What you need to know
- OneDrive Personal Vault is now available for all users worldwide.
- The feature gives you a more secure folder protected by two-factor authentication and Bitlocker encryption on Windows 10, and more.
- The feature first began rolling out in select countries in June, but is now available across the globe.
Microsoft has rolled out OneDrive Personal Vault, a new extra-secure layer of your OneDrive storage meant to better protect sensitive files. Personal vault first began rolling out in select countries in June, but it's now available to OneDrive users worldwide, Microsoft announced today.
Your Personal Vault is like adding an extra layer of security for your files. The folder is an area in your OneDrive that is protected by a second layer of authentication, which can either be a PIN, your fingerprint, face unlock, or a code texted to your phone. Personal Vault also includes extra features like Bitlocker encryption on your Windows 10 hard drive, restricted sharing, and more.
Here's a brief look, as detailed by Microsoft:
- Scan and shoot—Using the OneDrive app, you can scan documents or shoot photos directly into your Personal Vault, keeping them off less secure areas of your device, like your camera roll.
- Automatic locking—No need to worry about whether you left your Personal Vault or your files open—both will close and lock automatically after a period of inactivity.3
- BitLocker encryption—On Windows 10 PCs, OneDrive automatically syncs your Personal Vault files to a BitLocker-encrypted area of your local hard drive.4
- Restricted sharing—To prevent accidental sharing, files in Personal Vault and shared items moved into Personal Vault cannot be shared.
Microsoft is advertising this as a way to securely store things like tax documents, insurance information, copies of your passport, or important photos. The second layer of identification will make sure that, even if your device is stolen, your most sensitive information will remain locked away.
Alongside Personal Vault, Microsoft also launched the option to automatically back up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive on Windows 7, 8, and 10 PCs with the OneDrive sync app.
Personal Vault is available now to everyone worldwide on PC, OneDrive.com, and mobile.
OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud storage solution. It can store photos, documents, videos, and is available on all major platforms.
