diff --git a/bolt.go b/bolt.go
index 0705e4b..beecde6 100644
--- a/bolt.go
+++ b/bolt.go
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ func Bolt_DeleteBucket(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, delBucket string) error {
 	})
 }
 
-func Bolt_SetItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key, val string) error {
+func Bolt_SetItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key, val []byte) error {
 	if len(browse) == 0 {
 		return errors.New("Can't create top-level items")
 	}
@@ -107,11 +107,11 @@ func Bolt_SetItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key, val string) error {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		return bucket.Put([]byte(key), []byte(val))
+		return bucket.Put(key, val)
 	})
 }
 
-func Bolt_DeleteItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key string) error {
+func Bolt_DeleteItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key []byte) error {
 	if len(browse) == 0 {
 		return errors.New("Can't create top-level items")
 	}
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ func Bolt_DeleteItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key string) error {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		return bucket.Delete([]byte(key))
+		return bucket.Delete(key)
 	})
 }
 
@@ -155,14 +155,13 @@ func Bolt_BucketStats(db *bolt.DB, browse []string) (string, error) {
 	return string(jBytes), err
 }
 
-func Bolt_ListBuckets(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, cb func(b string)) error {
+func Bolt_ListBuckets(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, cb func(b string) error) error {
 
 	if len(browse) == 0 {
 		// root mode
 		return db.View(func(tx *bolt.Tx) error {
 			return tx.ForEach(func(k []byte, _ *bolt.Bucket) error {
-				cb(string(k))
-				return nil
+				return cb(string(k))
 			})
 		})
 
@@ -173,7 +172,7 @@ func Bolt_ListBuckets(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, cb func(b string)) error {
 		return bucket.ForEach(func(k, v []byte) error {
 			// non-nil v means it's a data item
 			if v == nil {
-				cb(string(k))
+				return cb(string(k))
 			}
 			return nil
 		})
@@ -181,7 +180,7 @@ func Bolt_ListBuckets(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, cb func(b string)) error {
 }
 
 type ListItemInfo struct {
-	Name    string
+	Name    []byte
 	DataLen int64
 }
 
@@ -198,17 +197,22 @@ func Bolt_ListItems(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, cb func(ListItemInfo) error) e
 				return nil // nil v means it's a bucket, skip
 			}
 
-			return cb(ListItemInfo{string(k), int64(len(v))})
+			kcopy := make([]byte, len(k))
+			copy(kcopy, k)
+
+			return cb(ListItemInfo{kcopy, int64(len(v))})
 		})
 	})
 }
 
-func Bolt_GetItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key string) (string, error) {
-	var ret string
+func Bolt_GetItem(db *bolt.DB, browse []string, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	var ret []byte
 
 	err := withBrowse_ReadOnly(db, browse, func(tx *bolt.Tx, bucket *bolt.Bucket) error {
 		d := bucket.Get([]byte(key))
-		ret = string(d)
+
+		ret = make([]byte, len(d))
+		copy(ret, d)
 		return nil
 	})
 	return ret, err
diff --git a/mainwindow.go b/mainwindow.go
index c72ae07..75ea6fd 100644
--- a/mainwindow.go
+++ b/mainwindow.go
@@ -153,15 +153,17 @@ func (this *MainWindow) refreshBucketTree(itm *qt.QTreeWidgetItem) {
 		i -= 1
 	}
 
-	err := Bolt_ListBuckets(ws.bdb, ws.browse, func(qba string) {
+	err := Bolt_ListBuckets(ws.bdb, ws.browse, func(qba string) error {
 
 		child := qt.NewQTreeWidgetItem6(itm) // NewQTreeWidgetItem()
-		child.SetText(0, getDisplayName(qba))
+		child.SetText(0, getDisplayName([]byte(qba)))
 		child.SetData(0, BinaryDataRole, qt.NewQVariant12([]byte(qba)))
 		child.SetIcon(0, qt.NewQIcon4(":/rsrc/table.png"))
 
 		itm.AddChild(child)
 		this.refreshBucketTree(child)
+
+		return nil
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		this.alert(fmt.Sprintf("Error listing buckets under %s: %s", strings.Join(ws.browse, `/`), err.Error()))
@@ -340,7 +342,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) getSelection(itm *qt.QTreeWidgetItem) windowSelection {
 	return windowSelection{itm: itm, top: top, browse: browse, bdb: bdb}
 }
 
