Guides/Journals
How to encrypt journal entries so nobody else can read them
The right tool to encrypt a journal is a small one: a single file that seals a single folder and stays out of the way. Elba does that. Keep your daily entries as .txt or .md files in a folder and let Elba wrap the folder in AES-256-GCM.
A workflow that lasts
Plain text ages well. Write your entries in .md or .txt files with a date-based filename (2026-07-01.md). Put them in one folder. Let Elba be the fence around that folder.
In ten years you'll still be able to read the files, with or without Elba, because they're just text.
Why not the notes app?
Because notes apps sync. That is their job. If your journal is a place to think unsupervised, syncing is the wrong shape. A sealed local folder is the right shape.
Questions people actually ask
- Can I still search my entries?
- Yes, once unsealed — any editor with folder search (VS Code, Sublime, Obsidian) works on the plain files.
- Can I back it up?
- Yes. The sealed folder is safe to copy to Dropbox, iCloud, or a USB stick.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.