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No. We never see your password, and there is no way to reset it. If you lose your vault password, the encrypted files cannot be decrypted. We strongly recommend using a password manager to store your vault password safely.

Your encrypted files are stored in the directory you chose when creating or opening the vault. This is typically a folder inside your cloud storage (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) or any other location on your Mac. Ovik never moves your vault. While a vault is unlocked, Ovik keeps a temporary encrypted working copy inside its own app container and deletes it when you lock the vault.

When you create a vault, Ovik adds a short plain-text file that says the folder is an encrypted vault, warns not to rename, move or edit the files inside, and links to this website. It contains no vault name, date, user name or other personal information.

Ovik never reads this file, so deleting it doesn't affect the vault. If you came across this file and the vault isn't yours, leave the folder as it is: only someone with the password can open it.

Yes. Ovik uses the openly documented Cryptomator vault format (version 8), so the same vault folder opens in Cryptomator on your other devices with the same password, and vaults you created with Cryptomator open in Ovik.

Before you unlock a vault on another device, let your cloud service finish syncing. Avoid editing the same file on two devices at the same time, or your cloud service may create conflicting copies.

Ovik's Finder extension needs to be enabled in System Settings. Where to find it depends on your macOS version:

• macOS 15.2 or later: System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → File Providers
• macOS 15.0–15.1: an Apple bug hides this setting. Please update macOS to 15.2 or later.
• macOS 14 Sonoma: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Added Extensions

Make sure Ovik is enabled there. If you just installed it, you may need to restart Finder or log out and back in.

When you create a vault or change its password, the password must be at least 12 characters and strong enough to be hard to guess. Ovik shows a strength meter as you type. There are no rules about symbols or numbers, so a passphrase of several unrelated words works well. A new password must also differ from the old one.

Unlocking never checks password strength, so existing vaults with weaker passwords, such as ones created in Cryptomator, still open.

On a Mac with Touch ID, it turns on by itself the first time you unlock a vault with its password.

To turn it off for a vault, open Ovik → Settings → Security and click Disable next to the vault. This deletes the saved password, and Ovik won't turn Touch ID back on for that vault by itself. To turn it on again, click Enable: it takes effect right away if the vault is unlocked, otherwise at your next password unlock.

If you change your enrolled fingerprints, unlock with your password again.

Open Ovik → Settings → General. Under Auto-Lock After Idle, choose 1, 5, 15 or 30 minutes (it is off by default). Lock on Screen Lock / Sleep is on by default.

You can also lock all vaults from the menu bar icon, or with a global shortcut you can set up in the same tab.

Closing the window keeps Ovik running in the menu bar, and unlocked vaults stay unlocked.

Quitting Ovik locks all vaults first. If a file in a vault is still in use, Ovik lets you cancel or force the lock.

Not completely. Ovik keeps a backup of the old key file next to the new one, and the old password still unlocks the vault through it. If someone else might know the old password, delete that backup when Ovik offers to.

Other copies of the old key file, such as earlier backups, cloud version history or other devices, also keep the old password working. To fully revoke it, create a new vault and move your files into it.

Yes, unless you exclude them. While a vault is unlocked, macOS keeps the files you open in ~/Library/CloudStorage, which Time Machine backs up by default.

To prevent this, open System Settings → General → Time Machine → Options, and add ~/Library/CloudStorage to the excluded items. Starting with the next update, Ovik → Settings → General has a button that takes you there. This also excludes the local copies of other cloud apps that use this folder, such as Dropbox or Google Drive; their files are still kept in their cloud.

Quit Ovik (this locks all vaults), then move Ovik from the Applications folder to the Trash. Your vault folders stay where they are, still encrypted.

If you use Touch ID unlock (next update), disable it for each vault in Settings → Security before you uninstall to remove the saved passwords. Ovik's settings are stored in ~/Library/Containers/com.ovik.vault, ~/Library/Containers/com.ovik.vault.fileprovider and ~/Library/Group Containers/GRDH7YX565.com.ovik.vault; you can delete these folders too.

No. Ovik makes no network connections. All encryption and decryption happens locally on your Mac. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Ovik requires macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later.