How protect your files and folders in Windows :
The majority of Microsoft Windows operating systems do
not come with a method of password protecting your sensitive files and folders.
If you're using Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows
95, or Windows 98, you need to download or purchase a
third-party program to password protect your files and folders in Windows; skip
down to the other security solutions section if you're
using one of these operating systems.
remember:Before
password protecting any document, you may want to create a backup of the
non-password protected files and folder in case you forget the password in the
future.
Microsoft Windows XP professional users
Microsoft Windows XP home users
Microsoft Windows Vista/7/8 users
Other security solutions for protecting your files and folders in Windows
Things to remember when encrypting or password protecting files and folders
Microsoft Windows XP home users
Microsoft Windows Vista/7/8 users
Other security solutions for protecting your files and folders in Windows
Things to remember when encrypting or password protecting files and folders
The steps below for encrypting the files on Windows XP
Professional applies to users who are using a computer that has different
accounts. If you are using a single account, see the other security solutions section.
-
Select the file or folder
you want to encrypt.
-
Right-click the file or folder and click Properties.
-
Click the Advanced button.
-
Check "Encrypt contents to secure data"
option.
-
Click Apply and then Ok.
Encrypt contents to secure data is grayed
out
This will be grayed out if you're using the home edition
of Microsoft Windows XP. See the steps below for securing the contents of your
folders in Windows XP home.
Show "Encrypt" on the context
menu
The newest version of TweakUI also enables you to show the Encrypt option in the
context menu. To do this, follow the steps below.
-
Open TweakUI.
-
In the TweakUI window, select Explorer
-
In the right side of the window under Settings, locate Show
'Encrypt' on context menu and check the box. This option should be below Prefix
'shortcut to' on new shortcuts and above Show 'View workgroup computers'
in NetPlaces.
-
Select the file or folder
you want to encrypt.
-
Right-click the file or folder and click Properties.
-
Click the Sharing tab.
-
Check the box Make this folder private
-
Click Apply and then Ok.
Make this folder private is grayed out
In order for this option to work in Microsoft Windows XP
home you must meet the below requirements.
-
The hard drive must be formatted in NTFS and not FAT32 File
System.
-
The folder you're attempting to encrypt must be in your
own personal folder. For example, if your name is bob, you must be encrypting a
folder that is or that is contained within the below folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\Bob\
You cannot encrypt any folders outside of this folder. If you want to encrypt outside this folder, see the below other security solutions.
C:\Documents and Settings\Bob\
You cannot encrypt any folders outside of this folder. If you want to encrypt outside this folder, see the below other security solutions.
Unfortunately, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 do
not provide any features for password protecting files or folders. You need to
use a third-party software program to accomplish this.
If you want to encrypt a file or folder, this can be done
by following these steps:
-
Select the file or folder
you want to encrypt.
-
Right-click the file or folder and click Properties.
-
Click the Advanced button.
-
Check "Encrypt contents to secure data"
option.
-
Click Apply and then Ok.
File and folders not frequently used
If you need to password protect files or folders that you
do not frequently use, one of the simplest ways is to compress the folder and
files with a compression utility and password protect the compressed file.
However, each time you want to work with or modify the files, you need to
uncompress the files using the password.
Windows ME and Windows XP users - Windows ME and Windows XP come with their own
compression utility. This utility can also be used to compress and password
protect files.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users - Windows Vista and Windows 7 also include a compression
utility. However, password protection for the compressed files is not possible
without the use of a third-party software program.
When a file is compressed, users can still
view a listing of the files in the compressed file. If you want both your file
names and the contents to be hidden, move all the files into a single folder
and password protect that folder.
File and folders frequently used or
accessed
If you need to password protect or encrypt data you
frequently use, you need to install a third-party program that allows you to
protect your files and folders. Below are some free and commercial solutions.
- 7-Zip
- A free file and folder zipping utility, which also includes the ability
to password protect zipped files and folders.
- AxCrypt
- An excellent free encryption utility that enables users to encrypt all
files within a folder and not allow those files to be viewed unless a
passphrase (password) is known.
- Folder
Guard - A
commercial version of a password protection software that enables you to
password protect files, folders, and other Windows resources.
- Protected Folder- For a small fee, it's
an excellent software program that enables you to password protect
folders.
Things to remember when encrypting or
password protecting files and folders
1.
There is no such thing as a 100% protected file. There
are numerous tools, utilities, and instructions for how to break encryption and
passwords on files. However, the protection methods listed above will protect
your files from the majority of users who may encounter them. If you are
working with really sensitive data, we suggest a commercial product for
protecting your files and data.
2.
Even though a file or folder may be password protected,
it still can be deleted (unless the program supports the ability to protect
files from being deleted). Always remember to backup all your files, even those
protected by passwords.
3.
If you forget the password, unless you're willing to spend
the time attempting to break it or pay someone else to break the password, all
the data in the file or folder will be lost. Thus, it is important to backup a
copy of the non-password protected files or folders, just in case.
know more
Set Password on Folder in Windows 7
by :malak Aljaid
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