When emergencies happen, it's comforting to know that the people you trust the most will be able to take care of the matters that are important to you.
You can take steps to give people you trust access to your Dashlane data during an emergency. You can rest easy knowing they'll be able to access your data—but only how and when you choose.
If you want to share only a few logins or Secure Notes with other people who use Dashlane, check out our sharing article.
Prepare for emergencies
You can set up the process for sharing your data in an emergency on the Dashlane web app or in our Android mobile app.
Step 1: Create a secure DASH file
Back up your data on a secure DASH file.
In the web app
- In the My account menu, select Settings and then Export Data. If asked, enter your Master Password.
- Select Export to DASH.
- Create a password for the file that's different from your Master Password.
- Select Export data and your file downloads to your computer.
In the Android mobile app
- Select Settings in the My account menu. Then, select General.
- Select Export your vault. If asked, enter your Master Password.
- Create a password for the file that's different from your Master Password.
- Select Encrypt and export, and your file downloads to your device.
This file won't automatically update when you make changes to your data. You need to export a new file each time you add or change logins and other data.
Important: Use a password that is not your Master Password. That way, your trusted person can access your data in an emergency but can't access your account before then.
Step 2: Store and share the file
Decide how and when to share the file. For security reasons, it's best if your trusted contact doesn't have immediate access to the file. But they need to have access in an emergency.
We recommend storing the file on a USB drive. You can keep the drive with you on a key chain. Or you can store the drive in a safe location, like a locked drawer or a safety deposit box at the bank.
You can also send the file by email or using file-sharing apps like Google Drive or Dropbox. But these solutions give your trusted contact immediate access to your data.
Important: Never share the file and its password at the same time. If you send your file by email or another online app, give the password to your trusted person separately.
Step 3: Share your password
Share the password that protects this DASH file with your trusted contact. The best option is to create a Dashlane Secure Note to store and share the password. You can also include other important information in the note, like how and when to access the DASH file.
Make sure to share the note with your trusted contact before an emergency happens. Your contact needs to accept the invitation, and then you need to log in to Dashlane once, or they won't be able to access the note.
After your contact has both the file and the password, they'll be able to access all your data. They can import the data into a Dashlane account and use it however they like.
Next steps
Whenever you update your data in Dashlane—by adding new logins, for example—you also need to update the stored file. Repeat the export process each time you update your Dashlane data.
Make sure to share any updates about the file location and password with your trusted contact.
Tip: You can use Dashlane's sharing feature to share specific logins or other data. If you've only updated part of your data, you can use sharing instead of exporting your DASH file again. But only use the sharing feature if you're comfortable giving access to your data right away.
Access data in an emergency
To access another person's Dashlane data in an emergency, you need two things: The file with their data and a password to access the file. If you're missing one or the other, you won't be able to access the person's data.
Step 1: Find the file and password
The data you want to access is on a secure DASH file. The person may have saved the file on their phone or computer. It may also be on a USB key on the person's keychain or in a safe place like a safe deposit box at the bank or a locked drawer.
The person may have shared the password with you in a Dashlane Secure Note. This note might also have information about where to find the file. Make sure to accept any invitations to share Secure Notes before an emergency happens, or you may not have access to the note.
Step 2: Choose an account
You need to import the DASH file to a Dashlane account using our web app or Android mobile app. If you don't have a Dashlane account, you can create one for free.
Even if you already have a Dashlane account, you may want to create a new one to import this file. Creating a new account is a good way to keep your data separate from the person whose data you're trying to access.
Create an account on the web app
Create an account on the Android app
Step 3: Import the data
You can import data to Dashlane using our web and Android apps but not the iOS (Apple) mobile app. If you use an iOS (Apple) device, we recommend importing data with the web app on your browser.
Import using the web app
- In the My account menu, select Settings, then Import data.
- You can drag the file to the space provided or select browse your computer to search for the file on your desktop.
- Enter the file password given to you by the person whose data you're trying to access.
- After the file finishes uploading, select Import.
Import using Android
- In the menu, select Home, then + Add item.
- Select Logins.
- Select Want to import multiple logins?
- If the file is saved on your phone, select From an encrypted backup file. Then, select the file and select Done.
- Enter the file password given to you by the person whose data you're trying to access. Then select Unlock and restore.
You can also import logins from the Settings section of your Android app. In Settings, select General, and then select Restore your Vault. You'll then be able to search for the file on your device.
After the import is complete, you should have access to all the data in the file in your Dashlane account.
Other solutions
We recommend preparing for emergencies with the process described in this article. But if you need to access someone else's Dashlane data in an emergency, you can also try these options:
- While we don't recommend sharing Master Passwords, if the person did share theirs, try to log in to their Dashlane account. You may need to access their email inbox or mobile device as well.
- If the person shared their account recovery key with you, try using the key to change their Master Password and log in to their Dashlane account. Depending on the person's existing account security settings, you also need access to either their email or 2-factor authentication tokens to verify their identity and gain access.
- Check to see if the person shared something with you directly. Dashlane customers can share logins, and they can share other important data in Secure Notes. You need to accept the sharing invitation before accessing the data.
- You can search the person's devices for a CSV file with their data. Unlike DASH files, CSV files don't require a password.
Our unique security system means that no one at Dashlane knows your Master Password. For that reason, we can't access the Master Password of any Dashlane customer—even in an emergency.
But we hope you'll be able to access the information you need.