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.
We guide you through setting up your Personal Vault with a strong authentication method or a second step of identity verification, such as your fingerprint, face, PIN, or a code sent to you via email or SMS. Your locked files in Personal Vault then have this extra layer of security, keeping them more secured in the event that someone gains access to your account or your device.
Important:
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Personal Vault is available for OneDrive home and personal plans, not available in OneDrive for business, or work and school accounts. For more information, see plans here.
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Personal Vault is available fromOneDrive on the web, the mobile app, and from your Windows 10 PC.
Personal Vault automatically locks after a period of inactivity and then you need to unlock it to get at your files again. All your documents, photos, and videos in Personal Vault are easy to access from onedrive.com, your PC, or other capable devices.
Set up OneDrive Personal Vault
Personal Vault is a special folder in your OneDrive that’s protected by an extra layer of security. You’ll need to set it up separately on each device where you want to use it.
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The first time you see Personal Vault in your OneDrive, you'll see a message where you can select Get started.
If you don't see the message or you dismissed it, browse to your OneDriveand select the Personal Vault folder.
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Read about Personal Vault and select Next or Continue (It varies depending on your device).
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In the Verify your identity dialog box, verify your account info and make note of your email address in case you want it for the next step. Then select Verify.
Note:On the OneDrive mobile app, you'll be asked to sign in to OneDrive first before you see the next screen.
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Choose a verification method. For example, select Text and follow the instructions to send yourself a text message on your phone.
If you're using text or email, you'll need to find the text or email message and type in the code that you were sent.
Note:If you don't receive a code, you may have to adjust your account information. For example, make sure your mobile phone number is filled in for your account.
Upload files or folders to Personal Vault
If you don't have a subscription to Microsoft 365 Family or Personal, you can only addup to three files in your Personal Vault. If you do have asubscription, you can add as many files as you want (up to your storage limit).
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In your OneDrive, select the Personal Vault folder.
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If you're prompted, sign in with your selected identity verification method. For example, select Text and follow the instructions to send yourself a text message on your phone.
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Select Upload.
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Select the files you want to upload, and then select Open.
Tips:
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You can use the OneDrive mobile app to scan documents, take pictures, or shoot video directly into your Personal Vault, keeping them off less secure areas of your device—such as your camera roll.
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In the Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser, you can upload folders from the Folder option on the Upload menu, or drag folders to the website.
Move files to Personal Vault
You can move files that are already in your OneDrive to your Personal Vault.
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In your OneDrive, select the Personal Vault folder.
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If you're prompted, sign in with your selected identity verification method. For example, select Text and follow the instructions to send yourself a text message on your phone.
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Select Move from.
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Select the files you want to move into Personal Vault, and then select Move items (or drag the items to your open Personal Vault).
Note:If you don't have an Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription, you can only addup to three files in your Personal Vault. If you do have asubscription, you can add as many files as you want (up to your storage limit).
Unlock your Personal Vault
For security, your Personal Vault automatically locks when you're not actively using it. You can change how long OneDrive waits before locking. Here's how to unlock it.
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In your OneDrive, select the Personal Vault folder.
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Verify your identity by choosing a verification method. For example, select Text and follow the instructions to send yourself a text message on your phone.
If you're using text or email, you'll need to find the text or email message that you were sent and type in the code that you were sent.
You can unlock Personal Vault with theMicrosoft Authenticator app. The app doesn't need Internet access to generate an access code.
Lock your Personal Vault
You can lock your Personal Vault at any time.
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In your OneDrive, select the Personal Vault folder.
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Select the Personal Vault options icon, and then select Lock.
Disable Personal Vault
Disabling Personal Vault permanently deletes any files that are in your Personal Vault at the time you disable it. You won't be able to recover these files later.
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In your OneDrive, select Settings
> Options, and then select Personal Vault from the left navigation. -
Select the Disable Personal Vault slider to disable Personal Vault.
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If you're sure you want to disable Personal Vault and delete all files and folders inside Personal Vault, select Disable.
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Because disabling Personal Vault deletes your files and you won't be able to restore them, we ask you one more time. If you're sure, select Disable again.
> Options, and then select Personal Vault from the left navigation.Frequently asked questions
You will see the Personal Vault icon in your OneDrive folders or when you click the OneDrive taskbar icon.
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Windows 10 (Version 1903 or newer)
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Android 6 (or newer)
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iOS 11.3 (or newer)
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A web browser withthe latest version of Edge, Chrome,orFirefox. For added security,use the In-Private or Incognito modeofyour browser.
Personal Vault is a protected area in OneDrive that you can only access with a strong authentication method or a second step of identity verification, such as your fingerprint, face, PIN, or a code from the Microsoft Authenticator app, or a code sent to you via email or SMS.
Learn more about two-step verification.
Because your Personal Vault is a secure folder, it appears as a shortcut in your file list, rather than the folder list:
On a mobile app, you'll see it in the folder list.
To ensure privacy,Personal Vault items do not appear in search results.
For your protection, your OneDrivePersonal Vault will automatically lock after a period of time. This means that access to files or playing videos from your Personal Vault will stop.
On the web, your Personal Vault will lock after 20 minutes of inactivity.
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Open OneDrive settings (select the OneDrive cloud iconin your notification area, and then select the OneDrive Help and Settings icon thenSettings.)
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Go to theAccounttab.
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Under Personal Vault, select the lock wait time.
On a mobile device, your Personal Vault will lock after 3 minutes of inactivity, but you can change this by going to Me > Settings > Personal Vault > Auto-lock or Inactivity lock and selecting a different duration.
Yes (subject to the normal OneDrive file type limitations).Personal Vault is just a place in OneDrive with an extra layer of security.
