Questions, answered by platform.

Use this when a folder was locked on another device, someone shared one with you, or you reinstalled ZapLock. The folder has to be reachable from this device: in the same Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive or OneDrive folder, on a USB drive, or on a network share.

Pick the locked folder itself, not a file inside it. You’ll know it’s the right one because it contains a file called zaplock.json.

First time on a new device? If you see “This device doesn’t have a key for this folder yet”, that’s expected. Signing in proves who you are but carries no key. One of your devices that already opens the folder hands this device its key. Keep that device signed in and able to reach the folder. ZapLock for Mac does this in the background; on other devices, unlock the folder there once. Then try again here. See it step by step.

Yes. Every ZapLock app uses the same folder format, so a folder you lock on a Mac opens on a Windows PC, an iPhone, an iPad or an Android phone, as long as that device can reach the folder and has its key.

Easiest way to share between your own devices: keep the folder inside something they all sync, like Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud Drive, then add it on each device.

Any folder you can write to: on your internal disk, on an external or USB drive, or inside a folder Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive or OneDrive already syncs.

Don’t point ZapLock at system folders, app bundles, or a folder an app is writing to right now, such as an open database or a running virtual machine.

If the folder already syncs to the cloud, your provider may still keep earlier unencrypted versions in its version history or trash. Clear those with your provider if it matters to you.

1. In Photos, select one photo or video, or several (up to 50 at a time).
2. Tap Share, then ZapLock in the row of apps. If it isn’t there, scroll to the end of the row, tap More, and turn ZapLock on. You can drag it to the front so it’s always one tap away.
3. Choose the locked folder. Your items go into a Photos folder inside it.
4. If the folder asks for a check, confirm with Face ID or Touch ID right there.

To see them later, open the folder in ZapLock and go to Photos.

The original stays in Photos. ZapLock locks a copy. To remove the original, delete it in Photos and then empty Recently Deleted, which otherwise keeps it for 30 days. With iCloud Photos on, deleting it also removes it from iCloud. Shared albums keep their own copies.

The same Share → ZapLock works from Files, Mail attachments and Safari downloads. If a folder needs approval from your phone instead of Face ID, open the ZapLock app to finish.

1. Open ZapLock and sign in with ZapQR.
2. Tap +, then Protect a Folder….
3. Pick the folder in Files: On My iPhone, iCloud Drive, or a provider such as Dropbox.

On iPhone and iPad you open locked files inside ZapLock. The folder stays locked in Files the whole time.

Install ZapLock from the Mac App Store and sign in with ZapQR. Then use whichever is closest:

• From Finder: right-click the folder, choose Services → Protect with ZapLock.
• From the menu bar: click the ZapLock icon, then Protect a Folder….
• From the app window: click Protect a Folder.

The files are encrypted where they are. The folder keeps its name and path, so aliases, recent files, backups and sync clients keep pointing at it.

If Services doesn’t list ZapLock, open the app once, or log out and back in.

• Unlock in place turns it back into a normal folder for every app on the computer. When you lock it again, ZapLock re-encrypts what changed.
• Unlock in ZapLock lets you browse and open files inside ZapLock. Nothing is decrypted into the folder itself.

While a folder is unlocked in place on one computer, your other devices can open it but can’t change it until it’s locked again. That stops two copies from drifting apart.

Unlock in place needs free disk space about the size of the folder.

1. Select the files in Finder. For photos, first drag them out of Photos to the desktop, or use File → Export.
2. Right-click, then choose Services → Add to ZapLock.
3. Pick the locked folder. Turn on Move if you want the originals sent to the Trash afterwards.

Exported photos are copies, so delete the originals in Photos and empty Recently Deleted if you don’t want them there.

1. Install ZapLock from the Microsoft Store and sign in with ZapQR.
2. In File Explorer, right-click the folder and choose Protect with ZapQR. Or open ZapLock and choose Protect a folder….
3. Confirm. The folder keeps its name and its place on the drive.

To open it later, right-click the locked folder and choose Unlock with ZapQR. Both commands appear in the main right-click menu on Windows 11.

Folders you locked on a Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android phone open here too. Add them from the app.

1. Install ZapLock from Google Play and sign in with ZapQR.
2. Allow All files access when asked. ZapLock needs it to encrypt files where they are.
3. Tap the menu, choose Protect a folder…, and pick the folder on internal storage or a USB drive.

Yes. Pick the Drive folder with Protect a folder…. ZapLock downloads the files, encrypts them, uploads the locked versions, then deletes the originals.

Drive keeps deleted originals in its Trash for 30 days, and its version history may keep earlier copies. Empty the Trash to finish.

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides aren’t real files on your phone. Download them as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx first.

Your ZapQR sign-in proves who you are. It doesn’t prove you’re the one holding the device. Add a check and ZapLock asks for Face ID before the folder opens. Our server won’t release its half of the key without that fresh check, so a copied sign-in alone opens nothing. It covers a laptop left unlocked on a desk, a phone handed to someone else, or a session someone copied.

You don’t need to re-encrypt anything, and it asks once per unlock, not for every file you open inside.

Turning on the folder rule means people on older versions of ZapLock can’t open it until they update. Turning a check off also needs a check, so someone using your session can’t switch it off.

No. Files are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your device, and each folder’s key is split in two. Our server holds one half, and that half alone decrypts nothing. Your files, their names and a whole key never leave your device.

Share it to the other person’s ZapQR email address. They open it on their own device with their own sign-in. You never send a password or a key.

Remove them and their next unlock is refused. If they have it open, it locks itself once their device hears about it, even if it was offline at the time.

Sharing needs a Personal or Team plan.

Sign in on another device and end the lost device’s session. Folders it had open lock themselves once it gets the message, and it can no longer get a key from us.

Before you remove an old device, make sure another device can still open your folders. If none can, write to us first.

Opening your folders is always free. If a plan ends, every folder keeps opening; you just can’t lock new ones or add people. Prices are in USD before tax. See pricing.

The owner opens the folder in ZapLock, chooses Remove ZapLock, checks the summary, and presses and holds to confirm. Files are decrypted back in place and the folder’s keys are retired. Anyone it was shared with loses access, and their devices show “ZapLock removed”. On Android, a folder on a USB drive can’t be removed this way yet.

On a Mac, iPhone or iPad, in the app under Danger Zone in Settings. From any device, including Android and Windows, at zapqr.ai/delete-account.

Unlock anything you still need first. Deleting the account deletes our half of every key, and a folder still locked can’t be opened again by anyone, including us.