Where are your passwords stored? Cloud, region, own server

Where 1Password, Bitwarden, Keeper, and Proton Pass keep your encrypted vault, which regions you can choose, what your own server means, and why the region matters.

Key points

All four managers listed here keep an encrypted copy of your vault on their servers, so that it syncs between your devices.
At 1Password and Bitwarden, you can choose a region such as the European Union. Bitwarden also runs on your own server.
The vault is encrypted on your device before it is synced. The region decides in which country the encrypted copy is kept.

Where the vault is kept

	Where the encrypted vault is kept	Region to choose
1Password	1Password’s servers	United States, Canada, or European Union
Bitwarden	Microsoft Azure in the US or the EU, or your own server	US or EU, chosen when you create the account
Keeper	Amazon Web Services in several regions, among them the US and the EU	not checked
Proton Pass	Proton’s servers in Switzerland, Germany, or Norway	not stated

The table shows what the makers state on their own pages. This site has not tested the apps.

Regions are separate

At Bitwarden, the US and the EU region are separate. An account exists in one of them only, and you sign in to that one. If your main password does not work, Bitwarden’s first advice is to check that you chose the right region. An emergency contact has to have an account on the same server.

Your own server

Bitwarden’s code is open, and you can run its server yourself. Then the encrypted vault never leaves your own hardware. In exchange, you take over the work the maker would do: updates, backups, and security of the server. For most people, the hosted service is the safer choice. A self-hosted server is for people who already run servers.

Why the region matters

Because the vault is encrypted on your device, a copy on a server shows no passwords without your main password. The region still matters for three things:

Law: the laws of the company’s home country and of the country where the data is stored decide who can demand it from the company.
Speed: a region near you can make syncing faster.
Rules at work: some employers require data to stay in the EU.

What you can do

Choose your region when you create the account, if your manager offers one. Changing it later can mean moving to a new account.
Note which region you chose, together with your recovery information.
Run your own server only if you already run servers, and keep it updated and backed up.

Next step

The guide Who owns your password manager? shows the companies behind the four managers.

The figures in this guide come from the archive and change with every data update. As of November 13, 2026.

Where are your passwords stored? Cloud, region, or your own server