Migrating From Another Password Manager#

The mechanism for moving to RabbitKey is a CSV export from your old manager and a CSV import into RabbitKey. The steps are simple; the one thing to be careful about is that the CSV in between is plaintext.

Before You Start#

A few things to have ready:

• Access to your current password manager (you will need to be able to export from it)
• RabbitKey installed and set up with a master password on your iOS device
• A secure place to delete the CSV file after import — not just move it to Trash, but securely delete it

RabbitKey is currently available on iOS. Android, macOS, and Windows versions are in development. If you are on a different platform, check the current availability status before beginning.

Step 1: Export from Your Current Manager#

Most password managers support CSV export, though menu locations change between app versions — check your manager's current documentation for the exact path. RabbitKey recognizes the CSV layouts of several common managers automatically, including 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass, Dashlane, Keeper, Enpass, and Chrome, plus a generic CSV format. Export "all items" as CSV from your current app; the result is a .csv file.

Understanding What You Are Holding#

A CSV export is unencrypted plaintext. Every password, username, URL, and note in your vault is readable by anyone who opens the file. From the moment the export completes until you securely delete it, this file is the highest-risk object in the migration process.

Practical implications:

• Do not email it to yourself
• Do not upload it to cloud storage
• Do not leave it on your desktop "for a moment" and then forget it
• Do not put it in Trash — empty the Trash or use a secure-delete tool

Step 2: Transfer the CSV to Your iOS Device#

You need to get the CSV file to your iOS device for import. Options:

• AirDrop from a Mac — fast, local, no cloud involved; recommended
• USB transfer via Finder — also local, no cloud involved; also recommended
• Files app with a local connection — acceptable

Avoid routing the file through email or an unencrypted cloud service. The file will be deleted after import, so keeping the transfer local minimizes exposure window.

Step 3: Import into RabbitKey#

RabbitKey imports through a short wizard:

1. Open RabbitKey and start the import flow, then pick your CSV file
2. RabbitKey detects the source format automatically and parses the entries — there is no manual column-mapping step
3. Review the list of parsed entries. Any rows missing a required field are flagged so you can fix them before continuing
4. Confirm to import the entries into your vault

Step 4: Verify the Import#

Before you delete anything, confirm the import landed correctly:

1. Spot-check a few critical accounts (email, banking, primary services) — usernames and passwords present and correct
2. Check that notes came through. Field names vary between managers, so the occasional note or grouping may need manual cleanup
3. Keep your old manager accessible for at least a week as a safety net before closing the account

Verifying before deleting matters: if the import has a problem, the plaintext CSV is your only copy of the original data until you confirm.

Step 5: Securely Delete the CSV#

Once you have confirmed the import is complete and correct, delete the plaintext CSV:

• On iPhone/iPad: delete the file from the Files app, then empty the Recently Deleted folder. Note that iOS does not expose a guaranteed secure-overwrite; the real defense is keeping the file's lifetime short, so delete it as soon as you have verified.
• On Mac (if you used AirDrop and the file remains): use a dedicated secure-delete utility, or at minimum remove it from the Trash and empty it.

Do not skip this step. The CSV contains your entire credential set in plaintext.

Common Import Issues#

Fields are shifted or misaligned. This happens when notes contain commas or newlines, which break naive CSV parsing. Review affected entries manually and correct them.

URLs are missing. Some managers export the site name without a URL. You will need to add URLs to those entries.

Custom fields were not imported. Import covers the standard fields (title, username, password, URL, notes), plus favorites and folder/category groupings where the source format provides them. Manager-specific custom fields outside that set may not carry over. Keep access to the old manager until you have confirmed everything you need came through.

After Migration#

With your vault in RabbitKey, take two follow-up steps:

1. Export your Recovery Kit. If you have not done this, do it now. See Your Recovery Kit, Explained.
2. Enable sync if you want multi-device access. See How Zero-Knowledge Sync Works.

For how RabbitKey's own exports work — including the difference between an encrypted backup and a plaintext CSV — see Exporting and Backing Up Your Vault.