# Back up and transfer a vault

> Preserve the complete encrypted file, keep its required keys and use one device at a time.

Document ID: phantom-help:phantomvault/backup-transfer
Product: PhantomVault
Platforms: macOS and iOS
Updated: 2026-11-02
Availability: Preview-build instructions.
Tested app version: Not recorded
Tested build: Not recorded
Tested OS version: Not recorded

Source: https://llms.phantomsecure.app/phantomvault/backup-transfer.md
Human guide: https://phantomsecure.app/help/phantomvault/backup-transfer/
Agent guide: https://llms.phantomsecure.app/phantomvault/backup-transfer/
Documentation index: https://phantomsecure.app/llms.txt
Full handbook: https://phantomsecure.app/llms-full.txt

## What you need to keep

A usable vault needs its complete carrier file, its password or registered security key, any required additional custody key, and compatible current key state. The remembered library entry is only a way to find the file. It is not a backup.

Keep a current encrypted copy in a separate location. Make sure you know which file is the active copy. Copies share the vault's identity; they are not independent vaults that can safely diverge.

## Make a current encrypted copy

On Mac, save and close documents, choose **Lock & Eject**, then copy the complete carrier in Finder. On iPhone or iPad, choose **Export Encrypted Vault** from the vault card's menu or the unlocked vault's **File actions** menu, and save the copy to a separate destination.

A movie carrier must be copied as a file. Do not trim, convert, recompress or upload it through a photo/video service that changes its bytes.

## Move between Mac, iPhone and iPad

1. Finish work on the first device and lock the vault. On Mac, wait for **Lock & Eject** to finish.
2. On iOS, resolve **Changes waiting to save** before switching devices.
3. Let the complete file finish copying or synchronizing. Allow iCloud Keychain to sync as well.
4. On the destination, use **Open Vault** on Mac or **Open Vault from Files** on iOS.
5. Unlock with the original password or registered key and any required additional protection.
6. Confirm your latest files are present before continuing work.

Do not edit the same vault simultaneously on multiple devices. The app does not merge divergent vaults or provide a distributed editing lock.

## Portability limits

**This Mac** protection remains tied to its original Mac; copying its file does not move that key. Optional **iCloud** or **Require iCloud Keychain** custody requires the matching synchronized key. Touch ID enrollment and remembered file locations are local and may need to be set up again.

The apps also check synchronized freshness state to reject older or conflicting versions. An older snapshot may be refused after the vault has advanced. A historical encrypted backup is therefore not a promise that any past version can be restored independently. Keep a current copy and do not delete key state to force an older file to open.

## Switching Mac app editions

Standalone PhantomVault and the PhantomSecure suite keep separate remembered lists, app-access settings and Touch ID enrollments. Lock and eject in the originating app, then explicitly select the carrier with **Open Vault** in the other app. Access in the destination also requires that edition's applicable subscription or entitlement.

## Before deleting an app or replacing a device

Save an encrypted copy outside app-owned local storage, preserve the required password or key, and verify legitimate access from the destination while the original device is still available. Never assume an app reinstall, Apple subscription restoration or a copied movie alone restores all vault keys.