Skip to content
Open
Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
24 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
a8fe0b4
Update user & group management docs for new Hub UI
iammajid Jan 7, 2026
5015685
Add Coming Soon section for early access features
iammajid Feb 23, 2026
63f91d0
add Emergency Access documentation and screenshots
mindmonk Feb 25, 2026
7c2f6f7
Feature: Files in use docs (#123)
infeo Feb 27, 2026
8647808
Rework emergency access docs
infeo Mar 4, 2026
79aea70
add Early Access admonition to admin Emergency Access section
mindmonk Mar 4, 2026
be6b355
add explicit anchor ID to Emergency Access heading in admin.md
mindmonk Mar 4, 2026
a1298c0
add Early Access admonition to Setup/Fix Emergency Access Council sec…
mindmonk Mar 4, 2026
fbd466f
Reference version 1.5.0 in Emergency Access early access admonition
mindmonk Mar 4, 2026
3668568
Link Emergency Access to emergency-access.md in admin section
mindmonk Mar 4, 2026
454f4ee
remove Enterprise Feature admonition from Emergency Access page while…
mindmonk Mar 4, 2026
0c5fadf
Update docs/hub/emergency-access.md
infeo Mar 4, 2026
6c6d0f5
Reorder "approve a recovery process" section
infeo Mar 4, 2026
46cd4c7
Adjust IAM section
infeo Mar 4, 2026
3496383
add Emergency Access link to coming-soon index page
mindmonk Mar 5, 2026
9d1553f
remove Desktop 1.19.0 coming-soon section
mindmonk Mar 5, 2026
50319e4
fix typo
mindmonk Mar 5, 2026
af26afb
specify version 1.5.0 in early access notices across Hub docs
mindmonk Mar 5, 2026
b70474f
move early-access page from coming-soon to hub and remove category co…
mindmonk Mar 6, 2026
ffd7c67
Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/develop' into feature/early-acce…
iammajid Mar 6, 2026
d9c193c
Update emergency access process names and screenshots
mindmonk Mar 6, 2026
1301e24
Update emergency access docs
infeo Mar 6, 2026
2d84324
update wording and location of info box
infeo Mar 6, 2026
7e166ec
add case in what to do table
infeo Mar 6, 2026
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension

Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
60 changes: 60 additions & 0 deletions docs/desktop/files-in-use.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
---
id: files-in-use
title: Files in Use
sidebar_position: 18
---

# Files in Use

:::info
This feature is only available for [Cryptomator Hub](/docs/hub/introduction.md) vaults.
:::

When multiple people work in a shared vault, two users might try to edit the same file at the same time.
The **Files in Use** feature helps prevent accidental overwrites in this situation.

## When This Feature Applies {#when-this-feature-applies}

You can run into concurrent edits when:

- a Cryptomator Hub vault is used by multiple team members
- the vault is synced across multiple devices
- the vault is accessed over a network share

If another user is currently editing a file, Cryptomator can block opening that file for writing on your side.

:::note
The usage information is passed with the files being edited.
Therefore, it requires either the vault residing on shared storage (for example, a network share) or file synchronization.
In the latter case, it takes around 10s until the status is synchronized to other devices (depending on the sync app).
:::

## What You Will See {#what-you-will-see}

If a file is currently in use by someone else, Cryptomator shows a notification in the app.
This means another device or user has an active edit session for that file.

<Image src="/img/desktop/files-in-use-notification.png" alt="Cryptomator notification for a file currently in use" />

## What You Can Do {#what-you-can-do}

In most cases, the best action is to wait until the other person finishes editing and then try again.

You can also choose to ignore the use status and continue.
Use this only if you are sure it is safe, because forcing access can overwrite someone else's newer changes.

We recommend the following sequence when receiving a "File is in use" notification:
1. Ask the person shown in the notification whether they are still editing the file.
1. If they already closed the file but it is still shown as "in use", use "Ignore Use Status".
1. Open a file marked as in use without checking with teammates only in exceptional situations.
1. In that case, create a backup copy first to avoid losing edits.

