What HarborKeep protects
HarborKeep stores your library on your device. Optional sync uses your Apple Account. No separate HarborKeep account is required, and C. Ray Carroll LLC does not operate a server that receives readable copies of your vault.
Private content is encrypted
Private record fields, notes, drawings, and attachment content are encrypted with AES-GCM before storage. The vault uses a 256-bit key protected through Apple Keychain services. Authentication unlocks access on the device.
Newly saved attachment analysis and thumbnails are encrypted too. Older notes, thumbnails, and analysis may remain in a readable legacy format. Encryption does not replace device security or protect content after you deliberately export or share it.
Some organization details are readable
Category names, category photos and field labels, attachment names, types, sizes and order, and record organization and lifecycle details are outside the app’s content encryption.
The Share extension also uses a local suggestion index with record titles and category names. Its local routing information can include a proposed new record title. Device protections apply, but these details are not protected by the vault’s encryption.
iCloud sync and backups serve different purposes
When enabled, CloudKit synchronizes the database, including encrypted private content and readable organization metadata. iCloud Keychain delivers the matching vault key separately to trusted devices using the same Apple Account.
Sync can carry edits and deletions to other devices. Keep a separate backup. If the matching vault key is unavailable, the encrypted database alone cannot recreate it; a saved backup and its passphrase provide a separate recovery path.
Features have their own boundaries
Optional AutoFill stores eligible login copies in a separate device-local Keychain store. Those copies can remain available after the main vault locks, subject to device and system AutoFill protections.
Supported document and photo analysis runs on device. HarborKeep has no advertising or developer-run usage analytics. The app may contact Apple services for sync, purchases, or update checks. See the Privacy Policy for more detail.
Two useful copies for different needs
The upcoming 5.3 release makes both options free. Save them somewhere you can reach independently of this app, and check that the saved files open before relying on them.
A readable copy for using content elsewhere
In 5.3, open Settings > Backup, Sync & Recovery > Save a Readable Copy. This saves a ZIP containing record PDFs, readable notes, drawing images, stored attachments, and structured JSON with labels and relationships. Recognized attachment formats receive appropriate filename extensions.
Unzip the saved file, open its index.html, and check your important documents. You can open the PDFs, text, and supported attachments in other apps.
This ZIP is unencrypted and includes passwords and other private fields. Choose a private storage location. Recently Deleted records are optional. Save unfinished edits and import pending Shared Inbox items first; they are not part of the saved library export.
An encrypted backup for restoring a library
In 5.3, open Settings > Backup, Sync & Recovery > Back Up. Choose a backup passphrase, then tap Save Backup and Recovery Kit. Files offers your encrypted backup and recovery-kit ZIP together. Save both in the same folder and check the receipt for each file.
Keep the passphrase somewhere safe and separate from the files. You can check the backup under More options > Verify a Backup. Choose Restore Backup when you need to bring its content into HarborKeep.
The backup uses its own passphrase-derived encryption key. It does not need the original device’s vault key to restore. Neither the developer nor the recovery tool can retrieve a forgotten passphrase.
Recover a saved backup without HarborKeep
The downloadable recovery tool opens supported encrypted backups in a desktop browser and writes a readable ZIP. It uses your saved file and its backup passphrase; it does not require an Apple Account, an installed HarborKeep app, or a connection to a developer server.
- Unzip the recovery kit saved with your backup, or download and unzip the complete kit below. Keep its extracted files together.
- Open the tool’s
index.htmlin a compatible desktop browser, then choose your backup and enter its backup passphrase. - Download and unzip the recovered output. Open its
index.htmland check your important documents. The recovered output is unencrypted. - Close the recovery tab when finished.
Details: supported backups, size limits, and older content
Check format and size support
The tool currently reads version 1 backups, including .harborkeepbackup and compatible older .mskexport files. It accepts up to 100 MiB of encrypted input, 128 MiB of recovered file content, and 20,000 files. Browser memory use can be several times the backup size.
For larger vaults, choose Save a Readable Copy in HarborKeep to keep files you can open without the app. Large encrypted backups may still restore in HarborKeep, but a successful app export does not establish that the browser tool can recover the same file. Files below the input limit still need to meet the other limits.
The browser must support WebCrypto for local files. The kit does not require a network connection once saved.
The recovery engine has automated compatibility tests. Manual browser file selection, download, and opening the recovered files remain release checks. The browser manages its own memory, so closing the tool cannot guarantee immediate erasure of data from memory.
Download the backup format specification for technical details.
Older notes and drawings have limits
New 5.3 backups include readable PDFs, note text, and drawing images alongside editable source data. Older backups can lack those readable copies. The tool preserves available source data and lists limitations; it cannot fully render every older rich note or PencilKit drawing.
The tool does not schedule reminders or recreate the app’s editing experience. Its goal is readable content and preserved data you can use elsewhere.
In 5.3, Back Up offers this kit alongside each new encrypted backup. For an older backup or an unconfirmed kit save, you can also save the kit separately from Settings > Backup, Sync & Recovery > More options > Save Offline Recovery Kit. A saved copy of the recovery tool runs offline and makes no network requests. Saving it now avoids depending on this website later. These files describe the supported recovery path today; they are not a promise of future app updates, website availability, or developer support. No tool can recover a backup you did not save, a lost passphrase, or every damaged file.
About HarborKeep
A place for important household records
HarborKeep brings documents, notes, photos, important dates, and emergency information together on iPhone and iPad. The purpose is practical: keep related information together, find it when needed, and retain a usable copy outside the app.
HarborKeep is developed by Ray Carroll through C. Ray Carroll LLC. Ray brings more than three decades of enterprise, cloud, security, automation, and product development experience to independent Apple apps.
A straightforward purchase
HarborKeep Pro is currently a one-time in-app purchase, with no subscription. In 5.3, Pro adds more attachment capacity and unlimited custom category photos; creating a backup or exporting your content does not require Pro.
Questions or problems can go directly to support@craycarr.net. Please do not send backups, passwords, encryption keys, or private document contents in a support message.