- Are my photos uploaded to any server?
- No — never. This tool runs 100% in your browser using the built-in Web Crypto API. Your photos and password are processed locally in JavaScript and never transmitted over the network. You can even run it offline by saving this page. The tool has no back-end whatsoever.
- What encryption does Photo Locker use, and is it secure?
- AES-256-GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard, 256-bit key, Galois/Counter Mode) is used for each photo. The key is derived from your password using PBKDF2-SHA-256 with a random 128-bit salt and 200,000 iterations — meaning brute-forcing a strong password is computationally infeasible. GCM mode also provides authenticated encryption: any tampering with the vault file will cause decryption to fail rather than produce corrupt output silently.
- What happens if I forget my password?
- There is no password recovery. By design, only someone who knows the password can decrypt the vault. The encryption is strong enough that there is no back door. Write your password down and store it securely — for example in a password manager.
- What file types can I lock?
- Any image file your browser can read — JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, BMP, TIFF, SVG, and more. The vault stores the original filename and MIME type, so decrypted files are restored with the correct format and extension.
- How big can my photos be, and how many can I include?
- There is no hard limit enforced by this tool — it is bounded only by your device's available RAM, since all processing happens in memory. In practice, hundreds of photos or several gigabytes works fine on a modern device. For very large collections, encrypting in batches is recommended.