Buttercup

What is Buttercup?

Buttercup is a password manager for macOS that helps users store logins, secure notes, and other sensitive information in encrypted vaults. It is designed for people who want a native desktop app to manage credentials locally or connect vaults through supported storage services. On Mac, users commonly use it to organize website accounts, application credentials, and personal records in grouped vault entries. Buttercup supports editing entries with standard fields and custom fields, searching saved items, and opening existing vaults across devices when using compatible storage workflows. The desktop app is built with Electron, making it a cross-platform tool that is also available for Windows and Linux. Buttercup was created by Perry Mitchell and has been distributed as a free and open-source password management app.

Key features

• Store passwords, secure notes, and other secrets in encrypted vaults
• Organize entries into groups for accounts, projects, or personal records
• Create and edit records with standard fields and custom fields
• Search saved credentials to find entries quickly
• Open and manage vaults stored locally or through supported remote storage
• Use the same vault workflows across macOS, Windows, and Linux

Safety overview

Status: Mostly safe

Buttercup is a legitimate password manager, so handling sensitive data is central to its purpose. That means the practical risk is not unusual system behavior, but the importance of protecting your vault password and any synced storage you connect. If you use it, choose a strong unique master password, keep backups of important vaults, and be careful not to share vault files or recovery details.

Recommendation: Keep Buttercup if you actively use it to manage passwords or secure notes. Remove it if you no longer use its vaults, but make sure you have exported or backed up any important credentials first because uninstalling the app does not replace access planning for your stored secrets.

Common paths

• /Applications/Buttercup.app

Cache paths

• /private/tmp/Buttercup/vaults-offline.cache.json
• ~/Library/Logs/Buttercup-nodejs

Support paths

• ~/Library/Application Support/Buttercup/vaults.json

Preference paths

• ~/Library/Preferences/Buttercup/desktop.config.json

Related can I delete pages

• ~/Library/Application Support/Buttercup
• ~/Library/Logs/Buttercup-nodejs
• ~/Library/Preferences/Buttercup

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