## Stale Use Status {#stale-use-status}

The use status is cleared after some time without file updates (around 10 min).
If this happens, access is possible again.
This helps in cases such as device sleep, crashes, or interrupted sessions.

## Related Topics {#related-topics}

- [Synchronization Conflicts](/docs/desktop/sync-conflicts.md)
45 changes: 45 additions & 0 deletions docs/hub/admin.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -80,6 +80,24 @@ The following events are logged:
- **Reset User Account** – A user [reset their account](your-account.md#reset-account).
- **User Keys Change** – A user changed their keys. This happens when, e.g., the user [finished the account setup](your-account.md#account-setup) or when the `Account Key Changed`.


#### Emergency Access {#event-type-emergency-access}

:::info Early Access
This feature is currently in **early access** and will be fully available in version 1.5.0.
:::

- **Emergency Access Setup** – A vault owner set up or updated Emergency Access for a vault (for example by assigning council members and key shares in Vault Details).
- **Emergency Access Settings Updated** – An admin changed global Emergency Access settings in Admin.
- **Emergency Access Recovery Started** – A council member started an Emergency Access recovery process.
- **Emergency Access Recovery Approved** – A council member approved a running recovery process by submitting their recovered key share.
- **Emergency Access Recovery Completed** – A council member completed a recovery process after enough key shares were collected.
- **Emergency Access Recovery Aborted** – A council member aborted a running recovery process.

:::note
When a council member starts a process, they automatically contribute their own key share. This logs both `Emergency Access Recovery Started` and `Emergency Access Recovery Approved`.
:::

#### Legacy {#event-type-legacy}

- **Claim Vault Ownership** – A user claimed vault ownership. This event is logged when a vault created with hub pre 1.3.0 is claimed by the vault creator using the `Vault Admin Password`.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -132,3 +150,30 @@ If a user resets their account, their [User Key Pair](/docs/security/hub.md#user
Additionally, any existing trust chains that included the user will be broken, requiring re-verification to restore trust.
:::


## Emergency Access {#emergency-access}

:::info Early Access
This feature is currently in **early access** and will be fully available in version 1.5.0.
:::

This configuration defines default [Emergency Access](emergency-access.md) values for new or updated vaults.

<Image src="/img/hub/admin-emergency-access.png" alt="Emergency Access" width="1440" height="658" />

Enable `Enable Emergency Access` and configure:

* `Required Keys`: Number of required key shares
* `Keyholders`: Default council members (only activated users)
* Optional: `Let vault owners choose different keyholders`
* Optional: `At least` (minimum members if owners can choose a different council)

:::warning
A council without redundancy (`Required Keys == number of council members`) is possible, but not recommended.
:::

:::info Enterprise Feature
The following Audit Log feature is available only in the **Enterprise Edition**:

- Emergency Access Audit Logs
:::
12 changes: 12 additions & 0 deletions docs/hub/early-access.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
---
id: early-access
title: Early Access
sidebar_position: 10
---

# Early Access

These features are currently in **early access** and will be fully available in version 1.5.0.

- [User & Group Management](/hub/user-group-management) — Manage users, groups, roles, and permissions directly in Hub
- [Emergency Access](/hub/emergency-access) - Restore access to a vault in case of account loss or ownership issues
137 changes: 137 additions & 0 deletions docs/hub/emergency-access.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
---
id: emergency-access
title: Emergency Access
sidebar_position: 9
---

# Emergency Access

:::info Early Access
This feature is currently in **early access** and will be fully available in version 1.5.0.
:::

Emergency Access restores access to a vault inside Cryptomator Hub in case of account loss or ownership issues.
Its process requires a group of trusted users (the "council") to approve the recovery.
When enough approvals are collected, the emergency change is completed and vault management access is restored.
Technically, this is implemented using key splitting based on **[Shamir's Secret Sharing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_secret_sharing)**.

