Updating PhraseVault® keeps your phrases, settings, and license. On Windows, run the latest installer; if you have version 2.2.2 or earlier, uninstall the old version first. On a Mac, drag the new app into Applications and choose Replace.
New to PhraseVault? Start with the installation guide.
Windows
If you installed from the Microsoft Store
The Microsoft Store listing uses the same installer as the download page, so the steps below apply even if you first installed from the Store.
Install the latest Windows version
From version 2.2.3 or later, the new installer replaces the old one:
- Choose Quit from the PhraseVault tray icon if the app is running.
- Download the new installer.
- Double-click the EXE. It replaces the previous version.
With winget:
winget upgrade --id ptmrio.phrasevault -e
From version 2.2.2 or earlier
Starting with version 2.2.3 the installer changed, so an older copy has to be removed once by hand. Your phrases and settings stay.
- Open Windows Settings (Win+I).
- Go to Apps, then Installed apps. On Windows 10 the same list is Apps & features.
- Search for PhraseVault.
- Find the entry with the orange accent logo. That is the old one.
- Choose Uninstall from the three-dot menu on Windows 11, or select the app and click Uninstall on Windows 10.
Then install the new version from the download page or with winget.
macOS
PhraseVault for Mac ships as a disk image (.dmg). Replacing the app in Applications leaves your phrases, settings, license, and summon shortcut in place.
Optional backup
Open Settings → Database → Open Current Database Location, choose Quit from the menu bar icon, and copy the current .sqlite database file somewhere safe. That copy includes PIN-protected phrases. Settings and the license are stored separately.
Export All (under Database) is a JSON transfer of phrases, not a full backup. It leaves out PIN-protected phrases even while unlocked, and it does not include settings or the license.
When an update needs to change the database format, PhraseVault first saves a copy named phrasevault_backup_<timestamp>.sqlite beside the database. This is a safety copy for that format change, not a regular backup.
Install the latest Mac version
- If PhraseVault is running, choose Quit from its menu bar icon before replacing the app.
- Download the disk image.
- Open it and drag PhraseVault onto Applications. If macOS says an item named PhraseVault already exists, choose Replace. That item is your old version. You may be asked for your password, because 2.x was installed by a package.
- Eject the disk image, then open PhraseVault from Applications, not from the disk image. If macOS asks you to confirm a download from the internet, choose Open. The app is notarized.
Permissions you allow once
When upgrading from 2.x, you may need to allow Accessibility and start at login again because the app identifier changed. Check these settings once after the first install of 3.0 or later.
- Accessibility. Allow PhraseVault again under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. PhraseVault asks on the first launch. Remove a leftover 2.x row if you see one. Until this is on, phrases are copied to the clipboard and you paste with Cmd+V.
- Start at login. The preference is still saved. Confirm System Settings → General → Login Items, and remove a leftover 2.x entry if one is there. In PhraseVault the switch is Start at Login, under Preferences.
A leftover copy in your home folder
If you installed 2.x only for your user, the old app may still be in the Applications folder inside your home folder (~/Applications). After the new version is in /Applications, move that leftover to the Trash so you don't have two apps.
Updating to 4.0
The first time PhraseVault 4.0 opens a database, it adds tables for labels (database format version 4) and saves a copy named phrasevault_backup_<timestamp>.sqlite beside the file. Existing phrases are not rewritten. If you might open the file again in PhraseVault 3.0, copy the .sqlite file before that first open in 4.0. Going back has not been tested; keep PhraseVault's copy as well.
Your license
PhraseVault 4.0 is free for every existing license holder, including PhraseVault 2.x buyers, who already got version 3.0 included. On first start, 4.0 asks you to accept the SPQRK Software License Version 1.2. If you decline, 4.0 closes, and you can keep using PhraseVault 3.x under your earlier terms. The last 3.x installers are for Windows and macOS. Updates in that version line are included; a later major version after 4.0 may be sold separately. The license article has the terms. Customers who bought before license keys existed may see Quick Update for Existing Customers with Get My License Key. See how to get your key for the recovery steps.
Linux
On Linux the app has no updater. On Omarchy and Arch, the package manager installs updates from PhraseVault's signed pacman repository. Quit PhraseVault, then run:
omarchy update
On Arch:
sudo pacman -Syu
Phrases, settings, and the license stay in ~/.config/phrasevault.
The Arch package does not offer Check for Updates. Settings → About says your package manager installs updates, and on Omarchy it names omarchy update.
Microsoft Store and winget update the Windows build only.
How you hear about a new version
PhraseVault doesn't show update alerts or download updates itself. To check for a new version, open Settings → About and click Check for Updates. It opens the download page in your browser, with your current version, so you can compare it with the latest release.
Download the latest PhraseVault. The trial is 14 days, with no credit card, if you are not licensed yet.