The Personal Vault is a core feature of Microsoft OneDrive, the tech giant’s priority cloud storage service. It provides a folder with additional security for any highly personal or sensitive documents or data you might need to store.
You only get access to OneDrive if you have an account, and Microsoft 365 subscribers will have a higher volume of storage than free account holders. Both types of account holders get access to the Personal Vault. While you might be wondering how to set up and disable Personal Vault in OneDrive, the setup is automatic. Plus, there’s currently no option to disable your Personal Vault, but you can delete the files in the Vault and sign out everywhere if you’re concerned about security.
Set Up and Disable Personal Vault in OneDrive by Emptying and Signing Out
Step 1: Open a browser window on your computer and head to the Microsoft OneDrive website.
Step 2: If you don’t already have a OneDrive account, click Create a free account and follow the onscreen instructions. Tip: You can create a brand new email address here if you need to.
Step 3: Once you have your OneDrive account credentials, click Sign in and enter your email address and password which will bring you to your OneDrive home page.
Step 4: Click My files on the left — it looks like a small blue folder — and check to see if you have Personal Vault. Unlike the other folder icons, it’s represented with a small graphic of a safe.
Step 5: You can access your Personal Vault by double-clicking the icon and using the requested two-factor authentication (2FA) details to gain an access code. In this instance, the code will be delivered to the user’s secondary email address.
Step 6: Delete any files held in the Personal Vault. If you need them, back them up — either by copying and pasting them to another OneDrive folder or to an external drive.
Step 7: Look for settings in the top right corner, click it, and then click Options.
Step 8: Click Personal Vault on the left-hand side which may prompt you to verify your identity using the 2FA method described in step 5.
Step 9: The only option here is Manage how you sign into Personal Vault. There used to be a button here to disable Personal Vault, but Microsoft has removed that. There’s no update on whether this will come back in the future. Click the blue Manage button.
Step 10: You’ll be taken to another web page with all your Personal Vault settings on. You can change how you sign in here, for example, by adding a new sign-in method or turning on/off 2FA. If you’re worried that someone has access to your account — including your Personal Vault — click the blue option that says Sign out everywhere. Note: You will need to manually sign in again on any device where you use your Microsoft account, except an Xbox.
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