Use Shadow Layers

What you'll do: Move between layers day to day, and keep the separation clean.

How it works: You don't "switch" layers from inside the app. You open the layer you want by entering its password when you unlock the vault. To move to a different layer, lock the vault and unlock again with the other password.

Steps

1. Unlock the vault and enter the password for the layer you want to work in.

2. Work with that layer's files exactly as you would in any vault — add, open, rename, share, search.

3. When you're done, lock the vault (Finder context menu → Lock vault, or lock from the app). Locking seals every layer.

4. To use a different layer, unlock again with that layer's password.

Good habits

• Keep the decoy believable. A decoy layer with nothing in it isn't convincing. Put real-but-harmless files there and touch them occasionally so it looks lived-in.

• Don't cross-reference layers. File names, share links, or notes that point from one layer to another can betray that another layer exists.

• Lock when you step away. Auto-Lock will seal things on crash or exit, but an explicit lock is faster and deliberate.

Common mistakes

• Leaving a sensitive layer unlocked while someone else is at the device. Locking is the boundary.

• Naming files in a way that hints at hidden content ("real-copy", "the other set"). Keep names neutral.

Under active inspection, follow Unlock under inspection — the whole point is that you open the decoy calmly and nothing reveals the rest.