Apps Lock and Unlock OneDrive Personal Vault in Windows 11 and Windows 10

This tutorial will show you how to manually lock and unlock your OneDrive Personal Vault for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

You can use OneDrive to sync files and folders between your computer and the cloud, so you can get to your files from anywhere - your computer, your mobile device, and even through the OneDrive website at OneDrive.live.com. If you add, change, or delete a file or folder in your OneDrive folder, the file or folder is added, changed, or deleted on the OneDrive website and vice versa. You can work with your synced files directly in File Explorer and access your files even when you’re offline. Whenever you’re online, any changes that you or others make will sync automatically.

Personal Vault is a protected area in OneDrive where you can store your most important or sensitive files and photos without sacrificing the convenience of anywhere access.

Your locked files in Personal Vault have an extra layer of security keeping them more secured in the event that someone gains access to your account or your device.

Personal Vault is available from OneDrive on the web, the mobile app, and from your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. You’ll need to set it up separately on each device where you want to use it.

Personal Vault automatically locks after a period of inactivity and then you need to unlock it to get at your files again. You can manually lock and unlock your Personal Vault at any time.

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EXAMPLE: OneDrive Personal Vault locked and unlocked







1 Click/tap on Lock Personal Vault on the "Still Using Your Personal Vault" notification for the auto lock inactivity timeout.







1 Click/tap on the OneDrive notification icon on the taskbar system tray. (see screenshots below step 2)

2 Perform one of the available options below you want to lock or unlock your Personal Vault: (see screenshots below)

• Click/tap on the Help & Settings (gear) button, and click/tap on Unlock Personal Vault.
• Click/tap on Lock Personal Vault.
• Click/tap on the Help & Settings (gear) button, and click/tap on Lock Personal Vault.

3 If locked, you will see a Personal Vault Locked notification below to confirm.


4 If unlocked, select a sign-in option to verify your identity to open your Personal Vault folder. (see screenshot below)






1 Open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer (Win+E).

2 Click/tap on your locked Personal Vault folder. (see screenshot below)


3 Select a sign-in option to verify your identity to open your Personal Vault folder. (see screenshot below)






1 Open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer (Win+E).

2 Right click on your locked Personal Vault folder. (see screenshots below step 3)

3 Click/tap on OneDrive, and click/tap on Lock Personal Vault or Unlock Personal Vault. (see screenshots below)


4 If locked, you will see a Personal Vault Locked notification below to confirm.


5 If unlocked, select a sign-in option to verify your identity to open your Personal Vault folder. (see screenshot below)



That's it,
Shawn Brink