How to Set up Onedrive Personal Vault and Why Should You Secure It

Microsoft has recently released Personal Vault, an important and highly anticipated feature by OneDrive users. A personal safe is designed to protect your important files safely. I had been waiting for this for some time now. As far as I know, no other cloud storage offers such functionality at the moment. But how do you configure the OneDrive safe and why do you need to secure it?

That's what we are going to look at today. The importance of taking all precautions to protect your data can not be emphasized enough. That's why OneDrive also comes with a ransomware protection.

Let's start.

1. Configure OneDrive

The first thing to do is to download and install OneDrive or install the latest version from the Windows Store. Open the Windows Store and search for OneDrive to install. If you already have it, click on the menu to select Downloads and Updates.

You will see OneDrive if you do not already have the latest version. Do the same for mobile apps and download or update the latest version on Android and iOS.

Launch OneDrive and you should see a new folder named Personal Vault. Instead of the standard folder icon, it carries an animated vault icon.

The dark mode of the entire Windows 10 system does not work in OneDrive. Maybe it will be with a future update.

Alright, let's look at this OneDrive Personal Vault. Wait, I see an error.

At first I thought they were talking about a view. So, I maximized the window like an idiot, but that's not it. You will need to click the OneDrive folder in the File Explorer to start the synchronization process and configure the OneDrive folder. This is the OneDrive application we use.

You will now see a pop-up window where you will follow the on-screen instructions to log in to your Microsoft account, which is the same as the one you use on your Windows 10 computer.

You will be prompted to choose a location for the OneDrive folder.

Now, here's what the folder looks like, with the system-wide dark mode.

To open Personal Vault, you will need 2FA – the same one you used for your Windows account.

The personal safe will open by default in a new window.

2. How to configure 2FA for Windows

You must configure 2FA for your computer. Without this, your data stored in the vault is vulnerable to theft. Even if you do not use the OneDrive Personal Vault feature, you should always use 2FA on Windows.

Log in to your Microsoft account using the shared link below. Select Two Step Verification under Security.

You can enable 2FA under the two step verification option.

I put 2FA for my system. When you click on it, you will be prompted to re-enter your Microsoft account password and scan a QR code. You can use any 2FA application for this. Then simply follow the instructions on the screen, which are quite simple and easy. Do not forget to write down the backup codes in a safe place. Preferably offline.

Note that you can also use a fingerprint if your laptop supports it or a PIN. Here's a tip: Use a different type of 2FA for OneDrive Personal Vault than OneDrive. Thus, even if OneDrive is compromised, the safe will be secure and inaccessible.

Visit the Microsoft login page

3. Security and Features of OneDrive Personal Vault

Here are some things to know about the personal safe. It works just like any other OneDrive folder, so you can copy and paste or drag and drop files to and from it. It is available on the Web, on desktops and on mobiles.

Your personal vault automatically locks after 20 minutes of inactivity on a desktop computer and 3 minutes for mobile applications. You will receive a notification before and after that happens. Useful when working in an open office environment where everyone can approach and access your laptop. In addition, you can not share anything from the personal safe. You will have to move it out of the safe for that.

You will have to check each time with 2FA if you are connected to Windows and OneDrive or not. Some people might find this heavy, but that's why Personal Vault was created. If not, why even have it? You can scan documents using the Microsoft Office Lens directly into the personal vault.

The data stored in OneDrive Personal Vault is stored in a bitlocker encrypted drive area. In addition, Bitlocker uses AES encryption with a 128-bit key and a 256-bit key, which is the standard protocol. Although you're not a fan of Bitlocker because it's not easy to set up and it's a closed-source program, the personal storage service makes things a lot easier.

4. Disable the personal vault

Disabling the OneDrive Personal Vault will delete all files stored inside. So make sure these files are no longer useful or make a backup in a safe place. Go to the OneDrive Web site, and under Settings, click Options.

You may be prompted to verify your identity using the 2FA method you defined earlier. Click Disable next to Disable Personal Vault and confirm.

Lock it, forget it

You can not save more than three files in OneDrive Personal Vault in the free plan. To store more, you will need Office 365 packages starting at $ 5 per month. Not too expensive if you have access to a host of Microsoft applications and a little more cloud storage. Additional security features include file recovery up to 30 days and protection against ransomware.

Then: Would you like to store photos and videos in OneDrive? Learn it's as good as Google Photos by clicking the link below.