Éimí Mhic an Ridire

Overview

I've put together this guide to help individual users move their passwords from Passbolt to Vaultwarden (Bitwarden-compatible). This is not an admin or server migration guide, it's about getting your own vault across safely and without tears.

Key notes

• Both Passbolt and Vaultwarden are self-hosted on our own infrastructure.
• Vaultwarden is an open-source alternative based on Bitwarden.
• You can migrate other password systems into Vaultwarden as well, if you so choose.
• This guide does not help with password recovery or account recovery.
• Imports don't check for duplicates — if you import the same file twice, you'll get doubles.
• Your export file may contain passwords in plain text, depending on the format. Treat it like cash in the wind: keep it temporary, keep it private, delete it after import.

Step 1: Make sure you can log into Vaultwarden

1. Open the Vaultwarden web vault and log in with your account.
2. If you use the Bitwarden apps (desktop, mobile, browser extension), make sure they're pointed at your Vaultwarden server URL.

Step 2: Export your passwords from Passbolt

Passbolt's user guide for export is very straightforward:

1. In Passbolt, select the folder(s) or password(s) you want to move. If you want everything you personally have access to, use the menu beside Folders to export all.
2. Click Export (or Export all).
3. Choose an export format.
4. Enter your Passbolt passphrase when prompted.
5. Download the export file somewhere sensible — not a shared folder, not a synced cloud drive.

Step 3: Import into Vaultwarden

In the Vaultwarden web vault:

1. Go to Tools → Import Data.
2. Choose the file format that matches what you exported.
3. Upload the file and run the import.
4. Delete the export file once you've confirmed your items are in.

Step 4: Check your vault (don't just assume it worked)

After import, spot-check:

• 3–5 logins (URL, username, password)
• a secure note (if you used them)
• a couple of folders, tags, or notes to see what carried over

If something looks odd, stop and fix before importing again (remember the duplicates warning).

Clean-up — the bit that keeps you safe

• Delete the export file.
• Empty your bin or trash.
• If you accidentally saved it somewhere synced (iCloud, Nextcloud, Dropbox), remove it from there too.

Organisation sharing

This bit is only if your team uses Vaultwarden Organisations or Collections for shared credentials.

• Use your personal vault for your own stuff, and the Organisation vault for shared and team credentials.
• Shared credentials are usually organised into Collections inside an Organisation.

If you're asked to import into the Organisation

That's typically done via the Organisation / admin side (Admin Console → Settings → Import), and collections can be selected during import.

As a user, you usually just import your personal vault, and the admins handle the shared and team migrations.