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Update Keycard Shell in air gapped mode
29 Jan 2026

Updating your Keycard Shell in air gapped mode helps maintain the security of your device by minimizing its exposure to online threats during the update.

note
To update your Keycard Shell via the browser, read Update Keycard Shell online.

In addition to your Keycard and Keycard Shell, you need a computer to access the update files ↗, a USB drive to transfer the files, and an air-gapped computer (a computer that is not connected to the internet).

Make sure you enable data transfer on your Keycard Shell before starting the update process.

note

If you use Linux, you must add the following udev rule to the file /etc/udev/rules.d/50-keycardshell.rules to grant the required permissions.

ACTION!="remove", KERNEL=="hidraw*", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1209", ATTRS{idProduct}=="21f7", MODE="0660", TAG+="uaccess"

The update page displays the latest available firmware and database versions. Your Keycard Shell may already be up to date on one or both of these versions. Download the update you need to install.

  1. 1
    Open the update page at https://shell.keycard.tech/update ↗. Before you continue, confirm the URL is exactly https://shell.keycard.tech/update.
  2. 2
    Click Update in air-gapped mode.
  3. 3
    Click Download Shell Updater. To download for a different operating system, click Expand ⌵ and select the preferred option.
  4. 4
    Click Download firmware.
  5. 5
    Click Download database.
  6. 6
    Optionally, verify the integrity of the downloaded files using the SHA256 checksums shown on the update page.
  7. 7
    Transfer the downloaded files to your air-gapped computer using a verified and secure USB drive.

  1. 1
    On your air-gapped computer, unzip and run the updater application.
  2. 2
    Under Database Update, click Select local file and select the database file on your USB drive.
  3. 3
    On your Keycard Shell, confirm the database update by pressing OK.
  4. 4
    Return to the updater, click Back to home.
  5. 5
    Under Firmware Update, click Select local file and select the firmware file on your USB drive.
  6. 6
    On your Keycard Shell, confirm the firmware update by pressing OK.
tip
After the update, disable data transfer on your Keycard Shell to ensure it remains air-gapped.
Last edited
29 Jan 2026