Warning Doghouse is a Mac app. It will not run on Windows or Linux.

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Help · Fixes

Troubleshooting

The messages Doghouse shows and what to do about them, followed by the questions support hears most.

By the Doghouse team Updated · Doghouse 2.0.8
In short

Most “missing” menu items are there once the vault is locked. A vault that won’t lock has a file open somewhere. A forgotten password can only be recovered from your Keychain, never by us. “Vault file not found” means the file moved: click Locate Vault….

On this page
  1. Messages you might see
  2. I forgot my vault password
  3. Common problems
  4. FAQ

Messages you might see

  • “Lock “Name” first, then change its password.” (also “…then rename it.”, “…then change its iCloud setting.”) The vault is unlocked. Click Lock on its card and try the action again. These items only appear for a locked vault; see which items appear when.
  • “Wrong password for “Name”.” Check Caps Lock and your keyboard layout, then retype. If the password was saved and suddenly stopped working, Doghouse has dropped the stale Keychain entry, often because the file was replaced by an older copy or by a Pocket Vault’s new second password; type the password you expect and tick Remember to save it again.
  • “Could not lock vault — a file inside may still be open”. Some app still has a document from the vault open, or Finder is still copying into it. Close the document or quit the app and lock again. Doghouse never force-ejects; automatic locks simply retry later.
  • “Vault file not found” on the card, or ““Name” is not in that location”. You moved or renamed the vault file in Finder. Click Locate Vault… and choose it; the saved password and Touch ID stay attached. If you deleted it, restore it from the Trash or a backup first.
  • “Waiting for disk”. The vault is on an external drive or network share that isn’t connected. Connect it and unlock.
  • “NEARLY FULL” badge. For a Standard Vault: lock it, right-click, Change Size Limit…. For a Pocket Vault the size is fixed: delete items, turn on Optimize photos, or make a bigger vault and move things across.
  • “The new limit is smaller than the space the files inside currently use.” You can only lower the limit down to what the files take. Delete files inside, run Reclaim Free Space…, then resize, or choose a larger limit.
  • “A vault named “Name” already exists in that folder.” A file with that name (as .sparsebundle, .nosync or .pocketvault) is already there. Choose another name or folder, or add the existing file with Add Existing Vault….
  • “That vault is already in the list.” Add Existing Vault… was pointed at a file Doghouse already manages, possibly under a different name. Find it in the list; use Locate Vault… if its card says the file is missing.
  • “The second password must be different from the password you unlocked with.” A Pocket Vault’s two passwords must differ. Choose another second password.
  • ““Name” could not be saved, so it stays open.” A Pocket Vault couldn’t write its file (disk full, disk disconnected, no permission). Fix the cause shown after the message, or export the items, then lock again.
  • “Verification reported problems”. The file system inside a Standard Vault is damaged. Unlock it, copy everything you can into a new vault, and trash the damaged one. For a Pocket Vault, “The vault file is damaged and can’t be read.” means the file was altered or truncated; restore an intact copy if you have one.

I forgot my vault password

Doghouse cannot open, reset or recover a vault without its password, and neither can we: the password never leaves your Mac and there is no back door. That is what makes the vault worth having. Three things are worth checking before giving up:

  1. Try unlocking from Doghouse. If the password was ever saved with “Remember password in my Keychain”, Unlock just works.
  2. Look in your Keychain. Open Keychain Access (Applications › Utilities), search for KnoxFolder (Doghouse’s former name, under which its passwords are stored), double-click the entry and tick Show password. Your Mac login password is required. There is one entry per vault with a saved password.
  3. Read the hint under the password field, if you set one, and try the obvious variants: different capitalisation, a trailing number, the keyboard layout you had at the time.

If none of that works, the contents are gone. A Time Machine backup of a Standard Vault is encrypted with the same password, so it doesn’t help. Our guide has more on why there is no recovery.

Common problems

  • Change Password…, Rename…, Change Size Limit… or Verify Vault… is missing. The vault is unlocked. Lock it; the items appear. While unlocked the menu offers Vault Settings… instead. Full details: change a vault’s password.
  • Touch ID is never asked for. “Require Touch ID to unlock” is a per-vault setting in Vault Settings, and it only applies when a password is saved in the Keychain; with no saved password you type the password instead. On a Mac without a sensor (or a closed MacBook), macOS asks for your login password in its place.
  • Finder doesn’t open after unlocking. Check “Show in Finder after unlocking” in Vault Settings. If Finder opens but not in list view, Doghouse was denied Finder automation; change it in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Automation › Doghouse.
  • The menu bar icon is gone. Turn on “Show Doghouse in the menu bar” in Settings. If the menu bar is crowded, macOS may hide icons behind the notch; try a wider display or a menu bar manager.
  • New Vault shows “The free version includes one vault”. That is the free version’s only limit. Remove a vault from the list to make room, or enter a license key in Settings. See licensing.
  • My vault file is called Name.nosync. That is “Keep out of iCloud” at work; the extension is what stops iCloud uploading it. It is still a normal encrypted disk image (or Pocket Vault). To rename it, lock the vault and switch off Keep out of iCloud, or add the .nosync file as-is on another Mac.
  • The vault is far bigger on disk than its contents. Sparse bundles don’t shrink on their own after deletions. Lock the vault and run Reclaim Free Space…; if that gives back little, make a new vault and copy the files across.
  • I want to use the vault on another Mac. Copy the locked vault file over (Reveal Vault File in Finder shows it), then Add Existing Vault… there. Standard Vaults also open without Doghouse: how to open a Doghouse vault without Doghouse.
  • “Could not check” for updates. The Mac is offline, or a firewall or content blocker is stopping requests to doghousevault.com. Check later, or download the latest version from the website by hand.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I change the password while the vault is open?

Changing the password rewrites the encrypted file, which Apple’s disk-image tools (used for Standard Vaults) only allow while the image is not mounted. Doghouse therefore shows Change Password… only for a locked vault. Lock it, right-click it, and the item is there.

Can Doghouse support recover my files if I lose the password?

No. The password never leaves your Mac and the vault has no back door. Check your Keychain for a saved copy; beyond that the contents are unrecoverable, by design.

Is Doghouse a FileVault replacement?

No. Keep FileVault on: it protects the whole disk when the Mac is off. Doghouse protects specific folders while you are logged in. Use both.

Will my vault open on a Mac without Doghouse?

A Standard Vault will: it is an Apple encrypted disk image and opens in Finder with the password. A Pocket Vault needs Doghouse.

Which macOS versions does Doghouse support?

macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. There is no Windows or iPhone version.

How do I contact support?

Email support@doghousevault.com or use the contact form. Include your macOS version, the Doghouse version (shown in About Doghouse) and the exact message you saw.