FAQs

Local Legacy Vault is a private offline desktop application that helps organize important family, financial, household, legal, and preparedness information in one place. It is designed to help you and your loved ones know where to begin when important information is needed most.

Local Legacy Vault is for individuals and families, retirees and caregivers, estate planning clients, and anyone who wants to organize their personal information so family members are not left searching when it matters most.

When something unexpected happens — illness, injury, or death — families are often left searching for account numbers, passwords, legal documents, and contact information at the worst possible moment. Local Legacy Vault helps you organize everything in one private place so the people you trust can find what they need without guessing.

No. Local Legacy Vault is a personal information organizer, not a legal or financial planning tool. It does not draft wills, create trusts, or replace the advice of an attorney or financial planner. It is designed to complement your planning by organizing the information your family will need to act on it.

Local Legacy Vault includes private vault organization, Family Guide generation, Executor Guide generation, preparedness and household organization tools, printable summaries, and offline local storage. Nothing is stored in the cloud.

You can organize financial accounts, insurance policies, legal documents, medical records, property details, digital accounts, important contacts, household information, pets, final wishes, and end-of-life instructions — everything your family needs in one organized place.

No. The vault is organized into simple sections that anyone can understand. You do not need any technical background to enter information, create guides, or use the app.

Your information is stored locally on your own device — not in the cloud, not on our servers. Local Legacy Vault is designed for private offline use.

No. Your information stays on your device and never leaves your computer. Local Legacy Vault does not rely on cloud storage for your vault data.

No. Your vault data is private and is not accessible to Local Legacy Vault. Because your information is stored locally on your device, we have no access to it.

No. Your vault contents are never uploaded to cloud accounts managed by us. The app validates your license by checking a secure record, but your personal information remains on your device.

Yes. After installation and activation, the app is designed to work offline for everyday use. No ongoing internet connection is required to access your vault.

Yes. Your vault is protected by your Vault Password and the information is stored in an encrypted local database on your device.

You can use your Vault Recovery File to regain access. The Vault Recovery File should be created when you first set up your vault and stored somewhere safe. Without your password or Recovery File, your vault cannot be accessed — by you or by us.

No. Because your vault is stored locally and encrypted on your device, Local Legacy Vault cannot recover or reset your Vault Password. Store your password and Vault Recovery File somewhere secure.

The Vault Recovery File is a secure file you create inside the app. It gives you an alternative way to access your vault if you ever forget your Vault Password. Store it separately from your device — for example, on a USB drive kept somewhere trusted people could access if needed.

No. Your vault is protected by your Vault Password. Without it — or a valid Vault Recovery File — the vault cannot be opened. This includes Local Legacy Vault support.

Stay Open Mode keeps Local Legacy Vault running in the background when you close the window. Instead of quitting, the app minimizes to your system tray so you can return to it quickly during an organizing session — without unlocking again.

Stay Open Mode is helpful when you are working through papers, bills, contacts, instructions, or family details and want to step away and come back without starting over each time.

Your auto-lock timer continues running while the app is in the background. If the timer expires before you return, the vault locks and you will need to unlock it again when you reopen the app. Your vault password is never stored or bypassed.

Stay Open Mode is off by default. The app behaves exactly as it always has unless you choose to enable it.

Open the app and go to Settings ’ Security. Under Security Controls, find Keep app available until auto-lock and enable the toggle.

Once enabled, closing the window will hide the app to your system tray instead of quitting. Click the Local Legacy Vault icon in your tray to reopen it. From the tray you can also lock the vault immediately or exit the app completely.

It is designed for those longer organizing sessions when you may be moving between the app, your files, and your paperwork while adding information to your vault.

To turn Stay Open Mode off, return to the same setting and disable the toggle. The app will go back to its default close behavior.

The Family Guide is a structured guide designed to help loved ones know where to begin during stressful or uncertain moments. It can include important contacts, first-step guidance, household details, medical information, family instructions, and preparedness notes — generated from the information you enter into your vault.

The Executor Guide is designed for the person responsible for handling follow-through responsibilities and next steps. It can include financial references, legal information, account details, property references, and access guidance — generated from your vault.

No. The guides are printable and exportable as PDFs. They are designed to be readable and usable without any software access — especially during stressful situations.

Yes. Family Guides and Executor Guides can be previewed, printed, or saved as PDFs and shared with trusted loved ones, executors, or family members.

Yes. Guides reflect your vault contents at the time you print or save them. As you add or update information in your vault, simply print or save a new version.

The Family Guide is designed for the people closest to you — a spouse, adult child, sibling, or trusted friend — who may need to know immediately what to do, who to call, and where to begin if something unexpected happens.

The Executor Guide is designed for the person named to handle your estate or affairs — your executor, attorney, trustee, or another responsible person who will need to navigate financial accounts, legal documents, and follow-through tasks.

No. The Family Guide is a printable or PDF document, not vault access. Your vault remains protected by your Vault Password. The guide contains only the information you choose to include when you generate it.

Store your Vault Password and Vault Recovery File somewhere trusted people can access — such as with your estate documents, in a fireproof safe, or with a named executor. You can also use the Family Guide and Executor Guide to provide clear first-step guidance without requiring vault access.

The First 72 Hours section helps families understand what to do first, who to contact, what information matters immediately, and what decisions should not be rushed. It is a dedicated area of your vault designed to reduce confusion during the most emotionally difficult moments.

The first hours after an unexpected event are often chaotic. Families face urgent decisions without knowing who to call, what accounts exist, or where key documents are. Preparing a clear First 72 Hours record gives the people you love a starting point when clarity matters most.

