Security and encryption
Big Picture Money stores your financial data in a local encrypted database on your computer. The database uses SQLCipher (encrypted SQLite). Only you hold the passphrase that unlocks it — Big Picture Money cannot reset or recover it for you.
Your passphrase
- Choose a passphrase when you first set up your data file
- The passphrase must be at least 12 characters long
- Big Picture Money does not store your passphrase in plain text
- If you forget the passphrase, your data cannot be recovered — there is no cloud reset
Lock and unlock
- After you unlock the app, your session stays open until you Lock the app or quit
- Lock (title bar) requires your passphrase again before you can view or change data
- Wrong passphrase on unlock shows an error; your database is not damaged
Remember on this device
Storing a wrapped key in your operating system keychain so you can skip typing the passphrase is planned for a future release. For now, you enter your passphrase each time you open the app after lock or restart.
What is encrypted
The entire database file is encrypted at rest with SQLCipher. A copy of bigpicture.db — for example a manual backup on an external drive or in cloud storage — stays encrypted and is not readable without your passphrase.
That file is your data. You can open a copy with any tool that supports SQLCipher and your passphrase — see Your data file. Big Picture Money does not use a proprietary format that only this app can read.
You can also export your data as plaintext CSV from Settings → Export. CSV files are not encrypted — store them securely. See Export all your data and Back up your data file.