Using ricochet refresh on windows/mac/linux

Here’s a complete, safe guide to preserving your Ricochet‑Refresh .onion address so your contacts stay intact, covering Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Ricochet‑Refresh: Keep Your .onion Address / Identity

Step 1: Understand What Needs to Be Backed Up

Your Ricochet‑Refresh identity is a Tor hidden service, and it’s tied to:

  • A private key (keeps your .onion address the same)
  • Your contacts list and other app configuration

All of this is stored in the profile folder of Ricochet‑Refresh. Backing up this folder preserves your identity completely.



Step 2: Locate Your Profile Folder


OS

Default Location

Notes

Windows

C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Roaming\Ricochet-Refresh\

%APPDATA% is a hidden folder, enable “show hidden files”

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Ricochet-Refresh/

~ is your home folder

Linux

~/.local/share/ricochet-refresh/

Hidden folder (dot folder)

Inside this folder you’ll find:


  • hostname — contains your .onion address
  • private_key or similar — the Tor hidden service private key
  • contacts.json or similar — your contacts list
  • Other config files






Step 3: Back It Up Safely



  1. Quit Ricochet‑Refresh completely.
  2. Copy the entire folder to a safe location:
    • USB drive (preferably encrypted)
    • Encrypted cloud storage (optional)
    • Another secure folder on your system

  4. Don’t just copy individual files — copy the whole folder to avoid missing anything.



⚠️ Keep this backup private. Anyone with these files can impersonate your .onion identity.





Step 4: Restore on a New Install / PC



  1. Install Ricochet‑Refresh on the new machine.
  2. Do not run it yet.
  3. Replace the newly created profile folder with your backup folder.
    • Windows: overwrite %APPDATA%\Ricochet-Refresh
    • macOS: overwrite ~/Library/Application Support/Ricochet-Refresh
    • Linux: overwrite ~/.local/share/ricochet-refresh/

  5. Start Ricochet‑Refresh.



✅ Your .onion address and all contacts will be exactly the same as before.





Step 5: Optional Safety Tips



  • Keep at least two backups in separate locations.
  • If moving to a shared or clouded system, encrypt the backup folder.
  • Avoid manually editing the files — this could break your identity.

Step 6: Upgrades

  • When updating Ricochet‑Refresh, your profile folder is usually preserved automatically.
  • Still, make a backup before upgrading — safety first.


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