Important immediate contacts, instructions for notifying family members, key account access guidance, location of important documents, and any time-sensitive items your family should know in the first hours and days. The goal is to remove guesswork at the worst possible time.

The Free First 72 Hours Checklist is a simple starter resource that helps your family know what to do first in an emergency, serious illness, or after you're gone. It is not the full Local Legacy Vault app, it does not create a cloud vault, and it does not store your personal information in the cloud. It is sent by email.

No. The Free First 72 Hours Checklist is a free starter resource. Local Legacy Vault is the private, offline desktop app that helps you organize important details and create family-ready guides.

No. The Free First 72 Hours Checklist is free and does not require purchasing Local Legacy Vault.

Licenses can be purchased through the Pricing page using secure checkout.

After purchase, Local Legacy Vault should activate automatically on your device. If activation does not complete, reconnect to the internet and reopen the app. For step-by-step help, see I already purchased.

Current license options include Personal, Dual Device, and Professional licensing. See the Pricing page for current details and pricing.

A Personal license covers one device. Dual Device allows installation on two personal devices owned by the same household, such as a desktop and a laptop.

No. Local Legacy Vault is a one-time purchase. No recurring subscription is required to use the app.

Legacy Assurance is an optional add-on that provides ongoing updates, priority support, continued compatibility with operating system changes, and early access to select new features. It is not required to use the app. $39 / year. Full details.

No. Legacy Assurance is optional and does not block access to your vault. You can add it at any time or not at all.

Yes. You can move your vault files to another supported device. See the I already purchased page for guidance on transferring your vault.

Yes. If you need to move your Local Legacy Vault license to a new device, email support@locallegacyvault.com and we'll help you with the transfer.

Your download link is available for 72 hours after purchase. If you need to download again after that window, email support@locallegacyvault.com and we'll get you set up.

Go to the Already purchased page and enter the email address you used at checkout. We’ll verify your purchase and give you a fresh download link. No codes, no manual steps.

Contact support and we can help update your purchase record. Reach out through the Contact Support page.

Reconnect to the internet and reopen the app so activation can complete. If the issue persists, contact support through the Contact Support page with your purchase email.

Use the backup option inside the app to create a copy of your vault file. Store the backup somewhere safe and separate from your computer — an external drive or encrypted USB drive is recommended.

Store your vault backup somewhere physically separate from your computer — a USB drive in a fireproof safe, a trusted location at home, or with a named trusted person. Do not store your only backup on the same device as your vault.

Back up your vault whenever you make significant changes — after adding new accounts, updating contacts, or completing a section. At minimum, back up a few times per year.

A vault backup is a copy of your full vault data that protects against data loss if your device fails. The Vault Recovery File is used to regain access if you forget your Vault Password. Both serve different purposes and you should have both.

Install Local Legacy Vault on your device, then use the restore option to load your backup file. Your vault will be restored exactly as it was at the time of the backup.

If you have a backup, install Local Legacy Vault on a new device and restore from your backup file. If you do not have a backup, your vault data cannot be recovered — which is why regular backups are important.

Create a backup of your vault on your current device, install Local Legacy Vault on the new device, and restore from your backup. Your license follows you — open Settings > License on the new device after activation. See I already purchased for step-by-step guidance.

Local Legacy Vault stores your vault file locally on your computer. If you manually move, rename, delete, or relocate that file outside the app, Local Legacy Vault may not be able to find it the next time you open the app.

If that happens, do not create a new vault unless you are sure you want to start over. First, check where you moved the original vault file and place it back in its original location.

If you intentionally moved your vault file and need help reconnecting it, contact support before making additional changes.

Yes. Professional licensing is available for estate planning attorneys, financial advisors, fiduciaries, senior move managers, caregiving professionals, and preparedness organizations.

Estate planning attorneys, financial planners, fiduciaries, senior care professionals, and organizations that help families prepare use professional licenses to provide Local Legacy Vault to clients as part of their services.

No. Client information remains stored on the client's own device. Professionals who provide Local Legacy Vault licenses to clients cannot access, view, or manage vault contents.

Professionals can provide Local Legacy Vault licenses to clients as part of preparedness or planning services. See the For Professionals page for licensing details and inquiry.

Yes. Volume pricing is available for organizations and preparedness programs. Contact us through the professional inquiry form.

Professionals recommend Local Legacy Vault because clients often have legal and financial plans in place, but the information families need to act on those plans is scattered, outdated, or inaccessible. Local Legacy Vault bridges that gap — privately, offline, and without involving a third party in the client's personal data.

Download the installer from the download page and run it on your Windows, Mac, or Linux device. After installation, open the app and follow the setup steps.

Local Legacy Vault supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Yes. Local Legacy Vault is available for macOS. Download the Mac installer from the download page.

Close and reopen the app. If the issue persists, check that your operating system is up to date and try reinstalling. Contact support through the Contact Support page with a description of what happened.

Use the Contact Support page to report bugs. Include what you were doing, what happened, and your operating system version.

After purchase, open Settings > License and confirm your purchase is recognized on this device. If it is not, reconnect to the internet and reopen the app so activation can complete. For step-by-step help, see I already purchased.

Unlocking your vault requires decrypting your data with your Vault Password. This brief process is intentional — it is what keeps your information secure. The delay is normal and typically takes only a moment.

Yes. You can edit or add information anytime as your life changes. Your guides will reflect your updates the next time you generate them.