-func (this *MainWindow) openEditor(bdb *bolt.DB, saveAs []string, saveAsKey string, currentContent []byte) {
+func (this *MainWindow) openEditor(bdb *bolt.DB, saveAs []string, saveAsKey []byte, currentContent []byte) {
 	iw := NewItemWindowUi()
 
 	iw.contentArea.SetPlainText(string(currentContent))
@@ -349,7 +351,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) openEditor(bdb *bolt.DB, saveAs []string, saveAsKey stri
 	iw.ItemWindow.OnFinished(func(exitCode int) {
 		if exitCode == int(qt.QDialog__Accepted) {
 
-			err := Bolt_SetItem(bdb, saveAs, saveAsKey, iw.contentArea.ToPlainText())
+			err := Bolt_SetItem(bdb, saveAs, saveAsKey, []byte(iw.contentArea.ToPlainText()))
 			if err != nil {
 				this.alert(fmt.Sprintf("Error saving item content: %s", err.Error()))
 			}
@@ -370,7 +372,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) on_bucketData_doubleClicked(index *qt.QModelIndex) {
 
 	// Get item key
 
-	key := string(index.DataWithRole(BinaryDataRole).ToByteArray())
+	key := index.DataWithRole(BinaryDataRole).ToByteArray()
 
 	// DB lookup
 	content, err := Bolt_GetItem(ws.bdb, ws.browse, key)
@@ -414,7 +416,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) on_actionDelete_bucket_triggered() {
 	}
 
 	// Prompt for confirmation
-	bucketToDelete := string(ws.itm.Data(0, BinaryDataRole).ToByteArray())
+	bucketToDelete := ws.itm.Data(0, BinaryDataRole).ToByteArray()
 	if qt.QMessageBox_Question2(
 		this.Widget(),
 		"Delete bucket",
@@ -433,7 +435,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) on_actionDelete_bucket_triggered() {
 		ws.browse = ws.browse[0 : len(ws.browse)-1]
 	}
 
-	err := Bolt_DeleteBucket(ws.bdb, ws.browse, bucketToDelete)
+	err := Bolt_DeleteBucket(ws.bdb, ws.browse, string(bucketToDelete))
 	if err != nil {
 		this.alert(fmt.Sprintf("Error removing bucket: %s", err.Error()))
 		return
@@ -458,7 +460,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) on_AddDataButton_clicked() {
 		return
 	}
 
-	this.openEditor(ws.bdb, ws.browse, name, []byte(""))
+	this.openEditor(ws.bdb, ws.browse, []byte(name), []byte(""))
 }
 
 func (this *MainWindow) on_DeleteDataButton_clicked() {
@@ -479,7 +481,7 @@ func (this *MainWindow) on_DeleteDataButton_clicked() {
 
 	var i int = len(selection)
 	for i > 0 {
-		err := Bolt_DeleteItem(ws.bdb, ws.browse, string(selection[i-1].Data(0, BinaryDataRole).ToByteArray()))
+		err := Bolt_DeleteItem(ws.bdb, ws.browse, selection[i-1].Data(0, BinaryDataRole).ToByteArray())
 		if err != nil {
 			this.alert(fmt.Sprintf("Error removing item: %s", err.Error()))
 			return
diff --git a/util.go b/util.go
index 5545995..7418981 100644
--- a/util.go
+++ b/util.go
@@ -1,5 +1,18 @@
 package main
 
+import (
+	"strconv"
+)
+
+func getDisplayName(qba []byte) string {
+	if len(qba) ==0 {
+		return "<empty>"
+	}
+
+	ret := strconv.Quote(string(qba))
+	return ret[1 : len(ret)-1]
+}
+
 // ReverseSlice reverses a slice.
 // @ref https://stackoverflow.com/a/28058324
 func ReverseSlice[S ~[]E, E any](s S)  {