Portable Mode
A portable copy of GpgFrontend keeps everything in its own folder, right next to the program. Nothing is written to the computer’s user folders, so nothing of yours is left behind.
Use it when you want to:
- Run GpgFrontend from a USB drive and carry it between computers.
- Use GpgFrontend on a shared or borrowed computer.
- Move your whole setup by copying one folder.
You Choose It When You Download
Section titled “You Choose It When You Download”Portable is not a setting inside the program. It is a separate download.
On the Downloads page you will find two kinds of file for each system:
- Installed: the normal choice. Settings and keys go in your user folder.
- Portable: everything stays in the program’s own folder.
Pick the portable one and unpack it wherever you want it, such as onto a USB drive. That is all you need to do.
Where Things Are Kept
Section titled “Where Things Are Kept”A portable copy stores its settings, keys, logs and modules in the folder it
was unpacked into. On Linux, an AppImage uses the folder that holds the
.AppImage file.
That means whoever holds the drive holds your keys. Keep it somewhere safe, and use a strong passphrase on your private keys.
What a Portable Copy Cannot Do
Section titled “What a Portable Copy Cannot Do”A portable copy cannot use your computer’s password store to protect its own key. That store belongs to one computer, and a portable copy has to work on any computer you plug it into.
That option is greyed out for you, so there is nothing you need to do. See Application Secure Key if you want the details.
Tip: Moving Between Computers
Section titled “Tip: Moving Between Computers”If you use several key databases, turn on the Relative Path option for each one. The paths then keep working even when the drive gets a different letter or mount point on the next computer.