What is a recovery key and how does it work?

A recovery key is a special set of 21 words that acts as a backup method to regain access to your account if you forget your password or lose access to your login-compatible passkeys.

Here's a sample recovery key:

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When you create an account, your browser generates this recovery key and prompts you to save it securely. The recovery key is used to encrypt your account's main data encryption key (DEK), which in turn encrypts all your other sensitive account information.

If you ever need to use the recovery key, you can enter it on the login page. Your browser will use it to decrypt your account's DEK, allowing you to regain access to your account without needing your original password.