> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://oten.gitbook.io/drive-support/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://oten.gitbook.io/drive-support/shadow-layers/limits-and-recovery.md).

# Limits & recovery

Shadow Layers are strong, but they follow the same hard rule as everything in Oten Drive: **only you hold the keys.**

### Recovery <a href="#recovery" id="recovery"></a>

* **Forgot a layer's password?** Reset it with that layer's **Vault Recovery Key**. During a reset, each shadow layer can display a few **sample file/folder names** so you can identify which layer you're resetting.
* **Changing or resetting a password** re-secures that layer. Do it on a device you control, and update your own record of which password opens which layer.
* **No recovery key + forgotten password = permanent loss** for that layer. The data cannot be recovered by anyone, including Oten. That's the point of zero-knowledge encryption.

### Limits to understand <a href="#limits-to-understand" id="limits-to-understand"></a>

* **No in-app layer switcher.** By design, there's no menu of layers to pick from — you open a layer only by typing its password. This is what keeps layers undetectable.
* **Layers are per-vault.** A Drive has no layers; if you want deniability, use a Vault.
* **Independent, not linked.** Recovering or deleting one layer never touches another.
* **Sync affects all your devices.** Changing a layer's password re-keys it; other devices will need the new password to open that layer again.

### Keep it recoverable *and* deniable <a href="#keep-it-recoverable-and-deniable" id="keep-it-recoverable-and-deniable"></a>

The tension is real: recovery keys make loss less likely, but a recovery key found on your device could hint that a vault has more than one layer. Store recovery keys **off the device** — a password manager on separate hardware, or a physical safe — so your device reveals nothing while your data stays recoverable.

> See also: [How Shadow Layers work](/drive-support/shadow-layers/how-shadow-layers-work.md) · [User Key, Recovery & Devices](/drive-support/concepts-in-1-minute/user-key-recovery-and-devices.md)