Follow the four setup steps
- Choose a normal folder containing documents or project files.
- Review the default vault location beside the source folder, or choose another writable local or connected disk.
- Enter and confirm a unique passphrase, then acknowledge that it cannot be recovered.
- Review the source and destination before selecting Create.
Wait for verification
The app reports preparation, encryption, copying, verification, moving to Trash, and ready phases. If verification fails, the original is not moved. If Trash fails, the original stays where it is and the verified vault remains available.
Open and close access
Use Unlock to mount the sparsebundle and work in Finder. When finished, close files and use Relock. Relocking unmounts the encrypted volume; it does not re-copy the entire folder.
Do not rush the final cleanup
Open the vault and inspect important files before emptying Trash. Keep another backup, particularly before the first use or when moving a vault between disks.
Understand what the app does not do
The vault is open to your Mac session while mounted. Lock My Folders does not store or recover passphrases, replace FileVault or backups, or make active cloud-synced sparsebundles risk-free. Avoid system folders, drive roots, cloud-service roots, and folders that are already sparsebundles.