KeePassXC: cross-platform KeePass client

Martin Brinkmann
Feb 6, 2017
Software
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16

KeePassXC is a free cross-platform client based on KeePass that could be useful to users who run devices with different operating systems.

KeePass is a Windows-only software by default. The password manager is a local program, meaning that it does not store any data in the cloud or requires an Internet connection to function.

This makes it quite attractive for users who don't want their passwords stored on the Internet on some remote cloud server without direct access.

Two of the downsides of KeePass are that it is Windows only, and for some users that version 2.x of the program relies on the Microsoft .Net Framework.

While it is possible to run KeePass using Mono on Linux and Mac devices, that comes with its own bag of issues.

KeePassXC

KeePassXC does away with that. Since it is a cross-platform application, it can be run on Windows, Mac and Linux devices natively, as packages for all three operating systems are provided.

This means among other things that you get the look and feel of that operating system or distribution when you run KeePassXC on the device.

Windows users who dislike Microsoft .Net may also benefit from KeePassXC. While they can use version 1.x of KeePass, that particular version is limited in functionality when compared to version 2.x of KeePass. KeePassXC does not rely on the Microsoft .Net Framework, so that is resolved as well.

Mac users may notice similarities between KeePassXC and KeePassX, a Mac-only client based on KeePass. KeePassXC is a fork of KeePassX. The main goal of the project is to "incorporate stalled pull requests, features, and bug fixes that have never made it into the main KeePassX repository".

Among the features that KeePassXC supports that KeePassX does not are:

  1. Auto-type on all major platforms.
  2. Stand-alone password generator.
  3. Password strength mether.
  4. Favicons are used as icons for entries.
  5. Database merging.
  6. Reloading of databases when they are changed on disk.
  7. KeePass HTTP support for use with Chrome and Firefox extensions.

KeePassXC supports the KeePass 2.x password database format which it uses to save data. KeePass 1.x databases can be imported in the program so that they are converted to the newer 2.x format in the process.

The source code of KeePassXC is available on the project's GitHub page.

Closing Words

Cross-platform compatibility is without doubt one issue of the original KeePass. KeePass users who work on devices running different operating systems, or prefer a native look and feel to KeePass on Mac OS X and Linux devices, may want to take a look at KeePassXC as it offers that. (via Caschy)

Now You: Which password manager do you use, and why?

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3.5 based on 12 votes
Software Name
KeePassXC
Software Category
Security
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Comments

  1. John Navas said on November 12, 2021 at 6:32 pm
    Reply

    Unfortunately, KeePassXC uses Qt for its cross-platform GUI,
    and Qt is unusable on my high DPI screen set to 150% on Windows 8.1.
    KeePass works great.

  2. Peejay said on March 2, 2018 at 1:08 pm
    Reply

    I’m late to this discussion but I found KeePassXC in 2017 and wouldn’t now be without it. Very easy to install through an AppImage in Linux and I can keep a copy of my database on a USB stick with both standard and micro USB terminals so I can use it on laptops and android devices without relying on cloud storage. I use the offline version of the Android KeePass app. It’s not a very slick system but it is simple and reliable, qualities which go a very long way in satisfying my requirements.

  3. elwoode said on September 22, 2017 at 7:35 pm
    Reply

    I was using keepassx on linux but auto type would not work, I installed Keepassxc and it just worked.

  4. Stephen Hartley said on July 15, 2017 at 7:43 pm
    Reply

    Very useful, and with autotype working on Mac version, my password manager of choice.

  5. Clairvaux said on February 7, 2017 at 9:18 pm
    Reply

    On an unrelated point, Martin, what did you do to p*** off Russia to warrant a DDOS attack ? :)

  6. Clairvaux said on February 7, 2017 at 9:15 pm
    Reply

    Anybody knows whether there are any advantages to this version on Windows, apart from the fact that .NET is unneeded, and the interface has a different look ?

  7. Jason said on February 7, 2017 at 7:47 pm
    Reply

    @ Richard:

    “the fact that there is no official support for Linux and Mac is a huge drawback”

    I’m not sure what kind of support you’re looking for. Every fork of an open source project is equally “official”, which is to say that each one is supported by the developers who created it. Of course, that doesn’t mean all forks have the same level of development effort. This might be what you’re really complaining about, and I have to agree that the forked projects really lag behind the original Mono-based KeePass for Windows. But for me, KeePass X/XC are both more than “good enough” for my needs, and definitely better than the alternatives I’ve found.

    PS. Sorry for not replying directly to your comment with the Reply button. I’m having trouble with Ghacks these last couple of days. Yesterday I was being taken to a version of this site with a completely different visual format (I’m guessing it’s a newer version) in which comments were not appearing no matter how much I tweaked my browser. Today I’m seeing the traditional version again but nothing happens when I click on the Reply buttons (even in a different browser with lower security settings).

  8. Richard said on February 6, 2017 at 5:09 pm
    Reply

    The only main advance of KeePassXC over KeePassX is this HTTPKeePass plugin support which apparently is not available at the moment! Unfortunetly there is no way to download older versions of the application either so basically there is no support for HTTPKeePass plugin at all. I am a Mac user and use KeePass with KeePassHelper extension; https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/keepasshelper/jgnfghanfbjmimbdmnjfofnbcgpkbegj

    Unless other integrator extensions, this one sends and receives nothing unless you really want to (there is no background messaging at all) and I love the keyboard shortcuts as well. Anyhow the only client that supports HTTPKeePass plugin at the moment on Mac is MacPass (https://github.com/mstarke/MacPass) which is good, but doesn’t seem to be updated regularly.

    I love KeePass but the fact that there is no official support for Linux and Mac is a huge drawback to me.

  9. Sigitas said on February 6, 2017 at 5:07 pm
    Reply

    Looks very promising project plus open-source. But someone can tell what app (i meant trusteable one) to use on the Android to open password databases from dropbox then if i’ll migrate from Enpass?

    1. Sam Abdu said on February 6, 2017 at 5:12 pm
      Reply

      Keepass2Android

  10. Patrick said on February 6, 2017 at 2:49 pm
    Reply

    I use Keepass 2.x on windows, but i know numerous folks that want to use keepass on Android. Any thoughts on the best version of a Android version, And also work with a Yubikey for added security.

    1. Jason said on February 6, 2017 at 6:25 pm
      Reply
  11. Klaas Vaak said on February 6, 2017 at 1:52 pm
    Reply

    KeePass is a top-notch app, rivaled by few, if any, password management apps. It is still beyond me how people accept to store their passwords in the cloud, thereby trusting a 3rd party.

  12. Thoms said on February 6, 2017 at 12:20 pm
    Reply

    You can install KeePass in Ubuntu using:
    sudo apt-get install keepass2

    No ekstra ppa needed. You will get version 2.34. No issues.

    https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/keepass2/

    1. Billy said on February 12, 2017 at 8:23 am
      Reply

      It says version 2.23

    2. T3hty said on February 6, 2017 at 1:43 pm
      Reply

      In Ubuntu, like other Linux, it use mono
      # apt-get -s install keepass2
      […]
      The following additional packages will be installed:
      binfmt-support ca-certificates-mono cli-mono […] libmono*

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