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Everything should be safe and sound once you set up a Windows password, but that’s not the case. Even though a Password Protect Files and Folders is a basic way to keep your files safe from other people who use your computer, there are still many risks. This is especially true if you let other people use your Mac, but computers can also be broken into by people from the outside.
And since you’ll encrypt the data at the same time, anyone who doesn’t know your password won’t be able to read it. If someone steals your laptop, they can start it up from a removable device and get to your files. Or, they can take out the hard drive, put it in another computer, and then access all of your files and personal information.
How to Password Protect Files and Folders in Mac
- Open the Disk Utility app. To find this, launch Finder, click Applications in the left-side menu, and click the Utilities folder.
- You can also find it via Spotlight – press the Command and Spacebar on your keyboard and type “Disk Utility”.
- Now, with Disk Utility open, click File and move your mouse over New Image.
- Click Image From Folder from the list of options.
- Select the folder that you want to password protect and click Choose.
- You will need to choose a level of encryption. Click the Encryption drop down and select either 128-bit AES encryption or 256-bit AES encryption.
- Now enter the password you want to use to protect the folder. Enter it again to verify (this ensures you don’t make a mistake).
- Click the drop down box next to Image Format and select read/write. This will ensure you can edit your folder in the future. Click Save.
- A folder disk image will be created (it will have the suffix .dmg). It may take some time. When it’s complete, click Done.
- You will now have two folders – the disk image and the original folder. The original folder will be unprotected. If you don’t need the non-password protected folder, remember to delete it.
How to Password Protect Files and Folders in Windows
- Right-click inside the folder where the files you want to protect are located. The folder you want to hide can even be on your desktop.
- Select “New” from the contextual menu.
- Click on “Text Document.”
- Hit Enter. It doesn’t matter what the file will be named. You can delete this text file once the lockable folder has been made.
- Double-click the text file to open it.
- Paste the below text into the new document
- Find where it says “Your-Password-Here” in the document.
- Select “Save As.
- Click on the “Text Documents (*.txt)” menu bar that’s next to “Save as type:”
- Select “All Files”
- Change the file name to “FolderLocker.bat”
- Fill the Locker folder with the items you want to protect
- Type “Y” into the screen.
- Click Enter, and the Folder Locker window will disappear, along with the Locker folder itself. Your secrets are now safe.
FAQs
One of the reasons why you can’t apply a password to a folder is that your account is already protected from unauthorized access with a password (and even encryption if you use BitLocker).
In the Preview app on your Mac, open a PDF. Choose File > Edit Permissions, then do any of the following: Set a password for opening the PDF: Select Require Password To Open Document. Enter a password, then retype it to verify.
Double-click the zipped folder you want to password protect. On the File menu, click Add a password. In the Password box, select the password you want to use. Enter the same password in the Confirm password box and click OK.