How to Put a Password on a Folder in Windows without any software?
Either you are a housewife or a leader of a large enterprise, you should both have noticed that data security is very important to family or business life. Every moment, there are not less than a incidents of leaking data. Even the famous online network site LinkedIn has just suffered from such an issue a few days before.
It is very important and urgent for everybody to protect your data in reliable way. But how? You might have heard of the following ways: hide folder, shred files, lock folder with password or encryption technique, use a program etc. All are good methods and doesn't cost much. Hereby will share you a way of folder encryption by Windows built-in feature. Don't need much computer knowledge, no cost, very easy to use and you will learn how to put a password on a folder in Windows to protect your sensitive data.
1. Browse Windows Explorer.
2. Right click a file or folder that you want to protect with a password, and then click “Properties” from the Windows context-menu.
3. Click "Advanced…" on the "General" tab, then select "Encrypt contents to secure data" option and click "OK".
4. Click "Apply" button. Now your folder or file is encrypted. Users can't open and access your protected folder or file without permission.
In the above step you might be confused by the choices: "Apply changes to this folder only" and "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files". In fact they are very easy. The first choice applies for the situation when you only need encrypt the root folder while the second one will encrypt both the root folder and all folders and files in this folder. You can select the right choice according to your actual requirement. You also can change the selection in future.
1. How to brown Windows Explorer?
You can click "Start"-"All Programs"-"Accessories" and then click "Windows Explorer" to open the Windows Explorer. You also can click Start button, and then input 'Explorer' comman in the Run box(or press Win+R on keyboard) to open it.
2. Can it work for any file system?
No. It only supports NTFS. You need format your FAT file system to NTFS if you want to encrypt folder and file by this method.
3. Can it encrypt compressed files?
Yes. Compressed file or folder can also be encrypted by this way. When encrypting a compressed file or folder, the file or folder will be decompressed first.
4. If I want some user to browse my encrypted folder, how?
Other users are able to access your protected folder if they have your Windows administrator password. Therefore, if you want to assign permission to some user, just give them your password. You also can create a new user account with a password and put all the data you want to share in a folder and encrypt the folder. It is more secure than opening your Administrator account to others.
5. Is it a ultimate data security method?
No. It can partly prevent data leak but cannot completely block any unauthorized access. For more advanced folder protection, you need professional folder lock software.
