How to completely hide and store Joplin local data inside a VeraCrypt volume on Windows?

Support
1

Operating system

Windows

Joplin version

3.2.13

Desktop version info

JoplinPortable

Sync target

OneDrive

Editor

Rich Text Editor

What issue do you have?

Hi Joplin team and community,

I'm a privacy-focused user running Joplin on Windows 11 64-bit.

My goal is to store all Joplin local data strictly inside an encrypted volume (e.g., VeraCrypt), so that the data:

:locked_with_key: Target Scenario:
Joplin's local data only exists in an encrypted volume (e.g., mounted as Z:):

When the encrypted volume is not mounted:

No Joplin data is visible anywhere on the system;

Joplin cannot be launched.

When the encrypted volume is mounted:

Joplin can see and use its data in Z:\Joplin;

Everything functions as expected.

During Joplin runtime:

All features should work normally;

End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) is enabled, and Iā€™d like it to remember the password after first input, so it doesnā€™t ask every time it syncs.

:warning: Problem Iā€™m facing:
Iā€™ve tried creating a VeraCrypt container and redirecting Joplinā€™s data path to it using:

Portable version

Symbolic links (mklink)

Environment variables

But Joplin still recreates its default data folder in C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Joplin, which leaves unencrypted files outside the container.

Also, E2EE keeps asking for the master password every time, even after I tick ā€œremember passwordā€.

:folded_hands: My questions:
Is my usage goal technically achievable in Joplin?

If yes:

Which version of Joplin should I use (portable/desktop/development)?

Is there a proper way to force Joplin to use a custom data directory only when the encrypted volume is mounted?

Is there a way to persist the E2EE password securely?

Thanks so much for your time and the amazing software!

ā€” lingd

2

Welcome to the forum! The folder you're referring to doesn't contain any of your notes under normal circumstances. It's a folder automatically created by Electron where Joplin doesn't write any data.

But you're absolutely right: The portable version isn't self-contained in the strict sense of the word which has been discussed several times on this forum ("portable" as a search term should suffice).

That's strange indeed - I never encountered something like this using Joplin Portable in a VeraCrypt container. But I didn't use symlinks and environment variables like you did.

1 Like
3

I have been using portable Jopin for windows on VeraCrypt with targeting to Onedrive for almost 6 months. Everything is fine, excepet that

In which there seem to be no sensitive data related to my notes, I am not sure.

4

Thank you so much for your kind and helpful reply!

Based on your response, Iā€™ve come to understand the following:

  1. Using the portable version instead of the standard version is indeed the right choice.

  2. The portable version allows all diary data to be stored entirely within the mounted encrypted container. Although some Joplin-related folders may still exist outside the container, they do not contain any diary data. Therefore, their presence outside the container does not compromise the security of the local diary content.

  3. Once the container is mounted and the portable Joplin is launched, I only need to enter the sync password once and check "Remember password" ā€” after that, Joplin no longer prompts for the master password during sync.

My friend, Iā€™d also like to confirm: Which files are considered critical for storing Joplin notes? Would you mind letting me know?

Thank you again!

former_evernotist via Joplin Forum <notifications@cozic.discoursemail.com> äŗŽ2025幓4꜈22ę—„å‘ØäŗŒ 06:34写道ļ¼š

5

Three places are coming to my mind here: the file database.sqlite, which contains all notes, the folder resources, which contains all attachments to these notes, and the folder JoplinBackup, which contains all of the former data in compressed form.

As @laurent pointed out some time ago on this forum, the sqlite file might or might not be replaced with an encrypted variant of SQL at some point in the future. That would be good news indeed, but it's still the user's job to take good care of the other two folders mentioned above on their local system.

6

Dear former_evernotist,

Iā€™m terribly sorry for disturbing you again, but Iā€™m puzzled by a question and sincerely hope for your guidance once more!

You previously taught me that Joplinā€™s diary data consists of three components: the database.sqlite file, the resources folder, and the JoplinBackup folder. In the standard version of Joplin, these are all stored in the .config folder, which has a fixed location and cannot be moved to a VeraCrypt container, making it impossible to encrypt the standard versionā€™s diary data using a container.

In contrast, Joplinā€™s portable version stores two data components (the database.sqlite file and the resources folder) in the JoplinProfile folder, which can be moved and placed in a VeraCrypt container. This led me to believe that the portable versionā€™s data could be encrypted with VeraCrypt. However, I noticed that the JoplinProfile folder in the portable version only contains database.sqlite and resources, but no JoplinBackup folder. Where has the JoplinBackup folder gone? Does the portable version only have these two data components? Now, Iā€™m hesitant about whether I can use VeraCrypt to encrypt the portable versionā€™s diary data.

If you have a moment, could you kindly guide me again? I would be immensely grateful!

Your friend,
lingd

7

Dear former_evernotist,

Iā€™m terribly sorry for disturbing you again, but Iā€™m puzzled by a question and sincerely hope for your guidance once more!

You previously taught me that Joplinā€™s diary data consists of three components: the database.sqlite file, the resources folder, and the JoplinBackup folder. In the standard version of Joplin, these are all stored in the .config folder, which has a fixed location and cannot be moved to a VeraCrypt container, making it impossible to encrypt the standard versionā€™s diary data using a container.

In contrast, Joplinā€™s portable version stores two data components (the database.sqlite file and the resources folder) in the JoplinProfile folder, which can be moved and placed in a VeraCrypt container. This led me to believe that the portable versionā€™s data could be encrypted with VeraCrypt. However, I noticed that the JoplinProfile folder in the portable version only contains database.sqlite and resources, but no JoplinBackup folder. Where has the JoplinBackup folder gone? Does the portable version only have these two data components? Now, Iā€™m hesitant about whether I can use VeraCrypt to encrypt the portable versionā€™s diary data.

If you have a moment, could you kindly guide me again? I would be immensely grateful!

Your friend,
lingd

via Joplin Forum <notifications@cozic.discoursemail.com>äŗŽ2025幓4꜈23ę—„ å‘Øäø‰06:19写道ļ¼š

8

Dear Lingd,

that's interesting to hear as the code of the Simple Backup Plugin was merged with the main app some time ago. If there's no "Backup" entry under "Plugins" in the menu "Tools/Options", fresh installations of Joplin Portable (mine was done some time ago) probably come without the backup plugin. If there's no backup folder somewhere else in the same directory where "JoplinProfile" is located, then there's probably no plugin in place.

I'd still recommend installing the Simple Backup Plugin though: It allows for automated backups, and you can specify the storage location of the "JoplinBackup" folder.

All the best again
former_evernotist

9

Dear former_evernotist,

Thank you so much for your professional and patient guidance! Following your suggestions, I ran the portable version of Joplin and carefully checked the settings. I discovered that the backup plugin in the plugin options was not enabledā€”likely due to my oversight in not toggling it on. After enabling the plugin and restarting Joplin, I was thrilled to finally see the JoplinBackup folder appear in the JoplinProfile directory! :tada:

Now, I can confidently use the portable version of Joplin in combination with VeraCrypt, ensuring my notes are secure and accessible. Joplin is truly an outstanding piece of software, but without your kind and detailed help, I doubt I would have figured out how to use it properly.

Dear former_evernotist, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your incredible support! I wish you all the best in everything you do and hope your days are filled with joy and happiness.

Warmest regards,
Your friend,
lingd

former_evernotist via Joplin Forum <notifications@cozic.discoursemail.com> äŗŽ2025幓4꜈25ę—„å‘Øäŗ” 04:23写道ļ¼š

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