How can we help?

What is Kinton Green?

Kinton Green is your family's safe place for the things that matter: passwords, codes, cards, IDs, notes and important documents. Everything you keep here stays private to your household, and only the people you invite can ever see it.

Do I need to be good with technology?

No. If you can send an email, you have everything you need. Most things in Kinton Green take a few taps, and we'll guide you through anything longer.

How do I sign in?

Go to kintongreen.co.uk, choose Sign in, and enter your email address and master password. Your vaults will be waiting.

I've forgotten my master password.

Your recovery key can let you back in. See "Your recovery key" below.

Why do I sometimes have to sign in again?

Sign-ins don't last forever, so from time to time we'll ask for your master password again. Please don't rely on that to keep things safe. Kinton Green also locks your vault by itself when you leave it alone. On a shared, borrowed or family device, sign out when you have finished. See "Locking your vault" just below.

Locking your vault

Kinton Green locks your vault on its own. Leave it alone for a few minutes and it will ask for your master password again. It starts at 5 minutes, and you can change that to 1, 5, 15 or 30 minutes in your account settings. There is no "never" setting, and that is deliberate: a vault that never locks is only as private as the last person to pick up your phone. On a phone or tablet, switching to another app locks it too, though we wait half a minute first, so nipping out to fetch a code will not shut you out. You can also lock it yourself any time with Lock now, and signing out is still the surest thing when you have finished, especially on a shared, borrowed or family device. Locking protects your vault on the device in front of you; it does not change how your things are encrypted or how they are stored with us.

What is a vault?

A vault is a place for things that belong together. You might keep one for everyday passwords and another for the family's important documents. The people you've welcomed into your household hold the keys to its vaults, and no one else can ever look inside.

How do I create one?

From your vaults page, choose Create vault and give it a name. That's it.

Can I rename or delete a vault?

Yes. Open the vault and look for the menu beside its name. Deleting a vault deletes everything kept inside it, so we always ask you to confirm first. One exception: if the vault holds documents, remove those first. We won't delete a vault while documents are still inside.

What can I keep here?

Passwords, codes, cards, IDs, notes and documents. If it matters to your family, it has a place here.

How do I add something?

Open a vault and choose Keep something safe. Tell us what kind of thing it is, fill in the details, and save. It's kept from that moment.

Why are some details hidden behind dots?

Anything sensitive, like a password or a card number, stays hidden until you choose Show. The person glancing over your shoulder sees nothing, and you see it only when you want to.

How do I copy a password without showing it?

Every kept thing has a Copy button. Tap it and the password goes straight to your clipboard, ready to paste, without ever appearing on screen. It stays on your clipboard until you copy something else, so on a shared or family device, copy anything afterwards once you have finished. Some phones and computers also keep a clipboard history of their own; clearing that is done in your device's settings, not ours.

What happens to a document when I download it?

While a document is kept in Kinton Green it stays encrypted, and we cannot open it or read its name. Downloading changes that. Your device saves an ordinary, readable copy in its Downloads folder, exactly as it would from an email, and that copy is no longer covered by Kinton Green's encryption. We cannot protect it and we cannot delete it for you. So download when you need to, and delete the copy from your device once you have finished with it — especially on a shared, borrowed or family device.

How do I give someone access?

Invite them by email from your Household page. Once they've joined, a note appears on your vaults page telling you they're waiting for access. Give them the keys from there and they're in. Nothing is shared until you've done that last step.

Who can see what?

It starts with who you invite. Head of House holds the keys to everything. Family Members hold the keys to your household's vaults once you've given them access. Young Members are for children, with just the right things set aside for them. One more role is on its way: Trusted Contacts, someone outside the house who can step in if your family ever needs them. We'll introduce them when they're ready.

Can I change my mind?

Yes. You can take back an invitation before it's used. The things in your vaults stay exactly where they are.

What is my recovery key?

It's the spare key to your account, given to you when you joined. Write it down or print it, and keep it somewhere safe away from your computer, like the drawer with your passports.

I've forgotten my master password.

On the sign-in page, choose the recovery option and have your recovery key ready. It lets you set a new master password and step back inside.

I've lost my recovery key.

If you can still sign in, choose Change master password in your account area. Part of that is being handed a brand-new recovery key; the old one stops working straight away. Save the new one somewhere safe and you're covered again.

What if I lose both?

Then we can't open your vaults for you, and neither can anyone else. That's the promise that makes Kinton Green private: only your household holds the keys, not us. Anything in a shared vault is still safe with the family members who hold its keys. It's also why your recovery key deserves a safe home.

Can I keep my Kinton Green password in a password manager?

Yes, and many people do. A strong master password you don't have to remember is usually safer than a weak one you do, so if you already use a password manager, keeping your Kinton Green master password there is a sensible choice. One thing matters more than the rest: don't keep your recovery key in that same password manager. Your recovery key exists for the day your master password is lost, forgotten or out of reach — and if both are sitting in the same place, one locked or lost account takes away both at once. Nobody, including us, can let you back in after that. Keep your recovery key somewhere separate: printed and put away, or somewhere else entirely.

Write to us at support@kintongreen.co.uk. Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened, and a person, not a robot, will reply.