Where is the Personal Vault folder in Personal OneDrive?

Question

After getting a notice to set up my personal vault, on Windows 11 which I did, I cannot see a Personal Vault folder to click on in my Personal OneDrive! Where is it? It should be easy to see.

Answer 1

Hello Wayne,

Thank you for reaching out about not being able to find your Personal Vault in OneDrive on Windows 11. I understand how confusing this can be, especially after setting it up and expecting it to appear like a regular folder. It’s frustrating when something that should be simple feels hidden and I appreciate you taking the time to clarify this.

Personal Vault in OneDrive does not show as a standard folder in File Explorer. Instead it appears as a special shortcut within your OneDrive directory or as an option in the OneDrive app. To access it open the OneDrive app from your taskbar or system tray and look for the Personal Vault icon. When you click it you’ll be prompted for additional authentication such as a PIN, fingerprint or face recognition. If you still don’t see it make sure you are signed in to the correct OneDrive account and that your OneDrive app is updated to the latest version. Sometimes signing out and back in or restarting OneDrive can restore the shortcut.

Could you confirm if you can see the Personal Vault option when you open OneDrive from the system tray or via the web?

I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

Regards,

Marcelo

Answer 2

There is no Personal OneDrive Vault icon visible in the System Tray or if I open the OneDrive app from the Start menu. When I left or right click on the Personal OneDrive icon on the System Tray, at the top of the list is a pink colored item labeled Personal Vault.Ink with a red circle with a white X in it. In the message, it says that this item type or name is not allowed. Please rename the item or remove it. Why am I getting this error message? I don't think it would be a good idea to rename or remove it.

I found out if I double click on the Personal OneDrive icon, in the System Tray only then will a File Viewer window open that shows the OneDrive Vault icon.

If I click on the pink OneDrive Vault.Ink error message, it opens up a File Viewer window which has the OneDrive Vault link icon. I clicked on it and a window opened up that said basiclly verification was needed and I entered my PIN again which I did earlier yesterday when I set up OneDrive Vault. Now, I see that the Personal Vault icon is listed in my Personal OneDrive list of folders as expected.

After some time has passed, the OnDrive Vault icon disappears from file viewer as if it is only visible for a while. Can the timeout be changed?

My next concern is resolving the OneDrive Vault.Ink error message that I get when I left click on the Personal OneDrive icon in the System Tray. How can I resolve this?Thank you.