Encryption not working in your browser

Symptom: signup, unlocking, uploading or previewing evidence fails, often with a message such as “This browser could not derive your account keys, so nothing was sent” or “We could not set up your encryption keys. Please try again.”

Why this happens

PIToolkit encrypts and decrypts your data inside your browser, using the browser’s built-in cryptography (the Web Crypto API) running in background workers (Web Workers). That’s what lets PIToolkit store your data without being able to read it. There’s no plug-in or fallback: if your browser can’t do this, anything involving encryption fails.

PIToolkit doesn’t show a separate “browser not supported” warning, so these failures appear as the key or encryption errors above.

What to try

1. Close other tabs and try again. Setting up your keys at signup takes a fair amount of memory. The signup error above usually clears once memory is freed.
2. Update your browser. Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari have everything PIToolkit needs.
3. Avoid in-app browsers. A link opened inside an email, social or messaging app may open in a limited built-in browser. Open PIToolkit in your normal browser instead.
4. Make sure the address starts with https://. Browsers only allow this cryptography on secure pages.
5. Try without extensions. Privacy or script-blocking extensions can interfere. Try a private window with extensions off, or another browser.
6. Work computers: some managed devices restrict browser features. Try another device, or ask your IT team.

Still stuck

Contact support from Settings, section Help & audit log, Contact support. Tell us your browser and its version, what you were doing, and the exact message you saw. Don’t include your password or recovery key; we’ll never ask for them.

If you’re a portal client, ask your investigator for help. The portal doesn’t have its own support page.

Related articles

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• Getting started and signing up