diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Archive.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Archive.hs
index 86c2176f6..f4bcc5ca4 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Archive.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Archive.hs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ where
 import qualified Codec.Archive.Zip as Z
 import Control.Monad.Except
 import Control.Monad.Reader
+import Data.Functor (($>))
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import qualified Database.SQLite3 as SQL
 import Simplex.Chat.Controller
@@ -123,16 +124,16 @@ sqlCipherExport DBEncryptionConfig {currentKey = DBEncryptionKey key, newKey = D
       atomically $ writeTVar dbEnc $ not (null key')
       where
         withDB a err =
-          liftIO (bracket (SQL.open $ T.pack f) SQL.close a)
-            `catch` (\(e :: SQL.SQLError) -> log' e >> checkSQLError e)
-            `catch` (\(e :: SomeException) -> log' e >> throwSQLError e)
+          liftIO (bracket (SQL.open $ T.pack f) SQL.close a $> Nothing)
+            `catch` checkSQLError
+            `catch` (\(e :: SomeException) -> sqliteError' e)
+            >>= mapM_ (throwDBError . err)
           where
-            log' e = liftIO . putStrLn $ "Database error: " <> show e
             checkSQLError e = case SQL.sqlError e of
-              SQL.ErrorNotADatabase -> throwDBError $ err SQLiteErrorNotADatabase
-              _ -> throwSQLError e
-            throwSQLError :: Show e => e -> m ()
-            throwSQLError = throwDBError . err . SQLiteError . show
+              SQL.ErrorNotADatabase -> pure $ Just SQLiteErrorNotADatabase
+              _ -> sqliteError' e
+            sqliteError' :: Show e => e -> m (Maybe SQLiteError)
+            sqliteError' = pure . Just . SQLiteError . show
         exportSQL =
           T.unlines $
             keySQL key
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/View.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/View.hs
index 7fa7d0ac3..fbf9878c6 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/View.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/View.hs
@@ -946,6 +946,8 @@ viewChatError = \case
   ChatErrorDatabase err -> case err of
     DBErrorEncrypted -> ["error: chat database is already encrypted"]
     DBErrorPlaintext -> ["error: chat database is not encrypted"]
+    DBErrorExport e -> ["error encrypting database: " <> sqliteError' e]
+    DBErrorOpen e -> ["error opening database after encryption: " <> sqliteError' e]
     e -> ["chat database error: " <> sShow e]
   ChatErrorAgent err -> case err of
     SMP SMP.AUTH ->
@@ -958,6 +960,9 @@ viewChatError = \case
     e -> ["smp agent error: " <> sShow e]
   where
     fileNotFound fileId = ["file " <> sShow fileId <> " not found"]
+    sqliteError' = \case
+      SQLiteErrorNotADatabase -> "wrong passphrase or invalid database file"
+      SQLiteError e -> sShow e
 
 ttyContact :: ContactName -> StyledString
 ttyContact = styled $ colored Green
diff --git a/tests/ChatTests.hs b/tests/ChatTests.hs
index 6a6ea4ac7..983258fd4 100644
--- a/tests/ChatTests.hs
+++ b/tests/ChatTests.hs
@@ -2788,6 +2788,8 @@ testDatabaseEncryption = withTmpFiles $ do
       testChatWorking alice bob
       alice ##> "/_stop"
       alice <## "chat stopped"
+      alice ##> "/db password wrongkey nextkey"
+      alice <## "error encrypting database: wrong passphrase or invalid database file"
       alice ##> "/db password mykey nextkey"
       alice <## "ok"
       alice ##> "/_db encryption {\"currentKey\":\"nextkey\",\"newKey\":\"anotherkey\"}"