> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.rumus.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reset vault

> Email-confirmed destroy-everything flow when you've lost your Secret Key or want to start over.

If you've lost your Secret Key without a backup, or you genuinely want to start the vault over (with a new key on a fresh slate), **Reset Vault** is the escape hatch. It's destructive and email-confirmed.

<Warning>
  Reset Vault permanently deletes **every host, keychain, snippet, account, and known host** in your vault — on this device and on every other device that syncs the same Rumus account. This cannot be undone.
</Warning>

## When to use it

* Your Secret Key is lost and you have no backup.
* You want to roll the Secret Key for security reasons (suspected exposure).
* You're handing the account off or starting fresh.

If you only want to clear *one* device — sign out instead. Sign-out wipes the local vault on that device but preserves the cloud copy. See [Sign in](/docs/account/sign-in#sign-out).

## How to reset

Reset Vault lives in **Settings → Account → Sync & Backup → Reset Vault**.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Reset Vault">
    A confirmation dialog opens with the warning above. Click **Send confirmation code** to start the email step.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Receive a 6-character code">
    Rumus emails a 6-character confirmation code to the email on your account. The code expires after a short window and is one-time-use.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the code">
    Type or paste the code in the dialog. Need a new one? Click **Send a new code** — there's a **60-second cooldown** between sends to prevent abuse.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Reset vault permanently**. Your vault is deleted in the cloud and on this device.
  </Step>
</Steps>

After the reset, the app reloads and you'll be prompted to set up a new vault from scratch — see [Vault setup](/docs/account/vault#set-up-the-vault).

## What happens on other devices

The next time another device tries to sync the vault, Rumus detects that the server vault is gone. The user is shown **Vault has been reset on another device. Please re-import your Secret Key.** — except there's no key to re-import yet, so they're routed into vault setup with the new key (when you create one).

Until a new Secret Key is generated on *some* device, the vault is genuinely empty everywhere.

## Errors you might see

| Error                                                    | What it means                                          |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Please wait N seconds before requesting another code** | Hit the 60-second resend cooldown. Wait and try again. |
| **That code doesn't match**                              | Wrong code, or the code expired. Send a new one.       |
| **Code expired**                                         | The window passed. Send a new one.                     |

## Privacy

* The emailed code is required precisely so that no one who briefly gets hold of your computer can wipe the vault on a whim.
* Once reset, the previous vault is gone. There is no archive, no "restore from backup last week" — that's the point of an encrypted vault only you hold the key to.

<Note>
  If you're not sure whether reset is the right call, ask in the [Rumus community](https://www.rumus.ai/community) before clicking — there is genuinely no undo.
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Vault & encryption" icon="lock" href="/docs/account/vault">
    Set up a fresh vault after the reset.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Vault sync & recovery" icon="rotate" href="/docs/account/vault-sync">
    Bring the new vault to all your devices.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>