PWSAFE(1)

📦
version 1.26.0 · 5 versions
, in fedora 43, fedora 44

💖 PWSAFE(1) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the manual page for pwsafe — it's from the User Manuals section, and it's genuinely one of the most useful little tools ever. sit down, grab a strawberry 🍓, and let me tell you everything.

✨ NAME ✨

pwsafe — Secure Password Manager 🔐 like, it keeps your passwords. securely. that's the whole vibe.

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

pwsafe [-g config-file ] [-u user ] [ -h host ] [-r] [ database ]
pwsafe [-e|-d] file
pwsafe [-c|-s|-m]

three whole moods of invocation, pick your fighter 💅

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

pwsafe manages your passwords in a convenient yet secure manner. that's it, that's the whole description, and honestly? iconic. no notes. 👑

✨ OPTIONS ✨

every single flag, no skips, we don't do that here 💖

  • -g config-file — this makes the app use config-file (the one you picked) for loading and storing preferences, instead of the default pwsafe.cfg. yes bestie, the default is literally named that (peep the FILES section 👀).
  • -u user — this makes the app read and write preferences under the user you specified, instead of under your login name. main character gets to choose their own name fr.
  • -h host — this makes the app read and write preferences under the host you specified, instead of under the machine's name. yes you can lie about which machine you are, slay.
  • -r [database] — opens the given database in read-only mode. and if you don't hand it a database? it'll prompt you for one, and open that in read-only mode too. look but don't touch energy 🙈.
  • -e file — encrypts file with a key derived from a passphrase. the encrypted file keeps the same name as the original, just with ".PSF" appended to it. glow-up via extension ✨.
  • -d file — decrypts file with a key derived from a passphrase. ⚠️ this only works on files that were encrypted by invoking pwsafe with the -e option — like, it's not gonna decrypt random stuff you found, bestie.
  • -c — starts the app closed, meaning: no database, and no initial opening dialog either. wanna get to a database anyway? use the File menu. 🗂️
  • -s — starts the app "silently" — minimized, and with no database (unless one is specified). when you unminimize it, boom, the opening dialog box shows up. 📝 Note: this implicitly puts the application in the system tray. iykyk.
  • -m — literally the same as -c, except the app also starts minimized. same energy, smaller window. 🎀

🌈 FILES 🌈

  • ~/.config/pwsafe/pwsafe.cfg — the application's preference file. ⚠️ important caveat bestie: all security-related preferences are stored as part of the password database, not here. this file only holds appearance-type stuff — last size & location of the application's window, last files opened, etc. it's the aesthetic file, not the secret file. 💅
  • ~/.config/pwsafe/pwsafe.psafe3 — the user's default password database. you can point at a different database via command line, the initial dialog box, or the File->Open menu. so many doors, all valid. 🚪

🧚 ENVIRONMENT 🧚

  • PWS_PREFSDIR — if this is set, pwsafe will look for the preference file in this directory instead of in ~/.config/pwsafe. relocate your whole prefs situation, periodt. 📦

💀 DIAGNOSTICS 💀

pwsafe will issue error messages if the database is damaged. 😭 if that happens, opening an Intermediate Backup file (.ibak) instead may help. not me crying over a corrupted db — the .ibak is your emotional support file 🫶.

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Rony Shapiro <ronys at pwsafe dot org>

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 written for Linux, dated OCT 2026, and it's the PWSAFE(1) page from User Manuals. go forth and manage your passwords securely, you absolute legend 💖✨🌈

📦 where this page comes from