Protect: Sync passwords

You can sync passwords that you saved in Yandex Browser on your computers, smartphones, and tablets. During syncing, an encrypted copy of the password vault is sent to Yandex servers and is then transferred to other synced devices. Simultaneously passwords from your other devices get added to the repository on your current computer.

  1. Advantages of password syncing
  2. Disable password syncing
  3. Password syncing conflict
  4. You have changed your password but your information is still encrypted with your old password
  5. To save passwords when reinstalling the browser

Advantages of password syncing

  • Your saved passwords will be used for autofill in login forms on all your devices.
  • If your computer breaks, you can restore passwords from the server.
Tip. Create a master password to ensure that nobody (including Yandex) can decrypt your passwords.

Disable password syncing

By default, passwords are synced automatically when enabling syncing.

Password aren't synced if you disable syncing completely. To disable only password and card syncing:

  1. Click   → Settings → Sync settings.
  2. Deselect the Passwords and cards option.

Password syncing conflict

If you change your master password on one of the synced devices, after synchronization, the password will change on other devices as well. If you change the master password on a device that is not synced, or create different master passwords on devices before they are synced, there will be a conflict. For example, you had entered one master password on your smartphone and another on your computer, and then enabled syncing. In this case, Yandex Browser doesn't know which master password it should use to encrypt the combined vault.

If there is a synchronization conflict, the settings icon looks like  when you enter your master password for the first time. To resolve the conflict:

  1. Click   → Passwords and cards.
  2. What you do next depends on whether you remember the master password for your other device:
    You remember your master password for your other device
    1. Click Merge with password vault on this computer.
    2. Enter the master password for your other device.

    The browser will re-encrypt your passwords on another device using the master password for the current computer. The master password for your other device will become invalid. Re-encrypted passwords will be moved to the merged vault.

    You don't remember your master password for your other device

    Passwords for this device will have to be deleted. To do this, click Delete. Passwords encrypted with the master password that you have forgotten will be deleted. Other passwords will be encrypted with the master password for the current computer. The forgotten master password will become invalid.

    You can also choose not to resolve conflicts. In this case, the passwords will not be synced (the history, bookmarks and other data will be synced as before).

    Note. If you created a backup encryption key on another device, try resetting the master password on it. Enter the master password for the computer you're using as your new master password.

You have changed your password but your information is still encrypted with your old password

Passwords are saved in encrypted form on Yandex's server. The password to your Yandex ID is used as the encryption key. If you change this password, Yandex Browser needs to decrypt the passwords on the server and then re-encrypt them using a new key. If an error occurs during this process, you will see an error message. To fix it:

  • If you remember your old Yandex ID password:
    1. Click   → Settings → Sync settings.
    2. Enter your old password in the sync form.
  • If you don't remember your old Yandex ID password or didn't change it, the encrypted passwords will be lost. However, you can restore the remaining sync data:
    1. Make sure that Yandex Browser has all bookmarks, extensions, and settings that you want to save.
    2. Click   → Settings → Sync settings.
    3. Click Delete synchronized data.
    4. In the Would you like to delete this information? window, confirm the deletion of all account data from the synchronization server. To do this, click Yes, delete.
    5. Enable syncing. The data will be sent from Yandex Browser to the server.

To save passwords when reinstalling the browser

All the passwords you save are encrypted. We do not know the encryption key and will not be able to restore your passwords if you reinstalled the browser without saving your profile data.

To ensure that passwords are not lost when reinstalling the browser:

  1. Enable syncing. The passwords will be sent to the server.
  2. Reinstall Yandex Browser.
  3. Enable syncing in reinstalled Yandex Browser. Soon the passwords will return to your computer.
Note. While being transferred to the server, your passwords are protected with additional encryption. On the server, the data (both the passwords and the encryption keys) are encrypted too.
What should I do if Yandex Browser is deleted together with my profile data, but I have another synced device?

You can transfer the passwords saved in Yandex Browser on another device (such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet) to your computer.

Tip. If you want to transfer passwords from another computer, save a copy of your profile in a safe place on it (in case you need the current profile data).
  1. Disable syncing in the reinstalled browser.
  2. Load the device.
  3. Disconnect your device from the Internet.
  4. Disable syncing in Yandex Browser on the device.
  5. Re-enable the Internet connection on your device.
  6. Enable syncing in Yandex Browser on your device. The passwords will be sent to the server.
  7. Enable syncing in reinstalled Yandex Browser. After some time, the passwords will load from the server.

Unfortunately, you can't restore passwords that you didn't save on your devices.