## Setup Emergency Access

The feature can be activated for new and existing vaults:

* **New vaults:** During vault creation, use the `Define Emergency Access Conditions` step.
For the full workflow, see [Vault Management](vault-management.md#create-a-vault).
* **Existing vaults:** Open `Vault Details` and [configure Emergency Access](vault-management.md#emergency-access-council).

## Starting a Recovery Process

To start, open the `Emergency Access` page, select the vault, and start the desired process.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List" width="2560" height="1080" />

There are two process types:

1. `Change Emergency Access Council`: Change Emergency Access council and threshold
2. `Choose Vault Members`: Choose vault owners/members

:::info
Only one running process per type is allowed for the same vault.
:::

Use this quick guide to choose the right process:

| If you want to... | Start this process |
| --- | --- |
| Give vault access to different users (owners/members) | `Choose Vault Members` |
| Remove access from specific users | `Choose Vault Members` |
| Replace council members who approve emergency operations | `Change Emergency Access Council` |
| Change how many council approvals are required (threshold) | Configurable in the [admin settings](../admin#emergency-access) |

:::note
Starting a process automatically approves the process.
:::


### Choose Vault Members

The `Choose Vault Members` process allows you to select new vault `Owners` or `Members`.

Users that are no longer part of the vault are shown as `Removed`.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_change_permissions_start.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List" width="2560" height="1080" />


### Change Emergency Access Council

The `Change Emergency Access Council` process allows you to select a new council.

The minimum required number of members is configured in the [Admin settings](admin.md#emergency-access).

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_change_council_start.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List" width="2560" height="1080" />

## Approve a Recovery Process

To view or approve running Emergency Access processes, open the `Emergency Access` list.
If for a vault an Emergency Access process is running, the vault is displayed with a process button.
If you haven't approved the process, the button includes `Approve now`.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list_change_council_approve_now.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List Approve Now" width="2560" height="1080" />

Approve a running process in three steps:

1. Open the vault in the `Emergency Access` list.
2. Click `Approve now` to open the `Approve Emergency Access` dialog.
3. Review the details and click `Approve`.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list_change_council_approve_dialog.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List Approve Dialog" width="2560" height="1080" />

After submitting your share, the button shows `Waiting for other approvals`. You can track the ongoing process progress in the same process button and its details popover.


You can also inspect details before approving. Hover (or click) the segment ring area on the left side of the process button to open the process details popover. The popover shows:

* process type and required approvals
* current progress
* process council members
* per-member status (`Added` / `Pending`)

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list_hover_process.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List Hover Process" width="2560" height="1080" />

## Complete a Recovery Process

As soon as enough shares are available, the process button in the `Emergency Access` vault list shows `Complete now`.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list_change_council_complete_now.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List Complete Now" width="2560" height="1080" />

Click `Complete now` to open the `Complete Emergency Access` dialog. In this dialog, review the process details and click `Complete Process` to finalize the recovery process.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list_change_council_complete_dialog.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List Complete Dialog" width="2560" height="1080" />

Results by type:

* `Choose Vault Members`: Vault roles are updated and required access grants are redistributed.
* `Change Emergency Access Council`: The old council is replaced by the new council.

After successful completion, the process is removed.

## Abort a Recovery Process

Running processes can be canceled in the dialog using `Abort this Process`.

<Image src="/img/hub/emergency_access_vault_list_change_council_abort_dialog.png" alt="Emergency Access Vault List Abort Dialog" width="2560" height="1080" />


## Typical States and Notes

The following warning states can appear in the Emergency Access list:

* `No Vault Council Member anymore`: The user is still part of a running process but no longer part of the current vault council.
What to do: Ask a current council member to start a new process with the correct council composition.
* `Broken Emergency Access`: Too few valid shares remain (for example after council members reset their accounts).
What to do: Reconfigure the council in vault details and ensure enough active council members can provide shares.
* `No Redundancy`: No fault tolerance in the council.
What to do: Increase the number of council members or reduce the required threshold so one unavailable user does not block recovery.

## Audit Log Events

See [Emergency Access Audit Log events](admin.md#event-type-emergency-access).
Loading