Some folders should stay closed — even while you’re logged in.
FileVault protects a stolen Mac. It does nothing once you’re at the desktop. Doghouse puts a password on a folder: unlock it, work in Finder, lock it. AES-256. Touch ID if you want. No account.
Wed 21:47
Your disk can be encrypted and your files still wide open.
Anyone at your unlocked Mac can open anything. So can a lot of apps, and so can iCloud if the folder lives in the wrong place.
Someone else at the desk
A partner, a child, a client, a repair shop. FileVault already let you in. Everything after that is just a folder.
Sync does not ask first
Drop a private folder in Desktop or Documents and iCloud will take it. Backups and “helpful” apps will too.
Disk Utility can do this. You won’t.
Sparse bundle, APFS, AES-256, a size that isn’t explained, then find the file, mount it, remember to eject it. Every time. Knox used to hide that. Knox is gone.
Create it. Use it. Lock it.
A vault is an encrypted folder that only takes the space of the files inside, up to a limit you choose.
Make a vault
Name it, pick a place, set a size limit, choose a password. Optionally save the password in your Keychain. “Keep out of iCloud” is on by default.
Unlock it — it’s a folder
Password or Touch ID. It opens in Finder. Drag files in and out. Right-click anything and choose “Add to Doghouse Vault.”
Lock it — it’s unreadable
One click, the menu bar, or a panic shortcut. The files are AES-256. Copy the vault to another Mac and it is still locked.
What you actually get
The encryption is Apple’s. The part Apple never built is everything else.
Finder, not a special app
Unlock a vault and work in Finder. Lock it and the folder is gone. No new file format to learn.
Touch ID when you want it
Save the password in Keychain, then require your fingerprint before Doghouse uses it. Someone at your unlocked Mac can’t open that vault without your fingerprint or your Mac password.
It locks itself
Auto-lock after idle time (default 15 minutes). Lock on screen lock, sleep, or quit. It never force-ejects a vault with files still open — it waits and tries again.
Panic shortcut
A system-wide key (default ⌃⌥⌘L, yours to change) that locks every vault at once. Works while another app is in front. No Accessibility permission.
Kept out of iCloud and Spotlight
Vaults are excluded from iCloud Drive by default, and unlocked contents stay out of Spotlight so names don’t linger after you lock.
Right-click to put a file away
Finder’s “Add to Doghouse Vault” copies a file in, or moves it in and puts the original in the Trash. The vault unlocks if it has to.
Lives in the menu bar
Lock and unlock without opening the main window. Hide the Dock icon if you want. Optional launch at login. The icon shows when anything is unlocked.
Grows with what’s inside
From a 16 MB pocket vault to 4 TB. The file on disk stays as small as its contents. Raise the limit later. Reclaim space after you delete files.
Same engine as Disk Utility. None of the friction.
| FileVault | Disk Utility images | Doghouse | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protects files while you’re logged in | No | Yes | Yes |
| Setting one up | Automatic | Sparse bundle, APFS, size math | One dialog |
| Unlocking | Your login password | Find the file, mount it, type the password | Password or Touch ID |
| Locking again | Shut the Mac down | Remember to eject | One click, a shortcut, or by itself |
| Kept out of iCloud | — | You manage it | By default |
| Price | Built in | Built in | Free · €19 / $19 once |
Vaults are standard Apple encrypted disk images — if Doghouse disappeared tomorrow, Disk Utility could still open every one. If you used Knox: same idea, built for current macOS.
Things people actually said
Knox died and I was back in Disk Utility. Doghouse is the same idea: a folder that locks. Touch ID, it stays out of iCloud, and I paid once.
I leave the Mac unlocked. Tax stuff and a couple of client folders sit in a vault. Other people can use the machine. Those folders can’t.
Used the free vault for a few weeks with old scans in it. Then I wanted a second one for work, so I paid. Nineteen euro. That was the whole decision.
There is no back door.
If you forget a vault’s password and it isn’t saved in your Keychain, the files inside cannot be recovered. Not by you, not by us, not by Apple. That is the point of the encryption. Save the password in Keychain, or write it down somewhere that isn’t inside the vault.
Free for one vault. Pay once for all of them.
Doghouse is free: one vault, forever, full featured — nothing expires, nothing stops working. Pay €19 / $19 once and it unlocks unlimited vaults on up to 3 Macs. No subscription, no account, no upsell inside.
Questions people actually ask
Can you recover my password?
No. There is no recovery, no reset email, no back door. Save the password in your Keychain when you create the vault, or keep it somewhere safe.
Where do my files actually live?
On your Mac, inside an Apple AES-256 encrypted disk image — the same format Disk Utility makes. Nothing is uploaded anywhere, and there is no account.
What if Doghouse stops existing?
Your vaults still open. They are standard Apple disk images; Disk Utility and the password are all you need. That is what “works without us” means.
Does a vault sync to iCloud or Dropbox?
Not unless you put it there. “Keep out of iCloud” is on by default. A vault you copy or sync yourself stays encrypted wherever it lands.
Is there a Windows or iPhone app?
No. Doghouse is Mac only, macOS 14 or later.
Is this a FileVault replacement?
No. Keep FileVault on — it protects the whole disk when the Mac is off. Doghouse protects specific folders while you’re logged in. They do different jobs.
Is the free version really free?
Yes — one vault, forever, every feature. Creating a second vault needs a license key: €19 / $19 once, valid on up to 3 Macs. Nothing you already made ever stops working, paid or not.
Can I use it on more than one Mac?
Yes. A paid license is valid on up to 3 Macs. The free version is one vault on the Mac you install it on.
Guides for keeping files private on a Mac
Plain-English how-tos, including the free tools already on your Mac.
How to password-protect a folder on Mac
Every method compared, from free Disk Utility to Doghouse.
Lock a folder with Touch ID
What Touch ID can protect on a Mac, and how to add it to folders.
Keep files private on a shared Mac
Accounts, screen locks and vaults for a Mac the whole family uses.
Open a vault without Doghouse
Vaults are standard Apple disk images. Here's how to open one with macOS alone.