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GPG: keys backup

04 Oct 2024

How to backup GPG keys in a password-manager-friendly manner.

Backup

Export private keys:

gpg --export-secret-keys --export-options export-minimal > private-keyring.gpg

Encode it with base64:

base64 private-keyring.gpg > private-keyring.base64

Now private-keyring.base64 can be stored as a text filed in your password manager.

Recover

Copy the text from your password manager, then decode it:

base64 -d keyring.base64 > keyring.gpg

Import it back to the system:

mkdir -p .gnupg/private-keys-v1.d
gpg --homedir .gnupg --import keyring.gpg

Check keyring content with gpg -K.


Source: https://www.saminiir.com/paper-storage-and-recovery-of-gpg-keys/.