Help & FAQ

BigKeyRing is a key inventory app. You photograph each key, label which lock it opens, and later photograph a mystery key to find a match in your library.

It works in your browser (phone or computer) — no app store required.

1. Create a free account (email or Google / Facebook / Apple when enabled).
2. Open Add key and take 2–3 clear photos of the key blade.
3. Name the key and lock (e.g. “Front door”).
4. Later, use Identify to match a key from a new photo.

Yes. Free includes up to 8 keys for one person. Upgrade for unlimited keys and multi-person seats.

No. Open bigkeyring.com in your browser. On phones you can often “Add to Home Screen” for an app-like icon.

• Take the key off the ring — one key alone in the frame.
• Use a plain, contrasting background (white paper is ideal).
• Show the blade and teeth clearly; keep any logo/text on the head readable if present.
• Fill about half to two-thirds of the frame with the key.
• Even light; avoid heavy glare and blur.

When adding a key, the wizard asks for about 3 photos (teeth profile, flip, closer shot). More good angles usually improve matching.

You can add extra key photos later from a key’s detail page. A lock/door photo is optional and is not used for matching.

• Hold still; wait for focus before tapping the shutter.
• Move closer so the key is large.
• Use brighter, even light — avoid dim rooms and harsh reflections on shiny metal.
• Retake rather than accepting a soft or tiny key image.

Yes. Open the key → Replace key photos (keep details). Use this when you get a new physical key for the same lock (rekey, copy, replacement). Name, notes, location, and history stay.

This does not count as an extra free-plan key slot.

• Photograph the mystery key the same way as when you registered it (background, angle, lighting).
• Key off the ring, plain paper, teeth clearly visible.
• Similar brass keys can look alike — open the top suggestions and confirm manually.
• If none are right, re-register that key with sharper blade photos.

Two or more keys in your library look similar (same color family or close tooth patterns). The app shows top candidates so you can pick the correct one instead of auto-choosing the wrong key.

Sharper blade photos for each similar key usually reduce ambiguity.

Matching runs visual analysis on your library. Larger libraries and larger photo uploads take longer. Use a clear, reasonably sized photo (the app compresses captures when possible). Stay on a stable network.

• Add key — register a new key into your library (uses free-plan quota).
• Identify — take a photo of an unknown key and match it to keys already in your library.

Open the key from Keys, edit fields under Edit key details, then Save key details. You can also drop a map pin for the lock location.

It logs that you used the key (updates last-used time and history). Identify can also log a use when you leave that option checked.

Free allows 8 keys. Delete keys you don’t need, or upgrade under Plans for unlimited keys (Personal and above).

Yes. Open the key → Delete this key entirely. This permanently removes its photos from your workspace.

• Free — 1 person, up to 8 keys.
• Personal — $5/mo, 1 person, unlimited keys.
• Household — $10/mo, up to 8 people (each with their own login), unlimited keys.
• Business — $49/mo, up to 50 team logins.
• Business Unlimited — $199/mo, unlimited seats for larger teams.

Prices and details are always shown in-app under Plans.

No. Password sharing is not allowed. Personal and Free are for one person. For multiple people, upgrade to Household or Business and invite each person by email so they create their own login.

1. Subscribe to Household, Business, or Business Unlimited.
2. Open Plans → Workspace members.
3. Enter their email → Send invite link → copy the link to them.
4. They open the link and create (or log in with) their own account.

• Personal / Free — only 1 seat. Upgrade to Household or Business.
• Household — max 8 people. Upgrade to Business (50) or Business Unlimited.
• Business — max 50. Upgrade to Business Unlimited.

Cancel pending invites or remove inactive members to free seats.

Household is for one family/home, not commercial multi-user use. Landlords, hosts, facilities, and teams should use Business or Business Unlimited.

Open Plans and choose a plan. New subscriptions use secure Stripe Checkout. If you already pay, switching plans updates your subscription with proration (no second full charge for the same period).

Plans → Cancel paid plan / unsubscribe. You’ll return to Free (limited keys, 1 seat). Keys and photos are kept unless you delete your account.

If you have more than one member, remove extra members before canceling (Free is 1 seat only).

Plans → Manage payment method (Stripe) opens the Stripe Customer Portal.

• Confirm the card supports online subscriptions and has funds/authorization.
• bigkeyring.com runs in live payment mode — test cards like 4242… only work in Stripe test environments, not on the public site.
• If Stripe is still reviewing the merchant account, live charges can be temporarily limited (usually 2–3 days).
• Try another card or contact your bank if the charge is blocked.

Wait a few seconds and refresh, or open Plans again. Webhooks update your plan after Stripe confirms payment. If it stays wrong after a few minutes, contact support with the email on your account.

No. Switching uses your existing Stripe subscription and prorates the difference. You should not get two full monthly charges for the same period when changing plans in-app.

If you signed up with email + password, use the same email to recover access via support if needed, or sign in with a linked social provider if you used one. Social-only accounts (Google / Apple / Facebook) don’t use a BigKeyRing password until you set one.

• Allow pop-ups / redirects for bigkeyring.com.
• Use the same provider account you originally used.
• Try email login if you registered with email.
• Some providers may be temporarily unavailable if server keys aren’t configured.

In the app: Plans → Account & privacy → Delete account… (multi-step confirmation). This permanently erases keys, photos, and login data for that workspace when you’re the owner.

Full instructions: Delete account help.

Log out, then open the invite again and create/join with the exact invited email, or log in with that email first and reopen the invite link.

People in your workspace (you, and invited members on multi-seat plans) can access shared workspace keys. We process data to run the service; see the Privacy Policy.

No. It’s an inventory and convenience tool. Visual matching can be wrong. Don’t rely on it alone for high-security, life-safety, or legal-evidence decisions. Control who has physical keys and who can access your account.

Card payments go through Stripe. We don’t store full card numbers on BigKeyRing servers.

• Allow camera access for bigkeyring.com in browser or system settings.
• Use Take photo / Choose from gallery if live preview fails — that opens the system camera or photo picker.
• Prefer HTTPS (bigkeyring.com). Some browsers block camera on insecure pages.
• Close other apps using the camera and try again.

Hard-refresh: Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac). On mobile, close the tab and reopen, or clear site data for bigkeyring.com.

Allow location permission if using “Use my location.” You can always tap the map to drop a pin manually. Map provider may be Google Maps or OpenStreetMap depending on server configuration.

BigKeyRing needs a network connection for sign-in, matching, and saving. Check Wi‑Fi or cellular data, then reload. Some shell files may cache for faster return visits, but API features require the server.