You can keep access, but only if you do two things right now: download and safely store your Backup Key, and make sure your collaborators also know how to use the Walkaway page to recover documents on their own. dDocs is designed so that "even if the Fileverse service stops, you can get your documents back yourself." But if you have not saved your Backup Key, or if you only stored documents in your browser's local storage and then cleared the cache, recovery becomes very difficult.
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First, Understand Where Your Documents Are Stored
The way dDocs stores data determines how you can "keep access." According to official information, data is stored by default in your browser's IndexedDB (local storage). You can also choose to save it to decentralized servers (IPFS) for sharing and syncing across devices. This means:
If you have only used the "no-account mode", your documents exist only in that specific browser on that specific device. If you switch devices, clear your cache, or change browsers, your documents are gone. In this mode, there is no on-chain record and no cloud copy. Recovery depends entirely on you exporting a backup yourself.
If you use a dDocs account, your documents are linked to a "portal," which is managed by an on-chain contract address. This is the prerequisite for independent recovery. The Backup Key is the credential used to decrypt and retrieve these documents through the Walkaway page if the Fileverse frontend becomes unavailable.
The Core of Keeping Access: The Backup Key
In your dDocs account settings, you can download a backup key. The official privacy policy page states clearly: users with a dDocs account can download a backup key in their settings. If dDocs or Fileverse services become unavailable, they can retrieve their documents through walkaway.fileverse.io.
This Backup Key is not a seed phrase, nor is it a wallet private key. It is a set of credentials used to decrypt the file keys under your portal. According to the Walkaway repository documentation, it contains the Portal Address, Owner public/private keys, Portal public/private keys, Member public/private keys, and more. You do not need to understand the technical meaning of each item. You only need to know this: if you lose this string of data, you lose the ability to recover independently.
How to store it: Store it offline (print it, write it on paper, or keep it on a device not connected to the internet). Do not keep it only in the same browser or in a cloud note app. If your documents involve team collaboration, the Owner's Backup Key must be kept safe by the person who controls the portal.
How to Retrieve Documents if the Fileverse Frontend Is Down
The official team provides a Walkaway page (walkaway.fileverse.io) and has also open-sourced the code, allowing you to run the recovery tool locally. Its purpose is: when the main app is down, use your backup key to decrypt and recover all documents linked to your account locally, without relying on Fileverse's centralized servers.
There are two ways to do this:
Use the official Walkaway page: Open walkaway.fileverse.io and enter your Backup Key as instructed on the page. If the page itself is also unavailable (for example, if the domain expires), you can access its .onion address, or clone the fileverse/walk-away repository from GitHub and run it locally according to the README. Running it locally requires Node.js and npm, which may be challenging for average users, but this is the ultimate fallback solution that does not depend on any Fileverse server at all.
Export directly within the dDocs app: If you can still open ddocs.new normally, the most direct way is to open each document and manually export it as a local file (Markdown or other supported formats). This is the method that depends least on any recovery tool. For important documents, it is recommended to do a manual export regularly. Do not wait until the service has a problem to take action.
How to Handle Collaborator Access
If you are an invited collaborator, not the owner of the portal, your recovery ability depends on what you have in hand. Collaborators usually do not have the owner's Backup Key. If the Fileverse frontend becomes unavailable, the most reliable way for a collaborator is to export documents that need long-term preservation to your local device in advance, or ask the owner to share them again after recovery.
Social recovery is another option: dDocs supports setting up "guardians." If you have problems with your account or email, they can help you recover access through cryptographic methods. But this solves the problem of "you forgot your login credentials," not the problem of "the Fileverse service disappeared." The latter still depends on the Backup Key and the Walkaway mechanism.
What You Should Do Now
Open ddocs.new, go to settings, find the backup key download option, and save it to an offline location. If you have important documents you are currently collaborating on, manually export a copy to your local device now. If you are an invited collaborator, ask the owner if they have saved the Backup Key, and make sure you both agree on how to get the documents back if the service becomes unavailable.
dDocs' independence design is real, but it puts the final responsibility on you. If the Backup Key is in your hands, the ability to recover is in your hands. If you do not save it, the only path left is to "hope the frontend keeps running."
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References
- Fileverse·dDocs Product Page, accessed: 2026-10-23
- Fileverse·dDocs Privacy Policy, accessed: 2026-10-23
- GitHub·fileverse/walk-away-portals, accessed: 2026-10-23
- GitHub·fileverse/walk-away, accessed: 2026-10-23
- Privacy Guides Community·Thoughts on Fileverse, accessed: 2026-10-23
