Once a vault exists, day-to-day use comes down to unlocking it, working in the entry list, and letting it lock itself again. This page covers all of that, plus how to remove a vault when you no longer need it.
Unlocking Your Vault
Tap a vault on the home screen to open the lock screen. You have two ways to unlock:
- Master password — type your master password and tap Unlock
- Biometric unlock — if you have enabled Face ID or Touch ID in Settings, PanicVault prompts you automatically. You can also tap the biometric button below the password field
If biometric unlock fails or your master password is required (see Master Password Re-entry in Settings), you can always fall back to your master password.
A vault can also require a second factor alongside the master password: a key file, or a physical YubiKey. Rows for both sit below the password field on the lock screen. For key files — choosing one, generating one, and what PanicVault remembers between unlocks — see Key Files. For hardware keys — YubiKey challenge-response over NFC on iPhone, and over USB on Mac — see Hardware Keys (YubiKey).
Most vaults unlock in about a second. A vault whose key derivation settings are deliberately heavy — a high iteration count, or a large memory setting — takes longer, and while it works the lock screen says Deriving key… 3 s, counting up, with a rough total in brackets once PanicVault can estimate one. After two seconds a Cancel button appears beside it. Cancelling costs you nothing: no password was tested, so it is not counted as a failed attempt, and you can try again straight away. See Supported Key Derivation for which settings PanicVault accepts.
Locking Your Vault
You can lock your vault at any time:
- iOS: Tap the lock icon in the top-right toolbar
- Mac: Click the lock icon in the sidebar toolbar, or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+L
Your vault also locks automatically when:
- The lock timeout expires after you leave the app (see Auto-Lock Behavior below)
- The auto-lock timeout expires after a period of inactivity within the app
The Entry List
Once your vault is unlocked, you see the entry list. This is your main workspace:
- iOS: A single list with group filter chips at the top. Tap “All” to see every entry, or tap a group name to filter.
- Mac: A three-column layout — groups on the left, entries in the middle, and entry details on the right.
Each entry row shows the title, username, and an icon. You can quickly copy a password by:
- iOS: Swipe right on an entry and tap “Copy Password”
- Mac: Right-click an entry and choose “Copy Password”
Searching for Entries
Use the search bar to find entries across your entire vault. The search checks titles, usernames, URLs, and notes. On Mac, use Cmd+F to jump to the search field.
Auto-Lock Behavior
PanicVault locks your vault to protect your data when you are not actively using it:
- Background timer — when you switch to another app, a countdown starts based on your Lock Timeout setting. If you return to PanicVault before the timer expires, the vault stays unlocked. If the timer runs out while the app is in the background, the vault locks.
- Idle timer — if you leave the app open but idle, the vault locks after the configured timeout.
- The vault never auto-locks while you are actively using the app.
- You can change the timeout in Settings (30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, or Never).
Deleting a Vault
Long-press a vault card on the home screen and choose Delete. PanicVault asks what you want to do:
- Remove from App — removes the vault from PanicVault but leaves the .kdbx file on disk (or in iCloud Drive / Google Drive). You can re-add it later by opening it again.
- Delete File Too — permanently deletes the vault file from disk. PanicVault asks you to type DELETE to confirm. This action cannot be undone.
