Llaves Is Live
Every Tuesday I ship something. This week it is Llaves, a web app for the moment you forget the password to a file. Choose the locked file, see what can be done for it, and decide whether to pay for a prepared copy, a saved password or a server password search attempt. A search is charged even if it finds nothing. It is live now at llaves.app.
How it works
Choose your file: Drop in the locked file. It is checked on your device, and the check is free. The original is not uploaded or changed.
See what can be done: What you are offered depends on the file. Some files can be turned into an accessible copy or have a saved password read right in your browser. Others can be sent for a password search on a server. Some files are not supported, and the app tells you that up front.
Decide whether to pay: One prepared copy, saved password or server password search attempt costs $9.99 USD, before tax, for one file. A search is charged even if it finds nothing. You do not need an account, and there is no subscription.
What it can do
On your device:
PDF and Office restrictions: Remove printing and copying limits from supported PDFs, and editing restrictions from readable Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, into a separate copy.
Older files: Produce readable copies of some older Word and Excel files, and read the saved password from older Access databases (Jet 3 and 4).
Macro source: Export the VBA source code from supported Office files as text. It is never run.
ZIP files: Recover traditional ZipCrypto ZIPs when you still have an unlocked copy of one of the files inside.
On a server, for a forgotten opening password: supported PDFs, Office files that use Agile AES-256 encryption, and 7z archives with encrypted headers. The search runs for up to five minutes. A long or random password may not be found.
What it does not do
It cannot promise to find every password, and it does not repair damaged files. A supported file type is not a guarantee. A server search costs $9.99 even if it finds nothing, and a service failure that stops the search from finishing is refunded in full. The site is also clear that Llaves is for files you own or have permission to recover.
Privacy
Your full file is never uploaded. A prepared copy or a saved password stays on your device. A server search sends only the information needed to test passwords, and you can review exactly what will be sent before you pay. This is not zero knowledge: if a password is found, we learn it.
Why I built it
Everyone ends up with a file they cannot open: an old tax PDF, a spreadsheet from a former job, a ZIP from years ago. I wanted a tool that tells you honestly what is possible before you spend anything, and keeps your file on your machine whenever it can.
What comes next
Llaves is a web app for now, and it works in any modern browser. I am also building iPhone and Android apps for it. The site is English only at the moment.
Pricing
Checking a file is free. $9.99 USD, before tax, buys one prepared copy, one saved password, or one server password search attempt. No account and no subscription.
Check a file at llaves.app, or visit the Llaves app page.