Windows 10: Allowing an application to access a file in Personal Vault

I have an application which access data in and stores data in a file. This file is currently in a folder in OneDrive. I can access it locally the app access the local copy which is in my Documents folder in OneDrive. It's fine. I can also access it when I run the same application on my laptop which also has OneDrive / My Documents. This syncs fine so I can access the same data either from PC1 or PC2. So far so good.


I am considering moving that file into Personal Vault. How does the application handle the authentication needed to access Personal Vault? In the simplest case this is using the app on PC1 accessing the local copy of the file in the Personal Vault on the local OneDrive on PC1.


I have read the article from Microsoft and other resources. It's not clear how apps access files in the Personal Vault. I just spent 45 mins in chat with someone who clearly didn't know how Personal Vault worked. I gave up.


Can anyone give some clarity on this? TIA

:)

 

OneDrive Personal Vault cannot be unlocked on Windows10.

I was able to get rid of the Red X on my OneDrive icon and the error message saying that the Personal Vault could not be synchronized by doing the following:

1. Access the personal vault OnLine via the the View OnLine option from the desktop icon in the task bar.
   
2. Open the vault via the Web Browser and select all the files and folders in the vault.
3. Count all the files and folders presently in the Personal Vault.
4. Move all the files and folders out of the Personal Vault to another folder in your OneDrive.
5. Refresh and verify the Personal Vault is empty.
6. Verify all your important files have been successfully moved by verifying the folder and file count.
7. Disable the Personal Vault online via the Web browser.
8. Select the Personal Vault and attempt to delete it. A message "Cant delete Personal Vault' appears.
9. Click on 'Go to settings'.
10. Select the options to Disable the Personal Vault <Select Disable>. and "Disable" when asked are you sure. [NOTE: when you do this, any contents in the vault are irretrievably lost. So make sure it is empty first.]
11. Wait 30-60 seconds for your OneDrive desktop to synch.
12. Go back to the browser and select Enable on the Persona Vault window if it is still opened.
13. If you closed the window, select Settings in the upper right of online OneDrive (to the left of the question mark), select options, select Personal Vault from the left side menu, then select Enable.
14. A pop-up stating, "Your Personal Vault is back". Select 'got it'.
15. Click on OneDrive in the upper left corner of the browser screen.
16. Find your Personal Vault in your file/folder list.
17. Open it (you will have to authenticate to open).
18. Inspect the vault. It should be empty. In some cases there will be old "uncached" files that appears. It was the failed synching that caused the Red X. Reestablishing the Personal Vault allows the synch to proceed. Be careful as these files might not
    contain the most contemporaneous data.
19. You should now be able to use the Personal Vault as before without the Red X. You can move the files you moved out of the Personal Vault back into the Personal Vault - - begin careful to decide which version to keep of any duplicate files.

 

Personal Vault Will Not Unlock

I received the following error: "Something went wrong with your Personal Vault" and goes on to say "Your personal vault is locked. To access your personal vault please unlock it again." The related code is 0x80316003. I recently installed the Windows 10
home build 1903 a few days ago and enabled the personal vault feature the same day.

Note, I can access Personal Vault via the browser interface but NOT via file explorer.

 

Personal Vault - How to change verification from code to PIN ?

Hi Mike, thanks for reaching out! I'm an Independent Advisor and a Microsoft user like you. Please allow me to assist with your issue.

Two-step verification is required to gain access to Personal Vault.

On OneDrive Mobile App, you will be able to setup Personal Vault PIN to gain access to Personal Vault.

On Desktop or Browser, the verification is by Text, Email or Microsoft Authenticator App depending on the two-step verification method you have configured for your Microsoft Account.

I would sugggest setting up Microsoft Authenticator App so you can unlock your Personal Vault with lesser steps while on Desktop or Browser - Unlock Personal Vault > Send Notification > Approve on Microsoft Authenticator App. If you would like to update your
Two-step verification method, please refer to this article:
https://support.microsoft.com/help/12408

If you like to know more about Personal Vault, please refer to this article:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/protec...

Please let me know if I can help you further!