Open an archive
Open it with Vault from Files or Finder, or choose Open Archive… in Vault. Go into its folders without extracting first. Tap a file on iPhone, or press Space on Mac, to preview it.
Vault · Support
Open the archive.
Take what you need.
Browse the folders inside an archive, preview files right away and extract only what you need, on iPhone and Mac. Vault also compresses files into ZIP, 7z or Apple Archive. Your files are processed on your device, with no account.
FreeiPhone requires iOS 27 or laterMac requires macOS 27 or later
the way you open a folder.
Start with an archive
Take only what you need
On iPhone, tap Select, check a few items and extract them, or save the file you’re previewing. On Mac, select items and click the round button at the bottom left of the window. Vault then shows where your files are.
Create an archive
Drag files into the main window on Mac, or into Vault from Photos, Files and other apps on iPhone. They gather into a pile. When you’re ready, tap Compress, choose ZIP, 7z or Apple Archive, and add a password if you like.
Formats
Opens many.
Creates three.
Browsing, previewing and extracting work with the formats listed here. New archives can be ZIP, 7z or Apple Archive, and all three can be encrypted.
Encrypted RAR archives aren’t supported yet. Vault recognizes Zstandard, LZ4 and XAR but can’t open them yet.
- ZIPOpen, create, encrypt (AES-256)
- 7zOpen, create, encrypt, including filenames
- Apple Archive (.aar, .aea)Open, create; .aea encrypts the whole archive
- RAR, RAR5Open only; can’t create
- TAR, gzip, bzip2, XZOpen, including combinations like .tar.gz
- ISO, CAB, LHA, cpio, ar (.deb)Open
Questions
Things you might run into.
Where files go, encryption, mounting and cancelling.
Where do extracted files go?
iPhone: By default they go to On My iPhone › Vault › Extracted in the Files app, and you can choose another folder before extracting. Recent Extractions on the home screen always leads back to them.
Mac: They go into a new folder named after the archive, next to the archive. If that name is taken, Vault adds “2” instead of overwriting anything. The first time Vault writes to a folder, it asks you to confirm access. If you don’t allow it, Vault saves to its own folder and tells you where.
Why can’t Vault create RAR archives?
The license terms for RAR compression don’t allow it, so Vault only reads RAR. To send files to someone, use ZIP or 7z.
Why can’t other apps open an .aea archive Vault encrypted?
Apple Archive encryption requires a password of at least 20 bytes. So that ordinary short passwords still work, Vault transforms your password before handing it to the system’s encryption. As a result, an .aea archive encrypted by Vault opens only on a device with Vault installed.
To send an encrypted archive to someone without Vault, use an encrypted ZIP or 7z. They’ll need an app that supports AES encryption.
Where are remembered passwords stored?
In the system Keychain on this device. They don’t sync with iCloud. When Vault uses one to unlock an archive, the system asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode (your login password on Mac). Passwords you type when creating an archive aren’t remembered. You can remove saved passwords in Settings › Password Vault.
What is mounting, and which archives can be mounted?
Mounting places an archive in the Files app or Finder as a read-only location, so other apps can read the files inside without extracting them. The first time, you may need to turn on Vault in the list of locations in Files or Finder.
Unencrypted ZIP, ISO, CAB and ar archives can be mounted. Formats that must be unpacked from the beginning, such as 7z, RAR and .tar.gz, and encrypted archives can’t be mounted. Extract them in Vault instead.
Can I cancel compression partway through?
Yes. Tap Cancel on the progress card, or press Esc or ⌘. on Mac. Cancelling, a failure or the app closing unexpectedly never leaves an incomplete archive behind. Leftover temporary files are cleared the next time you open Vault.
On iPhone, compression continues in the background when you switch to another app, and the system shows its progress.
Need more help?
Tell us your Vault version, device model and system version,
and what you did before the problem appeared.
ac_block@outlook.com
Please don’t include archive passwords in your email. Before attaching an archive, make sure it contains nothing sensitive.