Note:We are aware of an issue where old Word docs (e.g. filename.doc) cannot be opened from PersonalVault. Word documents saved in the latest format are OK.
No.You need to move the file out of thePersonalVault to share it.
If you don't have an Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription, you can only addup to three files in your Personal Vault. If you do have asubscription, you can add as many files as you want (up to your storage limit).
Mobile and OneDrive.com: Files deleted from your Personal Vault aren't visible in your recycle bin unless your Personal Vault is unlocked. When your Personal Vault is unlocked, the recycle bin files become visible.
Windows 10: Files deleted from your Personal Vault using your PC are permanently deleted and do not appear in your PC recycle bin.However, you can find the files in your OneDrive.com recycle bin as long as the files were already uploaded to OneDrive.
No.Disabling Personal Vault permanently deletes any files that are in your Personal Vault at the time you disable it.
Two-step verification is required to gain access to Personal Vault.
At this time, Personal Vault on Windows 10 doesn't protect the names or hashes of the files in your Personal Vault when the Vault is locked. The OneDrive team is aware of this limitation and committed to extending protection to these attributes in a future update.
When a Personal Vault file has been opened in a Windows application, the name of the file may appear in that application's Recent list and in other locations throughout Windows. Consider opening Personal Vault files on OneDrive.com to avoid this behavior.
Microsoft’s two-step verification helps protect you by making it more difficult for someone else to sign in to your Microsoft account. It uses two different forms of identity: your password, and a contact method. Even if someone else finds your password, they'll be stopped if they don't have access to your security info. If you turn on two-step verification, you’ll get a security code to your email, phone, or authenticator app every time you sign in on a device that you haven't designated as trusted. Two-step verification is applied to all of your apps that require sign-in with Microsoft account. This can be a lot of friction for some users.
Personal Vault offers low friction and quick access to an area of OneDrive that has an extra layer of security for your most important files. For more information see:how to use two-step verification.
If you already have two-step verification on your Microsoft account, then Personal Vault adds a few more security benefits, including:
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Files in Personal Vault files are encrypted using BitLocker when in use locally on a Windows 10 PC
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Files in Personal Vault are not stored unprotected or cached on your PC, on your device, or in the browser
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Sharing of files in Personal Vault is blocked, meaning you can’t accidentally share a file from Personal Vault
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Personal Vault automatically locks after a set number of minutes (Automatic locking interval varies by device and you can set it)
Editing Office documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc) in your Personal Vault is supported only on a PC or on the web.
Ona mobile app, you can view documents, but you need to move a document out of your Personal Vault to edit it.
Some customers may see that their Personal Vault folder displays text in the wrong language. This is because of a difference between your OneDrive language settings and your PC language settings.
We have started to deploy a fix, but there are two workarounds immediately available:
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Change your Microsoft Account Profile language settingsto match your PC language settings (Start > Settings > Display Language).
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Rename your Personal Vault folder:
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Sign in toOneDrive.com.
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Unlock your Personal Vault folder.
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Choose Rename fromthe top menu bar.This will synchronize your language settings.
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On your computer, thumbnails are hidden for privacy.
On a web browser and your mobile, thumbnails are visible.
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As an expert in cloud storage and security protocols, I can confidently delve into the details of the OneDrive Personal Vault, a secure area designed to safeguard your most critical files and photos. Let's break down the key concepts and procedures outlined in the article:
1. Setting Up OneDrive Personal Vault:
- Personal Vault is exclusive to OneDrive home and personal plans, not available for business or work/school accounts.
- Accessible on the web, mobile app, and Windows 10 PC.
- Requires a strong authentication method or a second step of identity verification (fingerprint, face, PIN, or a code via email or SMS).
2. Uploading Files to Personal Vault:
- Limited to three files for non-subscribers; subscribers can add files up to their storage limit.
- Files can be uploaded through the OneDrive mobile app, and additional features like document scanning are available.
3. Moving Files to Personal Vault:
- Similar to uploading, moving files into Personal Vault requires identity verification.
- Limitations on the number of files based on subscription type.
4. Locking and Unlocking Personal Vault:
- Personal Vault automatically locks after a period of inactivity.
- Users can manually lock and unlock the vault.
- Various identity verification methods, including the Microsoft Authenticator app.
5. Disabling Personal Vault:
- Disabling permanently deletes files in the vault; irreversible action with a warning.
- Verification steps to prevent accidental deletion.
6. Personal Vault Characteristics:
- Appears as a shortcut rather than a standard folder for added security.
- Items in Personal Vault do not appear in search results for privacy.
- Lock wait time can be customized for added flexibility.
7. Two-Step Verification:
- Required for accessing Personal Vault.
- Microsoft's two-step verification enhances overall account security by using a password and a contact method.
- Personal Vault offers a streamlined and secure access experience compared to standard two-step verification.
8. Additional Security Benefits of Personal Vault:
- Files in Personal Vault are encrypted using BitLocker on a Windows 10 PC.
- Files are not stored unprotected or cached locally, enhancing security.
- Sharing of files in Personal Vault is restricted.
- Automatic locking after a set number of minutes.
9. Editing Documents in Personal Vault:
- Full editing of Office documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) supported on a PC or the web.
- Limited editing capabilities on mobile apps; documents need to be moved out for editing.
10. Troubleshooting and Language Settings:
- Some users may encounter language display issues, with suggested workarounds.
- Privacy features, such as hidden thumbnails on a computer, differ from web browsers and mobile devices.
This comprehensive overview should provide users with a solid understanding of the functionalities, security measures, and best practices associated with OneDrive Personal Vault.
