# How to lock Hidden Vault on your Mac

Lock Hidden Vault on your Mac behind Touch ID in under a minute. A simple, step-by-step guide to keeping Hidden Vault private with Cloak.

Updated: 2026-09-10. Source: https://trycloak.app/blog/guides/lock-hidden-vault-on-mac/

Lock Hidden Vault so it will not open without Touch ID or your password. Four steps, about a minute.

## Lock Hidden Vault on Mac, step by step

1. Download Cloak from trycloak.app and open it. Set up Touch ID or a password the first time it asks. There is no account.
2. Click the plus button under Locked apps, tick Hidden Vault, and click Lock.
3. Quit Hidden Vault if it is open.
4. Open Hidden Vault again. Cloak now asks for Touch ID before it will launch.

Your Mac password works as a fallback by default. If other people know that password, open Cloak's Settings, turn off "Let my Mac password unlock Cloak", and set a Cloak password instead.

## Who this is for

For anyone who lets other people use their Mac. Hidden Vault reaches files and settings well beyond itself, so a lock here protects more than one app.

## What Screen Time can't do

Apple has no way to lock a single app on a Mac. The closest thing is Screen Time, which puts a daily time limit on Hidden Vault. A limit is not a lock. Hidden Vault opens normally until the time runs out, the Screen Time passcode is four digits, and anyone who knows it can click Ignore Limit for the rest of the day. It was built to manage screen time, not privacy. Cloak asks for Touch ID or your password every single time Hidden Vault opens.

## Why lock Hidden Vault at all

A hidden vault app disguised as a calculator is the first thing a curious person tries to open, so it needs a real Mac-level lock behind it. Because casual access here reaches far past this one app into the files and settings behind it, Hidden Vault is exactly the kind of app worth putting behind Touch ID.

## Why a Mac-level lock beats Hidden Vault's own settings

System and developer apps almost never ship with their own lock, and the ones that do are easy to bypass. A Mac-level lock from Cloak treats the app like a vault: it will not open without Touch ID, no matter how someone tries to launch it.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does locking Hidden Vault with Cloak slow it down?

No. Cloak only steps in at launch to ask for Touch ID. Once Hidden Vault is unlocked it runs exactly as it normally would, with no background overhead.

### Will I still get Hidden Vault notifications while it is locked?

Notification behaviour is controlled by macOS, not by Cloak. If you want Hidden Vault alerts hidden too, pair the lock with hiding the app, or turn off previews for Hidden Vault in System Settings under Notifications.

### What happens if Touch ID is not available?

By default Cloak offers your Mac login password as a fallback, so you can still open Hidden Vault on a Mac without a Touch ID sensor or if your finger is not recognised. If other people know your Mac password, you can turn that fallback off and use a separate Cloak password instead.

### Can I lock Hidden Vault with Screen Time instead?

Screen Time sets a time limit, not a lock. Hidden Vault opens normally until the limit is reached, and the limit can be ignored for the day by anyone who knows the four-digit passcode. Cloak asks for Touch ID every time.

## Related app guides

[Lock Finder on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/guides/lock-finder-on-mac/)[Lock Terminal on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/guides/lock-terminal-on-mac/)[Lock WhatsApp on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/guides/lock-whatsapp-on-mac/)[Lock Telegram on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/guides/lock-telegram-on-mac/)

## Keep reading

[How to lock apps on your Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-lock-apps-on-mac/)[How to hide apps on your Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-hide-apps-on-mac/)

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Cloak locks, hides and encrypts apps, folders and files on your Mac. One-time purchase, no account. https://trycloak.app/