Protect a Studio document with a password

On desktop, Studio can encrypt a document with a password, so this device’s copy of the file is unreadable without it wherever that copy travels. If the document is protected on another of your computers, a computer that joins it offers to protect its own copy too; the password never syncs. This page shows how to turn that on, how to change the password, what the recovery code is for, and what nobody can recover.

Before you begin

The document must be a file you saved yourself. The built-in default document cannot be encrypted; see Why the default document cannot be encrypted below.
Decide where you will keep the recovery code before you start. It is shown once.
This is a desktop feature (macOS, Windows, Linux). AceMoney Studio Mobile (coming to iPhone and Android, from AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2) has no document password; its ledger stays inside the app on the device.

What the password protects, and what it does not

The password encrypts the document file, so a copy of it, a stolen disk or a document sitting in a cloud-drive folder needs the password to be read. Studio is honest about the limits: your operating system may already hold older plain copies (Time Machine or local snapshots), deleted files can sometimes be recovered from a disk, files you attach (like receipt images) are stored as plain files next to the document and are not covered, an old backup from a previous location of the document may still be plain, and nothing protects against a program already running on your unlocked, signed-in computer. Backups taken after you turn encryption on are encrypted too.

Set a password

Open Settings ▸ Document. The Security section says “This document is not encrypted.” Tap Enable encryption…. (A brand-new document offers the same thing right after the welcome page as Protect this document with a password? with Maybe later and Set up encryption.)
In Protect this document with a password?, read the explanation, enter a Password of at least 8 characters and repeat it in Confirm password, then tap Continue.
If your password contains characters that may be typed differently on another keyboard, Before you continue warns you that the document will not open there without the recovery code. Tap I understand, continue or Back to choose a simpler password.
Your recovery code shows a code of five groups. Tap Copy, and save it somewhere safe, such as a password manager or a printed sheet. To prove you saved it, type its last group in the field below.
Note the line “Enabling this will also delete every existing backup of this document, including any you made manually — they’re still plain text, so keeping them would leave the same data exposed elsewhere.” Then tap Enable encryption, which becomes available once the last group matches.
Encrypting… takes a moment (“If anything goes wrong, nothing is lost.”), then Encryption enabled confirms: “This document is now encrypted. Make sure you saved the recovery code — it will not be shown again.”

From now on the Security section reads “This document is encrypted. Attached files are stored separately and are not covered.” with a Change document password… button.

Open an encrypted document

When you open the document, This document is protected asks for the Password; tap Unlock. Cancel leaves the document closed. If you have forgotten the password, tap Forgot password? Use a recovery code.

Change the password

Open Settings ▸ Document and tap Change document password….
Enter the Current password, a New password and Confirm new password, then tap Continue. The keyboard warning appears again if it applies.
Your new recovery code explains that “Changing your password also replaces your recovery code — the old one stops working.” Tap Copy, save the new code and type its last group.
Tap Change password. After Applying…, Password changed confirms “Your new password and recovery code are active.” Tap Done.

Recover a document with the recovery code

In This document is protected, tap Forgot password? Use a recovery code.
Use your recovery code explains that the code is one-time and that you will set a new password. Enter the Recovery code and tap Continue.
Set a new password confirms “Your recovery code checks out.” Enter a New password and Confirm new password.
A fresh recovery code is shown in the same step. Tap Copy, save it and type its last group; the old code no longer works.
Tap Finish. The document opens with the new password.

Why the default document cannot be encrypted

The built-in default document has no file of its own; it lives inside the app’s data folder. Its Security section therefore reads “Save this document to a file (File ▸ Save a Copy As…) to enable encryption.” and Enable encryption… is greyed out. Choose File ▸ Save a Copy As…, save a copy where you like, and Studio switches to that copy, where Enable encryption… is available. See Documents and files.

What cannot be recovered

Without the password and without the recovery code, the document cannot be opened by anyone: not by you, and not by MechCAD, who never hold your password or code. The only fallback is a copy made before encryption was turned on, if you kept one elsewhere; the backups Studio held were deleted when encryption was enabled, precisely because they were plain. Keep the recovery code as carefully as the password.

Common questions

Is there a way to remove the password again?

No. Once a document is encrypted it stays encrypted; you can change the password but not turn encryption off. A copy made with File ▸ Save a Copy As… keeps the same password.

Are my backups encrypted?

Backups taken after you enable encryption are encrypted with the same password, and each one carries what it needs to be opened with that password. Backups from before are deleted when you enable it.

Does the password protect the mobile app?

AceMoney Studio Mobile (from AceMoney Studio Mobile 1.2) has no document password. Its ledger stays inside the app on the device, protected by your phone’s own lock screen.

Can support reset my password?

No. Nobody at MechCAD can open, reset or recover an encrypted document. That is the point of the design.

Is the password kept when I export everything?

No. From version 1.2, File ▸ Export Everything… writes a plain, unencrypted copy of your data, even from an encrypted document; the dialog warns “This document is encrypted, but its export will not be.” Keep such an export somewhere safe and delete it when you no longer need it. See Export and print.

Can I use the recovery code more than once?

Using it sets a new password and gives you a new code; the old code stops working the moment the new one is shown. Save every new code.

Why does Studio warn me about my keyboard?

Some characters are typed differently on other keyboard layouts or devices. If the same key produces a different character elsewhere, the password will not match there, and the recovery code is the only way in.

Does encryption cover the images I attached?

No. Attached files are stored separately, next to the document, as plain files.

Troubleshooting

“Incorrect password.” Check the keyboard layout and Caps Lock, then try again. If you cannot remember it, tap Forgot password? Use a recovery code.
“Use at least 8 characters.” or “Passwords don’t match.” The new password is too short or the two fields differ.
“That recovery code is not valid for this document.” The code belongs to another document, or was replaced by a later password change or recovery. Enter the most recent code for this document exactly, including the dashes.
“This document was encrypted by an older version of AceMoney Studio and must be re-created.” The document was encrypted by a pre-release version and cannot be opened by this one. Contact Support.
“This document’s security data appears damaged and can’t be read.” Restore a recent backup from Settings ▸ Document ▸ Restore…; see Backups and restore.
Couldn’t enable encryption or Couldn’t change password. Nothing was changed; tap Try again. If it repeats, check free disk space and that the document is not on a read-only drive.
A red warning says an old plain-text backup could not be removed. That earlier copy is still on the computer. Contact Support to have it located and removed; there is no delete control in the Backups section.
Enable encryption… is greyed out. You are in the default document. Use File ▸ Save a Copy As… first.