# Open, use and lock a vault on Mac

> Unlock a vault in PhantomVault, work in Finder and eject it when you finish.

Document ID: phantom-help:phantomvault/open-lock-mac
Product: PhantomVault
Platforms: macOS
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/open-lock-mac.md
Human guide: https://phantomsecure.app/help/phantomvault/open-lock-mac/
Agent guide: https://llms.phantomsecure.app/phantomvault/open-lock-mac/
Documentation index: https://phantomsecure.app/llms.txt
Full handbook: https://phantomsecure.app/llms-full.txt

## Open a remembered vault

1. Open PhantomVault and complete any configured calendar opening or App Access step.
2. Select the vault in the library, or use its three-dot menu and choose **Unlock Vault**.
3. Enter its passphrase and choose **Unlock**, or follow the prompts for its registered security key. If you enrolled this vault for Touch ID, **Unlock with Touch ID** may also be available.
4. Wait for the vault to open in Finder.

For a vault outside the remembered list, use **Open Vault** or the empty-library **Open Existing Vault** control, then select its vault file or movie carrier. A successful authenticated open adds it to the list.

## Work with files in Finder

The unlocked vault is a mounted volume. Use Finder to create folders, copy files in and open files with compatible apps. Save edits back to the mounted volume to keep them inside the vault.

Copying a file into the vault does not delete its original. Copying a file out makes a readable copy outside the vault. Files opened in another app are also subject to that app's own saving and recent-file behavior.

If you close the Finder window, the vault can remain unlocked. Use the vault's menu → **Show in Finder** to reopen its window.

## Lock and eject

1. Finish saving files and close documents that are using the vault.
2. In PhantomVault, open its three-dot menu and choose **Lock & Eject**.
3. Wait until the vault is shown as locked and the mounted volume is gone.

**LOCK TRACKED** on the main vault screen locks the open vaults currently tracked by this app. It is useful when you have finished with all of them.

If locking fails, close apps or Finder operations still using the volume, then retry. Treat the vault as open until locking succeeds. **Retry Locking Vaults** appears when app-level locking could not finish.

## Remove an entry without deleting the vault

Choose **Remove from Remembered List…** and confirm. The app locks the vault and forgets its entry; the carrier file and encryption keys stay in place. You can add it again with **Open Existing Vault**.

This is different from deleting the actual vault file in Finder. Keep a backup before removing files you may need later.

## Calendar return and App Access

**Return to Calendar** conceals the private interface. Whether open Mac vaults also lock follows **Settings → App Access → Lock Open Vaults with the App**. Enable that setting if you want app locking to eject them. You can always use **Lock & Eject** explicitly before returning. See [App Access](https://phantomsecure.app/help/phantomvault/app-access.txt).