OneDrive personal vault issue

Question

How do I change my auto lock on my personal vault to 4 hours on the website? I do not want to link this onedrive to my desk top.

Answer 1

Hi Alexandra,

Thank you for reaching out.

We understand you'd like to change your OneDrive Personal Vault auto-lock time to 4 hours without linking it to your desktop — especially since you're using the web version.

Right now, the option to change the auto-lock time is only available through the OneDrive desktop app. Unfortunately, this setting isn’t available on the web or mobile app at the moment.

We're here to guide you through the best way to update it.

You can install the OneDrive app temporarily to adjust the setting, then unlink it once you're done. Here's how:

Option1: Download and install the OneDrive desktop app.

-Sign in with your Microsoft account.

-Click the OneDrive icon in your system tray (bottom-right corner).

-Select Settings > Account > Personal Vault.

-Under the auto-lock time, choose 4 hours.

-Click OK to apply the setting.

Once set, the new auto-lock time will apply to your Personal Vault across all platforms, including the web.

Optional: Unlink OneDrive from Your PC

If you don't want to keep OneDrive synced on your device:

-Right-click the OneDrive icon in the system tray

-Select Settings > Account

-Click “Unlink this PC”

This allows you to benefit from the new setting without keeping files synced locally.

Option 2: Use the Mobile App (With Limitations)

The OneDrive mobile app (iOS/Android) provides access to the Personal Vault, but it does not currently allow changes to the auto-lock timer.

Summary:

The auto-lock setting can only be changed using the OneDrive desktop app

Once updated, the setting carries over to web access

You can safely unlink the desktop app after updating the timer.

If you have any questions or need help with these steps, feel free to reply — we’re always here to assist you.

Kind regards,

Harold

Microsoft OneDrive Support