Improving UX: Master Password becomes NordLocker Key

What is it all about?

Attention NordLocker users — we have a quick announcement.

As you know, you must always provide your Master Password to unlock your NordLocker (no pun intended) and gain access to your encrypted files.

So, we want to inform you that we’re changing the name Master Password to NordLocker Key.

Therefore, from now on, you will be asked to provide your NordLocker Key to unlock your NordLocker.

Don’t worry – you don’t need to change anything or set a new password.

Changing the name Master Password to NordLocker Key is just a minor cosmetic upgrade that will help you and other users avoid confusion and quickly get inside your NordLocker.

Keep on reading to learn what prompted us to make this decision.

Why did it happen?

If UX designers had a motto like the title characters of Alexander Dumas’ novel The Three Musketeers, it could be “If it’s easier for one, it’s easier for all.” And if they had a 17th-century-like code to live by, it could be “To make things less complicated and more accessible now and for all eternity.”

Our UX experts may not be musket-equipped French soldiers but they are guided and driven by a common goal — to improve the user’s experience. That goal is precisely why they decided to change the name Master Password to NordLocker Key.

How did it happen?

Until now, Master Password was a term used to describe the password you use to unlock your NordLocker.

However, our UX analysts have found that there was a problem with that particular name.

The problem concerned people who use both NordLocker and our password manager – NordPass. These users were justifiably confused by the fact that they needed to provide a Master Password to access either NordLocker or NordPass — and sometimes, it didn’t work. As you can guess, the NordPass Master Password was not the same as the NordLocker Master Password. Hence the confusion.

So, we changed the Master Password to NordLocker Key to solve this problem and improve the user experience for both NordLocker and NordPass.

Plus, we think that the name you give to a product or feature should reflect what that solution is. So, knowing that the password you use to unlock NordLocker is an encryption key, we decided that NordLocker Key is a name that better fits that description.

Why is NordLocker Key so important?

Some users ask us why we designed NordLocker in such a way that they have to use two different passwords: Nord Account Password and NordLocker Key. What they are really asking is — why can’t it be just one password? The answer is very simple: it is about the security of your data.

You use your Nord Account Password to log into the control panel and manage your account settings. This password gives you access only to the information you provided to create your account and it can be easily reset if needed. If you lose your Nord Account Password, you can create a new one in a matter of seconds by submitting a request via the login panel.

As we already discussed in the article, NordLocker Key is like a safe combination that allows you to unlock your virtual vault in which you keep sensitive data. It is an encryption key, meaning it encrypts and decrypts your files.

For safety reasons, NordLocker Key should be a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols that only you know and that do not resemble any other password of yours.

NordLocker Key cannot be changed easily. Therefore, if you lose it, you can restore access to your lockers only by providing your Recovery Key (an emergency code that we provide you when you create your NordLocker vault).

This way allows us to keep your Nord Account separate from your NordLocker account and better protect each one.

Any questions?

If you have some suggestions or comments regarding the platform and how it works, please feel free to contact us and tell us everything.