On this page

Batch Encrypt & Decrypt

Necron Vault Manager supports encrypting and decrypting many files at once through two workflows: vault imports (the primary method) and Quick Encrypt/Decrypt modals (for standalone operations). Both handle multiple files with per-item progress tracking.

When to Use Each Workflow

Scenario Recommended Method
Adding files to a vault Vault Import (ADD FILES / ADD FOLDER in the toolbar)
Encrypting files outside a vault Quick Encrypt (Encrypt tile in inspector footer)
Decrypting files from a vault DECRYPT FILES (toolbar button, works on vault tree selection)
Decrypting standalone encrypted files Quick Decrypt (Decrypt tile in inspector footer)

Vault Import (Bulk Encryption)

The primary way to encrypt multiple files is by importing them into a vault:

Step 1: Select a Vault

Click a vault in the sidebar to make it the active vault. The vault browser shows its current contents.

Step 2: Add Files

  • Click ADD FILES in the toolbar to open a file picker (multi-select supported)
  • Click ADD FOLDER to select an entire directory — all files inside are added

Step 3: Automatic Encryption

Files are encrypted and imported into the vault automatically. Each file is:

  1. Encrypted using the vault's encryption format
  2. Replicated to all configured vault locations
  3. Indexed in the vault's file list

The vault browser updates as files are imported. A busy overlay appears during large imports.

Note

Vault imports process files sequentially. Pad consumption is proportional to the total file size being encrypted (1:1 pad-to-data ratio).

Vault Decryption (Bulk)

To decrypt files from a vault:

  1. Select files in the vault browser tree (multi-select with Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click)
  2. Click DECRYPT FILES in the toolbar
  3. Choose a destination folder for the decrypted output
  4. Files are decrypted and saved to the destination

Quick Encrypt (Standalone)

For encrypting files outside of a vault:

Step 1: Open the Modal

Click the Encrypt tile in the inspector footer (bottom of the right-hand panel). A Quick Encrypt modal dialog opens.

Step 2: Add Files

  • Click Add files to select files from a file picker
  • Click Add folder to add an entire directory

Each file appears in a list with its name, size, and status.

Step 3: Configure

  • Destination — click "Choose destination" to change the output folder (defaults to same directory as source)
  • Encrypt filenames — toggle to encrypt filenames into tokenized form (.ncrn extension)

Step 4: Encrypt

Click Encrypt to begin. Each file shows its progress:

  • ⏳ Pending — waiting to be processed
  • 🔄 Encrypting — currently being encrypted
  • ✅ Done — successfully encrypted
  • ❌ Error — encryption failed (with details)

Note

Quick Encrypt always uses the NCV3 format. Pad consumption is minimal — only a small fixed amount of key material per file regardless of file size.

Quick Decrypt (Standalone)

For decrypting standalone encrypted files outside of a vault:

Step 1: Open the Modal

Click the Decrypt tile in the inspector footer. A Quick Decrypt modal dialog opens.

Step 2: Add Encrypted Files

  • Click Add files to select encrypted files
  • Click Add folder to find all encrypted files in a directory

Step 3: Configure and Decrypt

Choose a destination if needed, then click Decrypt.

Warning

Quick Decrypt only supports NCV3 (.ncrn) files. Legacy NCV2 or OTP1 files will be rejected with a "Quick Decrypt supports NCV3 AEAD (.ncrn) files only" message. To decrypt those formats, use vault-based decryption.

Pre-Flight Checks

Before starting any encrypt/decrypt operation, the app validates:

Check Description
Key connected Verifies a MASTER dongle is present (for encrypt) or any matching dongle (for decrypt)
Pad sufficient For encrypt: ensures enough pad capacity remains for all files
Key match For decrypt: checks that the connected dongle matches the key used to encrypt the files

If any check fails, the operation is blocked with a clear error message.

Warning

Pad exhaustion: If your pad runs out mid-batch during encryption, the remaining files will fail with a "pad exhausted" error. Files already encrypted are safe — only unprocessed files are affected.

Error Handling

If a file fails during processing:

  1. The error is logged for that specific file
  2. Processing continues for the remaining files (the operation is not aborted)
  3. The error is shown in the per-item status
  4. Failures are visible in the results

Common errors:

Error Cause Solution
Key mismatch Wrong dongle connected Insert the correct dongle
Pad exhausted Not enough key material Cannot encrypt more files without more pad
File read error Source file is locked or inaccessible Close other programs using the file
Corrupt header Encrypted file is damaged File may not be recoverable

For more details, see Error Handling.

Tips for Large Operations

  • Close other disk-intensive programs to maximize I/O throughput
  • Use a local destination rather than a network drive for better performance
  • Monitor the capacity bar in the dongle status card if you're encrypting many files
  • Review results carefully to catch any failures