Settings: Account, Security & Notifications

Account tab

Display name

This is the name Killswitch shows to your beneficiaries when a switch fires — it leads the subject line and headline of the delivery email, standing in for you as the sender. See What You'll Receive for what that looks like from the other side. It's optional, but if it's blank and you have a switch configured, the dashboard shows a reminder to set one.

Email address

Shown for reference only — it can't be edited from this form. Your account email is where password reset links, check-in reminders, and deletion warnings all go, so treat it as fixed infrastructure rather than a settings field.

Timezone

Automatically detected from your browser and shown read-only. It's used to display dates and deadlines (like a switch's next check-in due date) in your local time rather than UTC.

Theme

Light, dark, or System — System follows whatever your device is set to and updates automatically if that changes.

Danger Zone: deleting your account

At the bottom of the Account tab is a Delete Account button. It's disabled until your email is verified, and confirming it permanently removes every file, note, deadman switch, and beneficiary on the account — there's no undo. This is the one setting on this page that actually deserves the word "danger."

For the full picture of what gets deleted, how the confirmation works, and the separate automatic-deletion-for-undeliverable-email path, see Passwords & Account Recovery rather than this page duplicating it.

Security tab

Password

Change a password you already know here — current password, new password (minimum 12 characters), confirm. It takes effect immediately, with no re-encryption delay. This form requires a verified email and requires knowing your current password; if you don't remember it, sign out and use "Forgot your password?" instead. Both paths, and what does or doesn't get lost, are covered fully on Passwords & Account Recovery .

Deadman Switch Preferences

One toggle: Auto check-in on login . Turn it on and every active switch checks in automatically each time you sign in or visit the dashboard — a "set and forget" mode where switches only fire if you stop using Killswitch entirely. Leave it off and you'll need to check in to each switch manually before its deadline. See Check-ins for every way to check in and the reminder ladder that leads up to a deadline.

Two-factor authentication

Optional SMS-based 2FA: a 6-digit code texted to your phone each time you sign in, on top of your password. It requires a verified email, an active subscription, and a US or Canadian phone number (SMS delivery isn't available internationally). Setup and disabling are both handled from this card; there's no separate confirmation email step.

Active sessions

Every device you're currently signed in on, with browser, approximate location, and last-active time. You can revoke any session except the one you're using right now, or use Sign Out Everywhere to end all of them at once (including your own — you'll need to sign back in). Past sessions (expired or already revoked) stay listed below the active ones for reference.

Trusted devices

Only appears once two-factor authentication is enabled. Checking "Remember this device" at 2FA sign-in lets that browser skip the SMS code for 30 days; this card lists every device currently trusted that way, and lets you revoke one device or all of them if you no longer recognize something on the list.

If you have files in the older encrypted format

Killswitch previously encrypted files using a different, client-side scheme. That's been replaced account-wide, but a small number of accounts still have some older files that were never upgraded to the current format. If that applies to your account, resetting your password on the "Forgot your password?" screen will make those specific older files permanently unreadable — you'll see an explicit warning on the reset-confirmation step if this affects you. If you don't see that warning when resetting, it doesn't apply to your account, and nothing about your files is at risk. If it does apply and you remember your current password, sign in and finish that upgrade from Settings before resetting instead.

Notifications tab

SMS notifications

Add a phone number (E.164 format, e.g. +15551234567) and verify it with a 6-digit texted code to unlock SMS delivery for urgent check-in reminders. SMS requires an active subscription and, like 2FA, only works for US and Canadian numbers — an international number falls back to email-only automatically. Once enabled, you'll see the exact consent language you're agreeing to; for a preview of what those texts look like and how to opt out, see the SMS opt-in example rather than this page repeating it.

Email notifications

Five independent toggles: deadman switch reminders, security alerts, share notifications (someone shared a file or note with you), access alerts (someone viewed something you shared), and product updates (including the planning-guide email series). Below those is a separate cadence selector for journal reminders — off, daily, every few days, or weekly — off by default, and only relevant if you keep a journal.

Push notifications

Browser push notifications for reminders and security alerts, on supported browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari 16.4+) over a secure connection. Once you grant permission, this card lists every browser subscription you've registered, lets you remove one, and offers a "send test notification" button so you can confirm delivery is working before you rely on it.

Dashboard reminders

Two toggles here control banners that can appear on your dashboard: one for the "add a phone number" reminder, one for the digital estate planning guide checklist. Turn either off and dismiss the banner; the toggle here is how you bring it back. The dashboard's separate "add a display name" reminder does not currently have a matching re-enable toggle — once dismissed, it stays dismissed.

Frequently asked

Why can't I change my email address?

It's locked for security — your email is how Killswitch verifies it's really you for password resets and account recovery, so it isn't editable from Settings.

Do I need two-factor authentication?

It's optional, and only available with an active subscription and a US or Canadian phone number. It adds a texted code on top of your password at sign-in — worth turning on if you'd use SMS reminders anyway, but not required.

Why don't I see the "Trusted devices" or push notification cards?

Trusted devices only appears once two-factor authentication is turned on — there's nothing to trust a device against otherwise. Push notifications only appears on browsers where the feature is available and enabled for your account.