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Recover your account

Get back into Letro when you can't sign in, or restore your encrypted messages when you're signed in but they're locked.

Security note: Two very different problems can lock you out, and they're fixed in different ways. Take a moment to work out which one you have — the steps below are split to match. You won't lose your account either way.

Which problem do you have?

  • You can't sign in at all. You're stuck on the sign-in screen — your password isn't accepted, or your Google sign-in fails. This is an access problem. Go to Scenario 1.
  • You're signed in, but your messages are locked. You can open Letro and see your chats, but past messages show as unreadable or you're prompted to verify this device or enter a recovery key. This is an encryption keys problem, not a sign-in problem. Go to Scenario 2.

Scenario 1: You can't sign in

How you get back in depends on how you sign in to Letro.

If you sign in with a PostNumber (or username) and password

Reset your password from the sign-in screen.

  1. Open Letro and go to the sign-in screen.
  2. Enter your PostNumber if asked.
  3. Select Forgot password?
  4. Follow the prompts to confirm it's you (usually a link or code sent to the email on your account).
  5. Set a new password, then type it again to confirm.
  6. Sign in with your new password.

Security note: Resetting your password gets you back into your account. It does not restore your encrypted messages on its own — if your messages are still locked after signing in, continue to Scenario 2.

If you sign in with Google

Letro's single sign-on uses Google. There's no separate Letro password to reset — if you can't sign in, the problem is with your Google Account, so that's where you fix it.

  1. Recover your Google Account first. Go to Google's account-recovery page and follow its steps to regain access (reset your Google password, confirm a recovery code, and so on).
  2. Once you can sign in to Google again, return to Letro's sign-in screen.
  3. Select Sign in with Google and choose the recovered account.

If your organization created your account for you

Some Letro accounts are set up and managed by an employer or IT admin. If your PostNumber was provisioned for you and neither option above works, contact your admin or IT support. They can reset your access or confirm how your account is meant to sign in.

Scenario 2: You're signed in but your messages are locked

If you can open Letro but past messages are unreadable — or you see a prompt to verify this device or enter your recovery key — your new device doesn't yet have the encryption keys that unlock your history. Your messages are safe; this device just needs to prove it's really you and pick up the keys.

The simplest fix is your recovery key — the long code (or passphrase) Letro asked you to save when you set up your account.

  1. When Letro prompts you to verify this device or restore your messages, select Enter recovery key (it may also be called Use recovery key or Enter your key).
  2. Type or paste your recovery key exactly as you saved it.
  3. Select Continue (or Confirm).
  4. Wait a few moments while Letro restores your keys. Your past encrypted messages become readable again, and this device is now verified.

Don't have your recovery key handy? You have another option: if you're still signed in on another device you've already verified (like your phone), you can verify this new device from that one instead — no recovery key needed. See Verify your devices.

Good to know

  • The two problems are independent. You can be fully able to sign in and still have locked messages, or the reverse. Fix the one you actually have — and if you hit both, do Scenario 1 first, then Scenario 2.
  • Resetting your password never touches your encryption keys. Your recovery key is a separate thing you save once and keep safe. See Your recovery key.
  • The honest limit: your encrypted message history can only be restored by a verified device or your recovery key. If you've lost both — every verified device and your recovery key — then no one, including Letro, can recover your past encrypted messages. This is by design: it's what keeps your conversations private to you. You can still regain access to your account and send and receive new messages normally; only the older history stays locked.
  • After you're back in, set yourself up so this can't bite you twice. Make sure your recovery key is saved somewhere safe, and keep a second device verified as a backup. See Verify your devices.
  • Seeing a "your keys are out of sync" style message? That's the same family of problem — this device is missing keys. When your message keys are out of sync walks through it.

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