Vault does not lock?

Help Desktop App
1

I just installed Cryptomator on a windows 10 PC using OneDrive. I created a test file and saved it to a new subfolder in the vault. I checked I could open the file, closed it, locked the vault and closed the program, but:

I can still access the file from file explorer. I can also access it from another PC.

This might not be relevant but the virtual drive is not just a drive letter, which I expected - it is Foldername(\cryptomator-vault####\0QSI1vvn5-Yv) (Z:). Also the virtual drive does not disappear after locking the vault and closing down Cryptomator.

Any help is appreciated.

2

Welcome to the Cryptomator Community :slightly_smiling_face: ,

Please ensure, that you did not make a common mistake and placed the file at the wrong place. Using Cryptomator, there exists

  • the vault storage location, where Cryptomator stores your encrypted files.
    Example: C:\Users\JaneDough\OneDrive\mySecretFiles
  • and the access point, where you work on a decrytped view of the files
    Example: F:\

AccessVsStorage
AccessVsStorage2000×1048 314 KB

You have to place the files in the access location. And the virtual drive is just a drive letter, what you merely see is additional information in the explorer. When you close and reopen the explorer, the virtual drive should be gone. Also ensure, that you are on the most recent version of Cryptomator.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the reply.
I did not use the vault storage location - I saved the file to the newly created folder in OneDrive.

Based on you help - I tried saving directly to the access location but the file does not appear in OneDrive. I do not know if it matters, but in addition to the access location showing as a virtual drive, it also appears under Network when I look at File Explorer.

Also, does it matter how I use OneDrive - I do not have it set to automatically copy pictures, docs, etc. stored on my PC?

4

This is exactly the common mistake i tried to warn you about. To encrypt files, you must not work on the storage location, but work on the access location. In your case, the vault storage location is somewhere in OneDrive. The access location can be revealed with the reveal button in Cryptomator.

Yes, because the filename (and the whole directory structure in the vault) is encrytped.

As an example: If you place myPasswords.txt in the vault (via the access location), on the storage location a file with a random name and file extension .c9r is created, for example _oiuo9u222XmazfpobJlkj.c9r

It does not matter. Whatever you place directly into OneDrive does not concern Cryptomator, as long as you do not change files or directories in the vault storage location by yourself.

5

OK, I did this and found the c9r files in OneDrive.

I have a few, probably from attempting (setup and deleted vaults) to understand how this works. If I delete the current active vault and files stored in it, will the c9r files get deleted from OneDrive or can I delete them manually? I’d like to start with a clean slate.

Thanks again for the help.

6

No reply needed - figured out how to do this and have the app working on all of my devices.