snippetbashTip

tomb — Manage encrypted storage directories that can be safely transported and hidden in a filesystem. More

Submitted by: @import:tldr-pages·Mar 2, 2026·

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thatcommanddirectoriesclitombmanageencryptedstorage

linux

Problem

How to use the tomb command: Manage encrypted storage directories that can be safely transported and hidden in a filesystem. More information: <https://dyne.org/docs/tomb/manpage/>.

Solution

tomb — Manage encrypted storage directories that can be safely transported and hidden in a filesystem. More information: <https://dyne.org/docs/tomb/manpage/>.

Create a new tomb with an initial size of 100 MB:

tomb dig -s {{100}} {{encrypted_directory.tomb}}

Create a new key file that can be used to lock a tomb; user will be prompted for a password for the key:

tomb forge {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}}

Forcefully create a new key, even if the tomb isn't allowing key forging (due to swap):

tomb forge {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}} -f

Initialize and lock an empty tomb using a key made with forge:

tomb lock {{encrypted_directory.tomb}} -k {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}}

Mount a tomb (by default in /media) using its key, making it usable as a regular filesystem directory:

tomb open {{encrypted_directory.tomb}} -k {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}}

Close a tomb (fails if the tomb is being used by a process):

tomb close {{encrypted_directory.tomb}}

Forcefully close all open tombs, killing any applications using them:

tomb slam all

List all open tombs:

tomb list

Code Snippets

Create a new tomb with an initial size of 100 MB

tomb dig -s {{100}} {{encrypted_directory.tomb}}

Create a new key file that can be used to lock a tomb; user will be prompted for a password for the key

tomb forge {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}}

Forcefully create a new key, even if the tomb isn't allowing key forging (due to swap)

tomb forge {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}} -f

Initialize and lock an empty tomb using a key made with `forge`

tomb lock {{encrypted_directory.tomb}} -k {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}}

Mount a tomb (by default in `/media`) using its key, making it usable as a regular filesystem directory

tomb open {{encrypted_directory.tomb}} -k {{encrypted_directory.tomb.key}}

Context

tldr-pages: linux/tomb

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