8PWDWhy no sync
8PWD does not sync — by design. This page is the same explanation the app shows under Me › Why no sync.
The choice
Syncing needs a place in the middle that holds a copy of your vault, or at least knows when and where it moves. We chose to have none: no servers, no account, no cloud relay, and no networking code of our own in this app. What you type here stays on this device unless you export it yourself.
What that means
- Each iPhone, iPad or Mac keeps its own vault. Adding a password on one does not change the others.
- One purchase of 8PWD 2026 Pro covers all your devices on the same Apple ID — the limit is lifted everywhere, only the data does not travel.
- Nothing can leak from a server we do not have. A lost device is protected by its own lock and the vault's encryption — and by your master password once you turn on anti-theft encryption.
Moving your vault to another device
- 1
The short way (3.1): on the device that has your passwords, Me › Export › Move or merge to another device › Send by AirDrop; on the other device type the 6-digit code and review the merge. One encrypted file, device to device, no server. The steps below are the file route, which also works between people and across time.
- 2
On the device that has your passwords: Me › Export › save an
.8pwdfile. Set an export password — the file is then encrypted. - 3
Send the file to the other device with AirDrop, or put it in Files / iCloud Drive / a USB stick. It is just a file; any route works.
- 4
On the other device: open the file with 8PWD, or go to Me › Import › 8PWD backup, and enter the export password.
- 5
Entries that already exist (same name and fields) are skipped, so repeating this later only adds what is new.
The export file is the same format as your scheduled local backups. Delete it from the transfer location afterwards if you did not encrypt it.
A practical habit
Treat one device as the master copy and export from it now and then; the export reminder in Settings can prompt you every few weeks. Read-only devices (an iPad you only use at home, a Mac at work) just need an occasional fresh import.
What you give up, honestly
A password added on your phone at lunch is not on your Mac in the afternoon until you carry it over. For some people that is a deal-breaker, and a cloud password manager is the right tool for them. For everyone who would rather not have a copy of their vault on anyone's server, this is the trade we think is worth making — and the app makes the carrying as short as it can be.