Reading a dense bank statement or a multi-page contract on a phone screen is a chore. Sometimes you just want the big screen — to compare two statements side by side, or to read the fine print without pinching and zooming. The obvious worry is: doesn't opening a private, encrypted vault on a computer weaken the whole point of it?

It doesn't — because of how the desktop Vault is designed. Your phone stays in charge. The computer never becomes a second place where your key lives. Instead, your phone hands the desktop a temporary, approved view and nothing more.

Why this keeps your vault safe

Your Vault is zero-knowledge: documents are encrypted on your device with a key derived from your passphrase, and only you can decrypt them. (If that's new to you, start with how the encrypted vault works.) The desktop experience is built to preserve that promise rather than route around it.

The key idea is approval by presence. To unlock the Vault on a computer, you have to physically approve it from the phone that already holds your key. A stranger who sits down at your desktop can't get in on their own, and the desktop can't quietly cache your key for later — because it never gets the key in the first place.

How to open your vault on desktop

1. On your computer, go to the Vault. You'll see a QR code and a prompt to approve from your phone.
2. Open Voice Money Manager on your phone and choose to scan the code — point the camera at the QR code on your screen.
3. Your phone shows exactly what's being requested: a temporary desktop session. Review it and tap Approve (unlocking your Vault on the phone as usual).
4. The desktop opens an approved, temporary view of your documents. Read, compare, and review on the big screen.
5. When you're finished — or after a period of inactivity — the desktop session auto-locks. To get back in, you approve again from your phone.

What leaves your phone — and what doesn't

This is the part worth being precise about:

• Stays on the phone: your passphrase and the decryption key derived from it. These never travel to the desktop, and the desktop can't reconstruct them.
• Goes to the desktop, temporarily: only the specific documents for the approved session, so you can view them — and only for as long as the session is active.
• Ends automatically: the session auto-locks on inactivity or when you close it, so a document doesn't sit exposed on a shared or public computer.

A concrete example

David is preparing a mortgage application and the lender wants six months of statements plus his lease. On his phone, scrolling through six PDFs is painful. He opens the Vault on his laptop, sees the QR code, and scans it with his phone. His phone asks him to confirm a new desktop session; he approves. Now all six statements open on the laptop, where he can lay them out and check the numbers comfortably. When he steps away for coffee, the laptop session locks itself. His passphrase and key never left his phone — the laptop only ever held a temporary, approved view.

A good habit: on a shared or public computer, close the session yourself the moment you're done rather than relying only on the auto-lock. And if you ever see an approval request on your phone that you didn't start, simply decline it — nothing opens without your tap.

FAQ

Does opening the Vault on my computer put my key on that computer? No. The decryption key stays on your phone. The desktop receives only a temporary, approved view of the documents you're looking at, and it never gets the key itself.

What if I forget to close the session? The desktop session auto-locks after inactivity or when you close it, so documents don't stay open on the screen. You'll approve again from your phone to return.

Can someone open my Vault on their computer without me? No. Every desktop session must be approved from the phone that holds your key, so nothing opens unless you tap Approve.