VaultOS User Manual

VaultOS is your personal vault for passwords, API keys, tokens, server data and technical notes. Everything lives encrypted on your machine: no cloud, no accounts, no tracking. The promise is simple: Search. Find. Copy. Done.

This manual walks through every feature step by step. It works the same on macOS and Windows except where a platform note says otherwise; shortcuts are shown in both variants (⌘K/Ctrl+K).

The first launch greets you with a 4-step wizard: welcome, your name (personalization only — it stays on your machine), terms, and vault creation.

The last step sets your master password: the only key to your vault. Make it long (8 characters minimum; a passphrase is best) and never reuse it anywhere else.

Right after creating the vault, VaultOS shows you a recovery code exactly once (format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX). Copy or download it and keep it somewhere safe away from your machine — on paper is a great choice.

When you open the app (or come back after a lock), type your master password and press Enter.

• ·Auto-lock: after a period of inactivity (configurable in Settings, 5 minutes by default) the vault locks itself.
• ·Lock now: the button at the bottom of the sidebar locks immediately.
• ·When your machine sleeps or locks (lid closed, Win+L), VaultOS locks too.

• ·Sidebar (left): quick views (All, Favorites, Recently Used, Intelligence), your projects, and categories by item type.
• ·Space tabs (top): separate environments — e.g. Personal, Development, Production. Switch with a click or ⌘1/Ctrl+1 through ⌘9/Ctrl+9.
• ·Center: the search bar and results list. It is the front door to everything.
• ·Detail panel (right): the selected item's fields, with copy and reveal buttons.
• ·Bottom left: the ES/EN language toggle and the Lock now button.

1. 1Click Add (top right) and choose Create manually — or press ⌘N/Ctrl+N.
2. 2Pick a type: credential, secret, document, note, URL or server. Each type comes with its typical fields.
3. 3Fill in the title and whatever fields you need: username, password, URL, 2FA code, notes. Add field creates custom fields; Advanced adjusts the sensitivity level.
4. 4Hit Save. The item is encrypted into your vault and shows up in the list instantly.

Got a .env, loose keys, connection strings or a notes file full of credentials? Don't retype them: paste and VaultOS structures them for you — everything is processed on your machine, nothing goes online.

1. 1Click Add → Paste & organize.
2. 2Paste the text as-is. VaultOS detects usernames, passwords, tokens, URLs and hosts, and groups them into items.
3. 3Review the proposal: rename, fix or discard each item before importing.
4. 4Confirm. The items land in your vault already organized.

The core VaultOS flow: type in the search bar (⌘F/Ctrl+F from anywhere), arrow down, copy — without touching the mouse.

• ·Copy: every field has a copy button; from the list, ⌘Enter/Ctrl+Enter copies the selected item's main secret.
• ·Reveal: secrets always render masked (••••••••). The eye reveals them while you need them; they re-mask on their own.
• ·Short-memory clipboard: whatever you copy is auto-cleared after the configured time (30 seconds by default). If you copied something else afterwards, VaultOS leaves it alone.

VaultOS generates the 6-digit verification codes (2FA/TOTP) for your accounts, like an authenticator app — right next to that account's password.

1. 1When creating or editing a credential, paste the secret key the service gives you into the Verification code field (base32 text, e.g. JBSW Y3DP EHPK 3PXP, or an otpauth:// URL).
2. 2Save. The detail shows the live code with a countdown; it renews every 30 seconds.
3. 3Copy it with one click when the service asks for it.

• ·Projects: group items belonging to one job or client (e.g. *Homelab* or your company's name). Create one with New project in the sidebar.
• ·Spaces (tabs on top): separate whole worlds — Personal, Development, Production. Perfect for keeping staging credentials away from the real ones.
• ·Favorites: the star marks what you use daily; it lives in its own view.
• ·Recently Used: the last things you opened or copied, for quick returns.
• ·Categories: every item has a type (credential, secret, document, note, URL, server) and the sidebar filters by it.

Any item can carry file attachments — contracts, .pem keys, PDFs, .md notes — encrypted inside your vault just like your passwords (25 MB max per file).

1. 1Open the item and scroll to Attachments.
2. 2Click Attach file (or drag files onto the panel).
3. 3Each attachment can be Viewed, Renamed, Replaced, its content copied, or exported as a decrypted copy when you need it outside.

Your vault lives only on your machine, so the backup is yours. VaultOS exports a single encrypted `.vaultos` file you can store anywhere.

1. 1Open Settings → Backups → Export backup.
2. 2Set a backup passphrase (independent from your master password): it encrypts the exported file.
3. 3Save the .vaultos file wherever you prefer (external drive, your personal cloud — the file is encrypted).
4. 4To restore or move machines: Import backup on the destination VaultOS + your backup passphrase.

Everything configurable lives behind the gear in the top bar. The highlights:

• ·Auto-lock: minutes of inactivity before locking (or never, at your own risk).
• ·Clear clipboard: how long copied values live before self-erasing.
• ·Sensitive fields: secrets always start hidden; reveal them when needed.
• ·Screen privacy: hides the window from screenshots and screen recordings (on by default).
• ·Updates: VaultOS tells you when a new version exists but never downloads or installs anything on its own.
• ·Language: Spanish or English, instantly.
• ·Backups & import: export/import .vaultos, import CSV, and import 2FA from QR images.

Changing the master password: in the security section, hit Change, type the current one and set the new one. Your recovery code stays valid.

VaultOS is free up to 15 items — everything else (search, copy, TOTP, backups, import) works the same. What you already saved never locks: the cap only applies to creating new items.

The Lifetime license is a one-time $34 USD payment: unlimited items, encrypted attachments, custom environments and local AI included. No subscription.

1. 1Buy Lifetime from the app (Buy Lifetime button) — payment happens in your browser.
2. 2You'll receive a license key by email.
3. 3In the app: I have a license key → paste the key → Activate. Done, no restart needed.

Forgot your master password? Your recovery code is the emergency key.

1. 1On the lock screen, click Forgot your password?.
2. 2Enter your recovery code (the XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX one).
3. 3Set a new master password and confirm.
4. 4VaultOS shows you a new recovery code — save it: the old one is now invalid.

Once a day (if allowed in Settings), VaultOS checks whether a new version exists — metadata only, no identifiers, none of your data. If there is one, a quiet banner shows the release notes.

• ·The app never downloads or installs anything by itself: the banner takes you to the official page, where the installer's SHA-256 fingerprint is published so you can verify the download.
• ·You can check manually via Settings → Check for updates.
• ·If a release is security-critical, the notice says so clearly and explains why.

All of VaultOS is keyboard-first. The command palette (⌘K/Ctrl+K) finds and runs actions: open, copy, create, switch spaces. With local AI enabled it also understands phrases like *"copy my prod key"*.

VaultOS is the same app on both systems: same vault, same features, same backups (a .vaultos exported on Mac imports on Windows and vice versa). The actual differences:

If something doesn't work as expected or this manual doesn't answer your question, open a support ticket: tell us what you were trying to do, what happened, and on which system (macOS or Windows). A human replies.