline, no cloud.
- Encrypt notes: a quiet vault for people speaking up
For those documenting wrongdoing: a sealed local folder that never contacts a server, on a machine you control. No accounts, no logs.
- Encrypt files in hostile environments — travel, borders, hotels
For journalists and researchers travelling to difficult places: a single HTML file that seals a folder, with no obvious app installed.
- Encrypt interview recordings — for journalists and researchers
Sensitive interview audio and transcripts sealed in a per-project Elba vault. Cloud backup safe; source protection preserved.
- Encrypt financial spreadsheets — bookkeeping without a portal
For freelancers and small businesses: seal invoices, ledgers, and payroll in a local Elba vault. AES-256-GCM, no accountant portal.
- Encrypt genealogy research — family archives, sealed
Decades of birth certificates, letters, and scanned photos in one sealed Elba vault. Cloud backup is safe; ancestry stays private.
- How to encrypt journal entries so nobody else can read them
A small, offline way to encrypt your journal. Elba seals a folder of daily entries with one password — no cloud, no account.
- How to encrypt files in countries with heavy censorship
Offline file encryption where the network is watched. Elba is a single HTML file — no downloads at runtime, no network calls, no server.
On a specific machine
- How to encrypt files on a Chromebook (properly)
Chromebooks don't ship with a real file encryption tool. Elba is a single HTML file that adds one, using the browser you already have.
- How to encrypt files on a Mac without installing anything
No installer, no admin prompt, no App Store account. Elba is a single HTML file that runs in Chrome or Arc on macOS.
- How to encrypt files on Windows without admin rights
Locked-down work laptop? Elba is a single HTML file — no installer, no admin prompt, no registry keys.
- Encrypt files on Linux without root or LUKS
You don't need root or LUKS to seal a folder on Linux. Elba runs in Chromium or Chrome as a normal user, per-folder AES-256-GCM.
- Encrypt files on iPad in the browser — with a caveat
iPad Chromium is a WebKit shell — Elba runs but the File System Access API is limited. Here's what works and what to use instead.
- Encrypt files on a library or hotel computer — carefully
On a shared public computer, encryption is only part of the answer. Here's how to use Elba safely and what to avoid entirely.
- Encrypt personal files on a work laptop — sensibly
A work laptop is not fully yours. Elba can seal a personal folder locally, but read your employer's policy first and keep it small.
- Encrypt files on an air-gapped machine — Elba fits well
Elba runs entirely offline in a browser tab, so it belongs on an air-gapped machine. Here's a workflow that keeps the gap intact.
- A portable encryption tool that fits on a USB drive
Elba runs from a USB stick with no install. One HTML file, one launcher, one folder — sealed with AES-256-GCM wherever you plug it in.
- Run encryption from a USB stick with no install
Copy Elba.html and a portable Chromium to a USB stick. Plug in, open, seal a folder. Nothing installed on the host machine.
- How to encrypt files in Dropbox, iCloud, or Google Drive safely
Seal the folder first, then sync it. A short recipe for using cloud storage without letting the cloud read your files.
Compared with…
- Elba vs VeraCrypt: two different jobs, honestly compared
Elba and VeraCrypt solve related but different problems. Here's when to pick one over the other for local file encryption.
- Elba vs Cryptomator: local folder vs cloud-transparent vault
Cryptomator encrypts for the cloud; Elba encrypts for your own machine. A short, honest comparison to help you pick.
- Elba vs Boxcryptor (or: what to do now Boxcryptor is gone)
Boxcryptor was acquired and shut down for individuals. Elba is one alternative — one HTML file, no account, no cloud.
- Elba vs 7-Zip encryption: when a zip is enough (and when it isn't)
7-Zip's AES-256 encrypted archives are a solid free option. Here's where Elba differs, and when to reach for which.
- Elba vs BitLocker: disk vs folder, two layers of the same idea
BitLocker encrypts the whole Windows disk; Elba seals one folder on top. They aren't rivals — they layer.
- Elba vs FileVault: macOS full-disk plus folder-level fencing
FileVault encrypts your Mac's disk at rest. Elba adds a per-folder fence for the things you want sealed while you're logged in.
- Elba vs LUKS — full-disk vs per-folder encryption on Linux
LUKS encrypts the whole disk offline. Elba encrypts a single folder while the machine runs. They solve different problems on Linux.
- Elba vs age: a GUI for the ‘just encrypt this folder’ case
age is the modern command-line file encryption tool. Elba is a GUI fence around a folder. Different audiences, same seriousness.
- Elba vs GPG: signing and PKI vs a small local fence
GPG is a Swiss army knife for signing, keyrings, and email. Elba does one thing: seal a folder on your own machine.
- Elba vs Picocrypt — tiny installer vs one HTML file
Picocrypt is a tiny cross-platform installer that encrypts files with Argon2 + XChaCha20. Elba is one HTML file with AES-256-GCM + PBKDF2.
- Elba vs EncFS — legacy per-file FUSE vs modern per-vault
EncFS is an older per-file FUSE encryption layer with known vulnerabilities. Elba is a modern per-vault sealed folder in the browser.
- Elba vs AxCrypt — one HTML file vs a Windows-first installer
AxCrypt is a Windows-first installed app with a free tier. Elba is a one-file browser tool with no installer and a declining one-time price.
- Elba vs NordLocker — local one-file tool vs subscription cloud
NordLocker is a subscription cloud vault. Elba is a one-time HTML file that seals a folder locally. Different tools for different needs.
- Elba vs Proton Drive: sync vs sovereign
Proton Drive is end-to-end encrypted cloud storage. Elba is local-only. When you actually need the cloud, and when you don't.
- Elba vs Tresorit: team cloud vs personal folder
Tresorit is enterprise-grade encrypted collaboration. Elba is a solo, offline folder fence. Two categories, briefly compared.
- Elba vs Sync.com — private cloud vs private folder
Sync.com is a zero-knowledge cloud drive. Elba is a local sealed folder. Use Sync.com for cloud; use Elba when you want no cloud at all.
- Elba vs MEGA — encrypted cloud drive vs local sealed folder
MEGA is an encrypted cloud drive with a generous free tier. Elba is a one-file local vault with no cloud. Different tools; often complementary.
- Elba vs Standard Notes — encrypted notes app vs sealed folder
Standard Notes is an end-to-end encrypted notes app. Elba seals arbitrary files in a folder. Different tools for different content.
- Elba vs Obsidian's encrypted vault plugins
Obsidian plugins can encrypt notes inside a vault. Elba encrypts the whole vault folder from the outside. Use both if you like.
- Elba vs KeePass attachments — password manager or sealed folder
KeePass can attach files to entries. Elba is a sealed folder. Keep passwords in KeePass; keep documents in Elba.
- Elba vs Signal ‘Note to Self’ — private chat vs sealed folder
Signal's Note to Self is a great scratchpad; Elba is a proper file vault. Use both — the right tool for the right kind of secret.
- The best file encryption without a subscription (2026)
Pay once, keep forever. A short shortlist of file encryption tools without subscriptions — VeraCrypt, age, GPG, and Elba.
- One-time-purchase encryption software (and why it still exists)
Encryption software you buy once, keep forever. Elba is €49 one-time in 2026, declining every year until it is free in 2030.
- An alternative to AxCrypt that isn't a subscription trap
Looking for an AxCrypt alternative without the free-tier squeeze? Elba is a one-time-purchase, offline HTML file for folder encryption.