Guides/Cloud + local
How to encrypt files in Dropbox, iCloud, or Google Drive safely
The safest way to use cloud storage is to hand it something it cannot read. Encrypt the folder locally with Elba, then let Dropbox, iCloud, or Google Drive sync the sealed bytes.
The recipe
1. Put your working folder inside your cloud sync folder (e.g. ~/Dropbox/journal). 2. Point Elba at that folder and set a password. 3. Close Elba to reseal — the cloud syncs the sealed version. 4. Open Elba to unseal when you want to work.
What the cloud sees
Opaque bytes. Filenames and folder structure inside the sealed folder are hidden. The cloud can store your island; it can't set foot on it.
Questions people actually ask
- Do I lose sync speed?
- The cloud syncs on close, which happens when Elba re-seals. Small folders are near-instant; big folders sync in the background.
- Better than Cryptomator?
- Different — Cryptomator does per-file cloud-friendly encryption; Elba seals the folder as a unit.
Take the island
Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.
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the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030
pay once · no account · nothing leavesRelated guides
- 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 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.
- 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.