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personal-data-backup-recovery/docs/Bitwarden.md
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# Bitwarden Clients
Bitwarden is the password manager that connects to the [[Vaultwarden]] sefl-hosted application and has clients for iPhone, Android, Mac, PC, and as a browser extension.
## Client Downloads
Clients can be downloaded directly from http://bitwarden.com and a direct link to the portable download is https://vault.bitwarden.com/download/?app=desktop&platform=windows&variant=portable, Google Play Store, Apple App Store. A fairly recent Windows and Linux version will also be kept as part of the backup strategy in case the main sources are unavailable. Unfortunately, there is no downloadable version for Mac.
---
# Backup Local Personal Vault
Why backup your personal vault:
* Restore your password vault if it becomes corrupt
* You can open the CSV file directly if you forget your master password
* You can restore your password vault is deleted
* You can open the CSV file directly if you've lost access to devices that have a copy of your vault
> [!Note]
> Bitwarden maintains documentation for backing up (exporting) and restoring your vault here - https://bitwarden.com/help/encrypted-export/
## Create the backup file
The export/backup can be performed on windows, mac, mobile, or browser (at https://vault.speerfam.net). The instructions below are written for my specific case using the Mac and PC client. The process for using the browser or mobile clients will be similar.
1. Open Bitwarden
2. Click on File
3. Click on Export vault
4. Choose .csv as the file format
5. Enter the master password
6. Click the download button - it has an arrow pointing down into a half box
7. Confirm you want to export your vault
8. Choose the "backup pending" folder located in my home directory as the destination for the backup file.
1. On Windows my home directory is `c:\users\mattspeer\backup`
2. On MacOS my home directory is `/Users/mattspeer/backup`
9. Encrypt the file CSV export and then delete it, using the following command in a terminal window
``` shell
gpg --symmetric /Users/mattspeer/backup bitwarden_export*
rm /Users/mattspeer/backup/bitwarden_export*.csv
```
10. Move the file to your network backup folder.
---
# Recover Using the Backup File
The backup file can be used to restore the data back into Bitwarden or used independently to search for records in a plain text (csv) viewer.
## Restore backup into Bitwarden
Using the desktop client (Mac or PC) perform the following steps
1. Access the encrypted backup from one of the backup locations and copy it to a device where GnuPG can be executed. We will use `/Users/mattspeer/Downloads` location.
2. Execute the following command to decrypt the file
``` Shell
cd /Users/mattspeer/Downloads/
gpg -d bitwarden_export*.gpg > bitwarden_restore.csv
```
3. Open Bitwarden
4. Select **File** > **Import data**
5. Complete the following fields from the drop down menus:
1. **Import destination:** Select "My Vault"
2. **Folder or Collection:** Do not select anything here
6. Choose "Bitwarden CSV" as the **File Format**
7. Select **Choose File** and select your file
8. Select **Import Data** to trigger the import
9. After successful import, delete the import source file from your computer by executing the following command
``` Shell
rm /Users/mattspeer/Downloads/bitwarden*
```
---
# Connecting Bitwarden to Self-hosted Vault
These instructions explain how to connect any Bitwarden client to the self-hosted password vault.
1. Launch the client. Your screen will look similar to this.
2. Change the "Logging in on:" from `bitwarden.com` to `self-hosted` like the screen below.
3. Enter `https://vault.speerfam.net` into the "Server URL" field and click "Save". This is the only field that needs to be changed.
4. Now enter the email address associated with your account and click "Continue".
5. Enter your password and click "Log in with master password".