deadbolt
Dead-simple file encryption for any OS
Free · Open sourceLatest versionMac
About deadbolt
deadbolt simplifies encrypting and decrypting files. All you need is a password. Works on any laptop / desktop that you do.
You can download deadbolt for macOS, Windows, or Linux. Any encrypted file can be shared across these platforms.
GUI
Download the desktop app from the releases tab (opens in a new tab) or see the [installation section](#building--installing) below for platform-specific instructions.
Select a file (or folder) to encrypt, enter a password, and … that's it. Decryption is just as easy.
macOS
Recommended: Installing with Homebrew
The recommended way to install deadbolt on macOS is with Homebrew (opens in a new tab), which uses this recipe (opens in a new tab):
Using .dmg from GitHub Releases
Install the deadbolt.dmg file from GitHub Releases (opens in a new tab). There are builds for both x86_64 (Intel) and arm64 (Apple Silicon -- M1, M2, etc.) CPU architectures.
After downloading:
- Double-click the
.dmgfile to mount it - Drag the
Deadboltapp to yourApplicationsfolder
Arch Linux
deadbolt is packaged as `deadbolt-bin` on `aur` (opens in a new tab). I do not maintain this package.
How it Works
Non-Technical Version
deadbolt uses proven, secure password hashing and data encryption algorithms to make sure your files stay private.
Technical Version
deadbolt is built on Electron and uses crypto.js from the node.js standard library as well as the `@node-rs/argon2` library (opens in a new tab). AES-256-GCM is used as an encryption protocol, and argon2id is used as a password hashing function. The integrity of all encrypted data is verified with the authentication tag provided by AES-GCM mode.
NOTE Starting in deadbolt v2.1.0-alpha, the password-based key derivation function (PBKDF) changed from pbkdf2-sha512 to argon2id. All newly encrypted files will benefit from the security upgrade.
Deadbolt File Formats
Encrypted files include a version header (starting with DEADBOLT_V002 -- if it's missing, it's V1) at the beginning of the file, allowing for cryptographic improvements while maintaining backwards compatibility.
V002 Format (Current)
- Password Hashing Algorithm:
argon2id - Parameters: RFC 9106 FIRST recommendation (opens in a new tab) (see Section 7.4: Parameter Choice)
- Memory cost: 2 GiB (2,097,152 KiB)
- Time cost: 1 iteration
- Parallelism: 4 lanes
- Salt: 128-bit (16-byte) randomly generated
Description adapted from the project README.
- Version
- 2.1.1
- Updated
- Feb 25, 2026
- Size
- 103 MB
- License
- MIT License
Open source details
- Source code
- Exact source for v2.1.1
- Released
- Feb 25, 2026
- GitHub stars
- 430
Community project. Help and bug reports go to the maintainers on GitHub; AppsXi does not provide support for this app.
License
PermissiveMIT License
Use, change and share it freely, including in closed source apps, as long as the copyright notice stays.
Read the full licenseHow this app was checked
AppsXi checks every version before it is listed.
Signed by Aaron Lichtman (BF3UMC9FSZ)
Apple Developer ID team BF3UMC9FSZ
Notarized by Apple
Hardened Runtime on
File matches the hash GitHub published
SHA-256 4b3950a09cb8e46ce31bfc5d54853264217810641684d298d30ecf3a05a8a4fd
No malware found
ClamAV 1.5.4 on Oct 14, 2026
Install and behavior test in a virtual machine: not run yet
Coming soon for all listings.
Updates itself from the maintainer's own feed
electron-updater (github). AppsXi checks each new version too.
1 technical note
- Electron fuses not hardened: RunAsNode on, EnableNodeOptionsEnvironmentVariable on, EnableNodeCliInspectArguments on, EnableEmbeddedAsarIntegrityValidation off, OnlyLoadAppFromAsar off
Versions
2.1.1checked
Checked Oct 14, 2026 · Mac
DMG · 103 MB
Questions about deadbolt
Is deadbolt free?
Yes. deadbolt is free and open source under the MIT License. AppsXi lists the maintainers' official release and does not charge for it.
Is deadbolt safe to download?
AppsXi downloads every version of deadbolt from the maintainers' official GitHub release and checks it before it is listed. For version 2.1.1 (checked Oct 14, 2026), the Mac download is signed by its developer and notarized by Apple, each file matches the checksum GitHub publishes for the release, byte for byte and a malware scan found nothing.
Does deadbolt run on Apple silicon Macs?
deadbolt's Mac download is built for Intel. Apple silicon Macs run it through Rosetta 2.
What does deadbolt need to run?
deadbolt needs macOS 10.15 or later.
Who makes deadbolt?
deadbolt is an open source project by Aaron Lichtman on GitHub (alichtman/deadbolt). Help and bug reports go to its maintainers there.
Reviews
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