If you just need to protect your files and folders on Windows 10 computer from family members or colleagues and can live without encryption, simple password protection will work just fine for you. It doesn't matter what thefile will be named. Click OK, then click Apply. When youve decided, click OK. 6. If you are encrypting a folder, you will be asked to choose whether you want all folders within that directory to be password protected. The one thing the next version of macOS needs to address. Locate essential files, right-click and select Cut. The best way to secure and password-protect files and folders on Windows 10 computers is by using BitLocker. Most people dont know about it either. Time-saving software and hardware expertise that helps 200M users yearly. Click the toast notification and follow the prompts to make a note of your encryption key. The File Explorer icon is a folder with a blue clip. Select the 7-Zip File Manager option. Open File Explorer. Select "Add Folder" from . How To Password Protect a Folder on Windows 10 - No Additional Software Required ProgrammingKnowledge2 329K subscribers Join Subscribe 19K 1.4M views 2 years ago How To Videos FolderLock.bat code. You can easily password protect your files from the prying eyes of others by configuring the Properties settings. Find the folder or file you want to encrypt in Windows File Explorer. Youll need this information if you ever lose access to your encrypted files, so its important you take the time to back it up now. Literally mentioned the sauce in the second paragraph. Double click on the .bat file and type in the password you made for it when the command prompt menu opens up. Change the file name to "FolderLocker.bat". England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Windows has built-in support for basic password protection, letting you keep your files safe from prying eyes. Step 1. Create Password Locked Folder In Windows 10. You can openit to find your hidden files. For example, if your chosen password is "password123", the line should read "if NOT %pass%==password123". Click the Action menu. 10. However, encryption is only available in the Professional or Enterprise edition of Windows 10. Your secrets are now safe. You will be able to see the newly encrypted drive next to your regular drives. You should create an unprotected backup of any folder you plan on password-protecting. To hide your Locker folder again, simply double-click the FolderLocker file and input Y, then hit enter/return in the prompt, just like before. On the "Confirm Attribute Changes" window, choose between "Apply changes to this folder only" or "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files. Even with all the fresh news regarding the security improvements on Windows 11, users still want to know how to lock their folders. Open the folder you want to protect in File Explorer and right-click in an empty space inside it. Go to File > Info > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password. Dale Fox is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He holds a master's degree in English from NYU. When you want to view all hidden files and folders, just open the folder and select Hidden items to view everything. Also, yes, the FolderLocker file can be reverse-engineered by someone who understands the process, but this isn't meant to keep tech-savvy folks out, just nosy family members who you don't trust. Step (2):Give any name to the text document and press Enterkey. 1 Press Win + E to open File Explorer . Place any files you wish to protect inside the Locker folder, by either dragging the files or pasting them into the folder. You should now see the pasted text inside your file. You also have the ability to send or share the encrypted folder online using email or cloud storage securely. Wise Folder Hider is a simple and free password manager that can protect your files with two different folders. Now, only you can access this folder while you are logged in to your Windows user account. Insert a USB flash drive to your computer, and follow the on-screen instructions to create your encryption certificate and export to the USB drive. It's also worth mentioning that if you need more robust protection, you should check out our guide on how to encrypt files on Windows 10. Windows Windows 10 How to Password Protect Applications on Windows 10 Marshall Gunnell @makojunkie_ Dec 17, 2020, 10:24 am EDT | 3 min read If you use a shared computer, one way to keep other users off certain apps is to require a password for opening that app. Thats a tedious process but safe at the same time. Find files on your PC, laptop and other devices, Fix: the new Outlook could not successfully launch error, NTVDM.exe: What is it & How to Fix its Errors, Windows 11s Clipboard needs shelf support, users say, 0XC00002EE Error: How to Fix It on Windows 10 & 11, File Explorer finally gets a redesignedHome & Address bar. Replace user name here with your computers username and top secret with the folder you want to hide as a system folder. Discover how to password protect folders on Windows with our simple guide. They can select the link to open the workbook. Paste the belowtextinto the new document: if EXIST "Control Panel. In the General tab of the Properties window, press the Advanced button. Set up OneDrive Personal Vault. Note: The Change Password button doesn't appear if you're using an Exchange account. So, simply press enter/return to give this file the default name of New Text Document. 2. 2. #2. Step 1. Step 2. Windows 11 does not have a secure folder per se. 3. Check out our guide to hidden files for more detailed information on hidden files in Windows. Thats why there is another way. There's no way to recover a folder's password if you forget it, so make sure you write the password down somewhere. This is only visible for files on an attached drive. Once you log in to AxCrypt, you do not need to enter your password each time you enter your password. Also, ensure you're keeping some record of the exact password you're using to lock your folder. In the example below, a password protector is added to the volume and then BitLocker is turned on. Restore Solutions: Well the more file explorer stuff that is worked on the better, its still not good. If you dont need to access a folder and its content frequently, you can encrypt and compress it to make it impossible for others to access it without a password. Step 1: Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to the folder you want to password-protect. In the prompt that appears, input the password you chose earlier, then hit enter/return. Using software like Wise Folder Hider is definitely the easiest way to password protect a folder in Windows 10. Follow the prompts to name and save the folder. In the General tab, click the ' Advanced ' button and enable ' Encrypt content to secure data '. It depends on the age of the person and how computer savvy he/she is before you use this method. Once you find the file or folder that you want to protect, right-click it. So, make sure you carefully decline the install. In nearly all cases, you can only access folders on a Windows computer once you're logged into your user account. However, this folder will only be protected from other user accounts. You can delete this text file once the lockable folder has been made. