AES-256 encryption
Industry-standard AES-256-CBC with PBKDF2-SHA256 key derivation and a random salt for every message.
Version 3.4.2 · October 2026
Password-protect any message.
Cryptogator encrypts short messages with AES-256 so you can share them anywhere — chat, email, a sticky note. Only someone with the password can read them.
Cryptogator
Small tool, strong encryption
Everything you need to send a private note, and nothing you don't.
Completely offline
No accounts, no servers, no tracking. Your text and password never leave your computer.
One tiny file
A single 2.6 MB program. Nothing to install — run it from your desktop or a USB stick.
Fits in a chat message
Designed for short notes up to 80 characters, so the encrypted text stays short enough to paste anywhere.
Long passphrases
Use any password, or a strong 24-word passphrase written with hyphens — easy to read out and hard to guess.
Light & dark
A clean, modern interface that follows your Windows theme, with keyboard shortcuts for everything.
How it works
1
Write and encrypt
Type your message, choose a password, and click Encrypt.
2
Share the encrypted text
Copy the result — it starts with U2FsdGVkX1 — and send it however you like.
3
Decrypt with the password
The recipient pastes it into Decrypt, enters the password, and reads the message.
Questions
Windows says “Windows protected your PC”. Is it safe?
Cryptogator is made by one person and isn't signed with a paid code-signing certificate, so Microsoft SmartScreen doesn't recognise it yet. Click More info, then Run anyway. You only need to do this once.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Download Cryptogator.exe and run it. It uses Microsoft Edge WebView2, which
is already part of Windows 11 and updated Windows 10. If it's ever missing, Cryptogator tells you
and links to Microsoft's installer.
Is my text sent anywhere?
Never. Encryption and decryption happen entirely on your computer, and Cryptogator works without an internet connection.
I forgot the password. Can you recover my message?
No — and nobody else can either. Without the exact password, AES-256 encrypted text can't be read. Passwords are case-sensitive.
Why are messages limited to 80 characters?
Cryptogator is built for short private notes. Keeping messages short keeps the encrypted text compact enough to fit in a single chat message or text.
What's a 24-word passphrase?
A password made of 24 random words joined with hyphens, like the recovery phrases crypto wallets use. It's far stronger than a typical password and easy to copy without mistakes. Paste it into the password field like any other password — spaces or hyphens both work.
Changelog
Eight years of small improvements.
2026
- Encrypted text pasted from email or chat apps with line breaks now decrypts without cleanup.
- Download size reduced to 2.6 MB.
- Fixed blurry text on some high-DPI displays on Windows 10.
- The show/hide password button now works with the keyboard.
- Passphrases can be typed with spaces or hyphens, in any letter case.
- Clearer message when the password is wrong or the encrypted text was copied incompletely.
2025
- Dark mode that follows your Windows setting.
- New shortcut: Ctrl + Enter encrypts or decrypts.
- Fixed the Copy button doing nothing on some Windows 10 builds.
- If the Microsoft WebView2 Runtime is missing, Cryptogator now explains what to do instead of closing.
2024 – 2018
2024
- Rewritten from scratch in Rust. The download went from 74 MB to under 4 MB, and it starts instantly.
- Brand-new interface.
- Fixed a crash when a password contained certain emoji.
2023
- Support for 24-word passphrases (the same word list crypto wallets use), written with hyphens.
- Messages are limited to 80 characters so encrypted text always fits in a single chat message.
2022
- Stronger key derivation: PBKDF2 iterations raised to 10,000.
- Fixed the window opening off-screen after disconnecting a second monitor.
2021
- Copy buttons for encrypted and decrypted text.
- Show/hide password toggle.
2020
- Key derivation switched from MD5 to PBKDF2-SHA256.
- Text encrypted with 1.x needs version 1.x to decrypt.
- Portable: a single .exe, no installer needed.
2019
- Output uses the standard “Salted__” Base64 format.
- Fixed font rendering on Windows 7.
- Remembers its window size between launches.
2018
- First stable release.
- Public beta.
