notesnook/docs/help/contents/lock-notes-with-private-vault.md

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title: Locking notes with private vault
description: Password protect your most important and sensitive notes with private vault and store them encrypted even on your device.
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# Locking notes

Notesnook is a private notes app. All your notes are encrypted and secure by default. We can not read your notes even if we want to on our servers. However you can still add an extra layer of security and encrypt your most important and sensitive notes by adding them to a vault.

Adding notes to private vault is useful when you do not want anyone to read your notes, _even if they have access to your phone_.

## Creating a vault

# [Desktop/Web](#/tab/web)

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to `Vault` in `Security & privacy` section
3. Click on `Create` button
4. Enter the password for your vault (this password will be used to open all locked notes)
5. Click on `Create` in the dialog to create the vault.

# [Mobile](#/tab/mobile)

1. Go to Settings from Sidebar
2. Scroll down to `Privacy and Security` section
3. Tap on `Create vault`
4. Enter password for the vault (this password will be used to open all locked notes)
5. Tap on `Create` button to create the vault.

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## Lock a note

# [Desktop/Web](#/tab/web)

1. Right click on any note
2. Select `Lock` from the context menu
3. Enter the password for the vault
4. Press `Enter` key to lock the note

# [Mobile](#/tab/mobile)

1. Tap the ![Three dot button](/three-dot-button.png) button on a note
2. Tap on `Lock` button in the note properties
3. Enter password for the vault
4. Press on `Lock` to add note to vault.

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## Open/edit/delete a locked note

To open, edit or delete a locked note, you must provide the password for the vault to unlock it.

## Unlock a note permanently

# [Desktop/Web](#/tab/web)

1. Right click on any note
2. Select `Unlock` from the context menu
3. Enter the password for the vault in dialog.
4. Click on Unlock to remove note from vault

# [Mobile](#/tab/mobile)

1. Tap the ![Three dot button](/three-dot-button.png) button on a note
2. Tap on `Unlock` button in the note properties
3. Enter password for the vault
4. Tap on `Unlock` to remove note from vault.

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## Change vault password

# [Desktop/Web](#/tab/web)

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to `Vault` in `Security & privacy` section
3. Click on `Change` button next to `Change vault password` heading
4. Enter the old and new password for the vault
5. Click on `Change password` to update the password

# [Mobile](#/tab/mobile)

1. Go to Settings from Sidebar.
2. Scroll down to `Privacy and Security` section
3. Tap on `Vault`
4. Press on `Change vault password`
5. Enter the old and new password for the vault
6. Click on Change to update password

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## Clear vault

# [Desktop/Web](#/tab/web)

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to `Vault` in `Security & privacy` section
3. Click on `Clear` button next to `Clear vault` heading
4. Enter your vault password and click on clear vault. All notes in the vault will be deleted.

# [Mobile](#/tab/mobile)

1. Go to Settings from Sidebar.
2. Scroll down to `Privacy and Security` section
3. Tap on `Vault`
4. Tap on `Clear vault`
5. Enter your vault password and tap on `Clear`. All notes in the vault will be deleted.

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## Delete vault

In the event that you have forgotten your vault password, you can delete the vault and (optionally) delete all the notes in it.

# [Desktop/Web](#/tab/web)

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to `Vault` in `Security & privacy` section
3. Click on `Delete` button next to `Delete vault` heading
4. Enter your account password and click on `Delete vault` to delete the vault

# [Mobile](#/tab/mobile)

1. Go to Settings from Sidebar.
2. Scroll down to `Privacy and Security` section
3. Tap on `Vault`
4. Tap on `Delete vault`
5. Enter your account password and tap on `Delete` to delete the vault

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