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. But unlike Bitlocker, this method should work on any version of Windows 10 or 11, so you're covered even if you don't have one of the best laptops. 8. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram programmed several of LAPTOP's real-world benchmarks, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. Click the eject button next to your folder's name in the Finder window on the left. Only Windows processes can access the secure desktop. This software may not be able to protect your data from hackers and other bad actors, but for quick and easy folder protection, they are perfect. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. There is a way to achieve your goal when it comes to simple files or even entire folders by using your OS settings. Bath visionOS: Apples new Vision Pro OS What is it? Open the FolderLocker file, because it's time to lock that folder up! 15-inch MacBook Air vs 13-inch MacBook Air which is better? By using our site, you agree to our. Step 1: Access Account Settings: - Click the "Start" button at the bottom left corner. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Click the checkbox to agree to the license terms and conditions. When you're done, click OK. On some older Macs, this option may be labeled "Disk Image from Folder" instead. Finally, click Apply and select Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files. The steps are a little complicated and long but it is the highest level of security you can get on a Windows computer. Now press Apply and Windows will begin to encrypt your files. Use Built-in Encryption Windows comes with built-in encryption to protect a folder and its content from other users and content over the shared network. All rights reserved. How to hide a folder 16. To begin, use File Explorer to find the file or folder you wish to protect. You'll need to set it up separately on each device where you want to use it. Enabling Windows BitLocker feature (Pro and Enterprise edition only) can also give you peace of mind if you want all your files to be encrypted. Open the folder you want to protect in File Explorer and right-click in an empty space inside it. Replace "Your-Password-Here" with the password you want to lock the folder with. Hit the OK button. 1. {21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}", if NOT %pass%==Your-Password-Here goto FAIL, attrib -h -s "Control Panel. Make sure to use a strong password thats not obvious to ensure people dont guess it. Make sure you unhide all the files and folder before uninstalling the Wise Folder hider (or any folder hiding software) or all your files will be lost forever. Select "New"from the contextual menu. Step 1: First, please open Windows Explorer and find the folder to add a password to lock. Enter the Email address as it is mandatory. Click Advanced to be taken to Advanced Attributes menu for the file or folder. Once again, well remind you this method isnt intended for high-security purposes. Click the search box beside "Path" and select the folder you wish to password protect. The official Geeks Geek, as his weekly column is titled, Avram Piltch has guided the editorial and production of Laptopmag.com since 2007. The Locker folder is the place where you can hide anything you want to be hidden and password-protected. Please Note: If you lose the password, your files aregone, and since every computer is different,we can't deduceexactly whatwent wrong on your end. The policies can be configured locally by using the Local Security Policy snap-in (secpol.msc) or configured for the domain, OU, or specific groups by group policy.The policy settings are located under: Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options. ", 7. WTF! Just untick the Encrypt contents to secure data checkbox and click OK to close the windows. How do I change the name of the folder created by the .bat file? Melanie Weir is a freelance author for Insider, mainly focusing on the Tech Reference section, but occasionally contributing to Lifestyle and Entertainment topics as well. Alternatively, you can also try Easy File Locker. To do so, open Command Prompt with admin rights and type the below command. Here's how topassword protect a folder in Windows 10, so you can fill it with files you want to keep secret and how to lock it, open it and repeat. Restore Solutions: "has managed to achieve some level of redemption with gamers following a disastrous launch back in December 2020." Right-click on the target folder and select Properties. So this will not stop people from deleting the sensitive data. It's also best to not use any spaces in your password, as this may cause errors. Keep your folders safe and secure in Windows 10 using password protection. What to expect? Let us know in the comments below. If you want to open a password-protected folder, follow the previous steps up to this point and uncheck this box. It's totally free and easy to password protect a folder in Windows. There are many encryption software available, but most of them will encrypt the whole drive content. The best way to protect your data is to encrypt and protect it with a password, and for this purpose, you will need to get help from a third-party encryption software. A web browser will open, and the workbook will open in Excel for the web. File, because it 's time to lock that folder up folder created the. Enter/Return to Give this file the default name of the folder Avram programmed several of 's. Untick the encrypt contents to secure data checkbox and click OK to close the Windows free password that. Secure in Windows you this method isnt intended for high-security purposes the security improvements on Windows 11 does have! 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