Sharing your computer is not the best option, especially if you are worried about your family, friends, or someone with malicious intent gaining access to your files. You can use separate user accounts, but if your files are not encrypted, someone else can access them.
There are several ways to password protect folders in Windows 10. If you have Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can also use the built-in features to encrypt files or USB devices. Alternatively, you can zip folders with a password, or use third-party software to create encrypted folders.
Use embedded EFS folder encryption
One of the easiest ways to password protect a folder in Windows 10 is to use the built-in folder encryption system called Encrypted File System (EFS). This method is only available for Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education users.
This type of encryption locks the folder using the credentials of your Microsoft account or local account (assuming the user account has a password). To access the folder, the user needs to know the same login information that you used to log into your computer. If not, they will not be able to access the folder.
You can also decrypt your files using the EFS encryption key. You will be prompted to create a backup when you first encrypt the folder with EFS.
- To password protect a folder using this system, you need to right-click the folder on your desktop. or in Windows Explorer, then click Properties.
- On the General tab of the Properties window, click the Advanced button. This is only visible for files on the mapped drive. You won’t see this option, for example, for folders on a network drive
- In the Advanced Attributes window, select the Encrypt content to protect data check box. Click OK to save.
- Click OK (or Apply> OK) in the Properties window to save your encryption settings.
- Once saved, you can view the user accounts and recovery keys associated with the folder by right-clicking the folder and choosing Properties> Advanced> More Details.
- The first time you encrypt a folder using this method, you will be prompted to back up the encryption key and EFS certificate. You can (and recommended) save it to an external device such as a USB stick. To do this, click the “Back up now” button in the pop-up window, or click “Back up later.” It is not recommended to click “Never Back Up” as you will not be able to restore your files later.
- The Certificate Export Wizard prompts you to create an encryption certificate and a password for decryption. Windows will automatically select the appropriate format for your certificate, so click Next to continue.
- To protect your key, you need to create a strong password Be sure to check the Password box, and then provide a suitable password in the Password and Confirm Password fields. Select AES256-SHA256 from the Encryption drop-down menu. Click Next to continue.
- Confirm the filename for your file in the next menu, then click Next. We recommend that you keep this file separate from your computer, so use removable media to save the file.
- You can confirm your choices in the last step. If everything is ok, click Finish to save the certificate file.
At this point, your folder should be protected. You won’t see the difference – you can open, edit and move the folder as usual. However, for other users, they will need your account information or an encryption key to access or make any changes to the folder.
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Encrypt folders with 7-Zip
If you want to protect a folder without making too many changes to it, you can encrypt it. One way to do this is to use 7-Zip, an open source archiving software, to create an encrypted, password-protected zip file.
- To do this, you need to download and install 7-Zip on your computer. After installing the software, you can right-click any folder on your computer (desktop or Windows Explorer) and click 7-Zip> Add to Archive.
- In the Add to Archive window, be sure to select 7z from the Archive drop-down menu. In the Encryption section, enter a strong password in the Enter Password and Re-enter Password fields. Make sure AES-256 is selected as the encryption method and click to enable file name encryption if you want to hide the names of files stored in your folder (this is recommended). When finished, click OK to create the archive.
- A 7z encrypted file will appear next to the unencrypted folder. You can now safely delete the original folder so that it can no longer be accessed. When you (or someone else) try to open an encrypted file, a password is required to gain access.
Other third-party software to password-protect folders
7-Zip can create a password protected archive containing your folder, but it cannot password protect the folder itself. If you are using Windows 10 Home (which means EFS and built-in folder encryption are not available to you), you will need third-party software to protect your folders.
A number of antivirus software packages offer encrypted file storage, including Bitdefender Total Security. Alternatively, you can use dedicated file encryption software such as AxCrypt, which offers a secure folders feature. This is a premium feature, but you can try the software with a 30-day free trial.
AxCrypt constantly monitors these folders, encrypting any files that are added to them. This ensures that only you can access the files in the folder. You can decrypt files using your own encryption password, although you will also need an AxCrypt account to use the software. However, passwords are stored locally.
- To use AxCrypt, you must first install the software and create a new account on first launch. Once launched, go to the “Protected Folders” tab.
- By default, AxCrypt will encrypt the MyCrypt folder in your documents folder. To add a new folder, right-click the folder on your desktop or in Windows File Manager, then click Axcrypt> Encrypt to encrypt it.
- After encryption, you will be able to enter the folder, but all files stored in it will be encrypted with the .axx extension. Attempting to open it will open the AxCrypt client where you will need to use your decryption password to decrypt the files first and make any changes. If you are already signed in, you do not need to enter a password to edit any files.
- If you want to decrypt files later, right-click the encrypted folder and click Axcrypt> Decrypt. This will disable encryption on that folder and remove any existing encryption.
Protect your important files in Windows 10
With built-in folder encryption and multiple third-party methods available, it has never been easier to password protect a folder and protect your most important files in Windows 10. With AES encryption available for EFS and 7-Zip files, your files will be (close to) unbreakable that gives you extra peace of mind.
If you want to take it a step further, there is nothing stopping you from encrypting all your data, whether online or offline. This is a particularly good idea for online data, especially if you find that there is a data leak on the site or service you are using, but you can also encrypt your entire hard drive using Windows Bitlocker
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