After Dropbox Vault

Disclosure. Sealed is made by Loopware LLC. We read Dropbox’s help pages and forum, made no account and tested nothing.

What happened to Dropbox Vault

Dropbox Vault was a PIN-protected folder in Dropbox. On Dropbox’s own community forum, a moderator’s answer dated 27 January 2025 says Dropbox decided to discontinue it, and that from 4 March a Vault folder turns into a standard folder that doesn’t need a PIN, with its files unchanged (moderator answer). Dropbox’s plans page no longer mentions Vault (plans). If you used Vault, your files are still in Dropbox, without the extra PIN.

Side by side, today

Where Dropbox is ahead

• Every device. The listing says your files can be reached from any device, and that folders on a PC or Mac sync to Dropbox (listing). A vault on one iPhone doesn’t do that. Sealed runs on iPhone and iPad.
• It scans papers too. The listing says it turns phone scans of documents, receipts and IDs into PDFs (listing). In Sealed, scanning is part of Sealed Pro. Sealed Pro can scan paper with the camera, or import PDFs and other files, into the vault.
• Space. Plus has 2 TB for any kind of file (plans). Backup uses your iCloud storage, and when it is full Sealed says so and stops adding new items.
• Rewind. It can undo changes to a whole account, up to 30 days back (listing).

Moving private files out of Dropbox

If you used Vault for ID scans or other papers, they are now ordinary Dropbox files (moderator answer). To keep them on your iPhone in a sealed vault instead:

1. Get a copy onto the iPhone. Save each file from the cloud app to Files, or send it to Sealed from that app’s share sheet.
2. Add them to Sealed from Files. You can add photos from Photos, files from Files, and items from the share sheet of other apps. A PDF or other file that is not a photo, video or audio file becomes a document in the vault, with a thumbnail that is sealed too, and you find it under Documents. Sealed Pro can scan paper with the camera, or import PDFs and other files, into the vault.
3. Check they open, then delete them from the cloud and from Files if you no longer want the copies there. Dropbox Rewind can bring files back for up to 30 days (listing), so a deleted copy isn’t gone at once. Your files never leave your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export them yourself.
4. Keep your recovery key safe, because it is the way back. During setup Sealed gives you a recovery key: a long code of letters and numbers, in groups, that can bring your vault back. Our guide to storing documents on iPhone covers the rest.

Where Sealed helps, and where it doesn’t

It helps if a few private files should have a lock of their own and be sealed before any upload. Sealed has a passcode of its own, a gate inside the app that is separate from your iPhone passcode. Files, names, notes and record fields are encrypted on your iPhone before they are uploaded, so iCloud receives only ciphertext. Read how Sealed protects your photos.

It helps if you want no tracking around them. Sealed contains no analytics or tracking SDKs, and it collects no data.

It doesn’t sync files to a computer. Sealed runs on iPhone and iPad. For that, an encrypted cloud drive fits better: see our drive comparison.

It doesn’t keep documents on the free plan. On the free plan you can add photos. Videos, documents, notes and records need Sealed Pro.

It doesn’t give you a shared folder or a link anyone can open. You send one sealed item at a time, and it opens only in Sealed. You can send someone an encrypted copy of an item that opens in Sealed with a passphrase you choose, and creating one is part of Sealed Pro. The person who receives a share needs Sealed and the passphrase, with no account and no server.