Guides/Local encryption
Local file encryption with no cloud, no account
Local file encryption means the encryption happens on your computer and the key never leaves it. No upload, no account, no server in the loop. Elba does exactly that: a single HTML file seals a folder with AES-256-GCM using a password only you know.
What ‘no cloud’ actually rules out
Most ‘privacy’ tools still send something — a license check, a telemetry ping, a filename to an indexer. Local file encryption, done properly, rules out all three. Nothing about your files, your key, or the fact that you opened them ever crosses the network.
Elba is delivered as an HTML file. When you open it in a Chromium browser it runs entirely inside that tab. Close the tab and it is gone; open it again and it is exactly what you saved.
Why local beats cloud, for the small case
Cloud-encrypted services are useful when you need many collaborators and device sync. For one person and one folder, they trade a real problem — surveillance and lock-in — for a convenience you may not need.
A local file encryption tool with no cloud has three quiet advantages: you can copy it, you can keep it forever, and no company can change its mind about you.
Questions people actually ask
- Does Elba upload my files to encrypt them?
- No. Encryption happens in your browser tab. Files never leave your machine and Elba makes no network requests.
- Do I need an account?
- No account, no login, no email required. You buy the file once and use it offline forever.
- Can I still back it up to a cloud drive?
- Yes. The sealed folder is ordinary encrypted bytes — safe to sync to Dropbox, iCloud, or a USB stick. The cloud stores your island; it can't set foot on it.
- What algorithm does it use?
- AES-256-GCM, derived from your password with PBKDF2. Standard, auditable, and readable in the source.
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.
- €49MMXXVI· now ·
- €39MMXXVII2027
- €29MMXXVIII2028
- €19MMXXIX2029
- FreeMMXXX2030
the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030
pay once · no account · nothing leavesRelated guides
- 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.
- 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 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.