Back Up Your Profile
Keep a copy of your Orbitr identity somewhere safe so you never lose access.
Your Orbitr profile is yours alone. It lives on your device, so there’s no central account a support team can reset. That independence is the point, but it means keeping a copy somewhere safe is up to you. This guide explains why, and walks through every way to do it.
🤔 What exactly am I backing up?
Your profile is your identity: the cryptographic key that proves you’re you, plus your display name, avatar, and the servers you’ve joined. It’s stored in an encrypted .orbitr-identity file, locked with your password. A backup is simply a copy of that file (or an encrypted copy held for you) kept somewhere other than this one device.
Why keep a copy off this device
If your device is lost, stolen, wiped, or simply stops working, a copy stored elsewhere is the only way back in. No one, not even a server owner, can recreate your identity for you. That’s what makes Orbitr private, and it’s why a backup matters.
⚠️ Warning
Losing your only copy means losing your identity for good. It takes seconds to make a backup, so do it once and keep it current.
Where to put a backup
Anywhere that isn’t only this device. A second location is what matters. Pick whichever fits how you work:
A USB flash drive
Export your identity file and copy it to a USB drive you keep somewhere safe: a drawer at home, a safe, or with someone you trust. Offline copies can’t be reached over the internet.
A cloud drive
Save the file to a cloud service such as Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, or OneDrive. The file is already encrypted with your password before it leaves your device, so the cloud provider only ever sees scrambled data.
Another computer or device
Copy the file to a second computer, a phone, or a tablet you own. Two devices means two chances to recover.
ℹ️ Info
Wherever you store it: never share your identity file with anyone, and never hand it to someone who asks for it. Read why sharing it is dangerous.
Let a server keep an encrypted copy
If you’re a member of a server you trust, you can let it hold an encrypted backup of your profile. The copy is encrypted on your device before it leaves, so the server operator can’t read it.
- Open Settings → Backup & Recovery → Sync & Backup in the app.
- Under Add a backup, choose a joined server and click Enable backup.
- A one-time recovery key appears. Save it somewhere safe — it is the only way to restore this backup on a new device, so if you lose it the copy can’t be opened.
That server then keeps an up-to-date encrypted copy automatically as your profile changes. This is a great safety net on top of a personal copy.
Automatic cloud backup with Pulsar Pulse
If you’d rather not think about backups at all, Pulsar Pulse keeps an always-current encrypted copy of your profile in the cloud and restores it automatically when you sign in on another device. There are no files to manage. It just stays in sync.
- Your profile is encrypted on your device before it’s uploaded.
- To restore on a new device, you unlock the copy with your password or a recovery key.
- It’s the most hands-off option if you switch devices often.
ℹ️ Info
Pulsar Pulse is an optional paid add-on. The personal-copy and trusted-server options above are always free.
Keeping your backup current
Your profile changes when you update your name or avatar, join new servers, or rotate your keys. When that happens, refresh whichever backups you keep:
The app will gently remind you when your profile has changed since your last backup. You can set how often that reminder appears (or turn it off) from the reminder itself or in Settings → Backup & Recovery → Backup Reminders.
Orbitr PulsarOptional
Optional cloud identity backup and sync, so your identity follows you across devices.