FileLocker V1.2.2.0

FileLocker v1.2.2.0

FileLocker v1.2.2.0 is a reliability, security, and update-flow improvement release. This version focuses on making the in-app updater more reliable, improving encryption metadata validation, tightening file-operation safety checks, and cleaning up release files before publishing.

Highlights

• Fixed the in-app updater install flow so the installer launches correctly after FileLocker closes.
• Improved installer cleanup after updates complete.
• Kept AES-256-GCM as the default encryption option.
• Added support for additional modern authenticated encryption options when supported by the local runtime.
• Improved validation for encrypted .locked file metadata.
• Preserved compatibility with existing AES-256-GCM encrypted files.
• Improved validation and error handling across file, folder, hash, metadata, keyfile, and export workflows.
• Removed generated test screenshots and browser automation snapshots from the release branch.

What’s New

Updater Improvements

The update install flow has been improved for both the update popup and the Settings page.

FileLocker now uses a safer helper process that waits for the running app to close before starting the downloaded installer. This makes the update process more reliable, especially when dealing with paths that contain spaces or special characters.

The updater also continues to validate GitHub Releases installer assets before launch and automatically removes the downloaded installer after the update installer exits.

Encryption Improvements

Encryption support has been cleaned up and standardized across the app.

AES-256-GCM remains the default encryption option. FileLocker now also supports additional authenticated encryption options for new .locked files when the local runtime supports them safely, including:

• ChaCha20-Poly1305
• AES-256-GCM-SIV

New encrypted files now include stronger authenticated metadata, including information about the selected algorithm, key size, key derivation settings, nonce data, chunk settings, and key-slot metadata.

Existing AES-256-GCM FileLocker payloads remain decryptable.

File Workflow Improvements

Several file-related workflows now perform stronger checks before actions run.

Improved validation was added for:

• Selected files and folders
• Keyfile paths
• Folder restore package paths
• Metadata workflows
• Hashing workflows
• CSV export values
• Error message redaction

Folder restore safety was also improved so restored package paths stay inside the intended restore location.

CSV export handling was tightened to better protect spreadsheet exports from unsafe control characters and formula-style values.

System Care

The System Care improvements from v1.2.1.0 remain in place.

Custom Clean continues to use real scan results, safety labels, filters, and review-first cleanup controls.

Startup Manager continues to support broader startup-source review with reversible disable metadata where FileLocker can safely provide it.

Registry Fixer continues to review bounded stale entries with details-first cleanup.

App Manager continues to support installed-app inventory, visible uninstall launching, exports, and approved leftover cleanup.

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the updater install button could fail to launch the downloaded installer.
• Fixed version metadata so the app, manifests, installer config, README, and release notes report 1.2.2.0.
• Removed generated root screenshot files and browser automation snapshots from the release branch.
• Improved handling for malformed paths, invalid metadata, and unsafe export values.
• Improved error handling for invalid keyfile paths before encryption begins.
• Improved temporary text-buffer cleanup during bounded text reading.

Security and Reliability

FileLocker remains local-first. Settings, history, update state, cleanup metadata, startup restore data, update downloads, and WebView profile data remain under local FileLocker app data locations.

New encryption options are authenticated encryption only. FileLocker does not add legacy or unauthenticated algorithms just to increase the option count.

For new .locked files, the selected encryption algorithm is stored in authenticated payload metadata. Wrong passwords, tampered ciphertext, tampered authentication tags, and tampered metadata are expected to fail safely.

Updater downloads continue to come from GitHub Releases and are validated before launch.

Known Limitations

FileLocker cannot recover encrypted files if the password, recovery key, or required keyfile is lost. Keep backups of anything important.

Secure delete is best-effort. On SSDs, wear leveling and device-level remapping can make complete physical removal difficult to guarantee.

Some System Care actions may require administrator permission, including:

• Local-machine startup entries
• Common Startup folder entries
• Protected cleanup locations
• Drive optimization
• Free-space wiping

Vendor uninstallers are controlled by the app publisher after FileLocker launches them.

Custom Clean is intentionally conservative. Some advanced Windows cleanup areas may appear as unavailable or review-only when FileLocker cannot safely clean them through file-based cleanup.

Install and Update Notes

Download:

FileLocker-Setup-1.2.2.0.exe

from this GitHub Release.

Users on FileLocker v1.2.1.0 can update through the in-app updater once this release is published with the installer asset attached.

The installer may request administrator approval.

Existing local settings, history, update preferences, cleanup metadata, startup restore data, and WebView2 profile data remain stored under local FileLocker app data locations.

After updating, open FileLocker and confirm that the app reports version 1.2.2.0.

Checksums

A SHA-256 checksum file should be published beside the installer asset:

FileLocker-Setup-1.2.2.0.exe.sha256

Use this file to verify the downloaded installer.