How to password protect a folder. How to put a password on a folder (archive or otherwise password protect it in Windows). Method without using programs

Almost every PC or laptop user has information stored on their device that they would like to hide from outside attention - work documents, personal photos and videos, some important files, etc.

There are many ways to achieve privacy, but the easiest way is to set a password for the folder with the content that needs to be hidden.

You will learn how to do this from this article.

Before moving on to a direct examination of specialized programs that allow you to set passwords for folders and archives in the Windows environment, first familiarize yourself with the rules for creating effective passwords - those that will be very difficult for attackers to guess manually or using automatic software.

If you find it difficult to come up with a strong password yourself, you can use one of the many online generators.

Just enter the phrase “password generator” into Google or Yandex and follow one of the links on the first page.

As a rule, most of these services allow you to set the necessary options - the number of characters, the use of upper case and special characters, numbers, etc.

All that remains is to copy the resulting combination and save it in a safe place (it’s best to write it down on paper).

Programs for setting a password for a folder in Windows

Let's move on to consider special software for protecting folders with a password.

The choice of such programs is truly varied, but it is best to use solutions that have been tested by hundreds of thousands of users - such as those that will be described below.

1. Password Protect USB

   The program allows you to set a password for a folder on your computer - you only need to launch the application once, select the desired directory and click on the “Lock Folder” button in the main window.

   
   

   Then enter the required sequence of letters and numbers in the highlighted field.

   
   

   This way, you can protect information on several devices at once by recording Password Protect on a flash drive and connecting it if necessary.

2. Folder Protector

   Folder Protector not only allows you to set a password for the selected folder, but also encrypts its contents.

   An outsider, without access to the program and the master password, will not be able to get inside the folder and familiarize itself with its contents.

   To set a password, just launch the application, click on the folder image in the main window and select the directory located on the computer or device connected to it.

   
   

   Afterwards, another window will open where you will need to enter a sequence of password characters, confirm it and, if you want, leave a “Password Hint” for yourself.
   

   The program works with all more or less current versions of Windows - 2003, XP and higher, it is very easy to use and weighs just under a megabyte.

   The only drawback is that you will have to pay almost $23 for the full version.

3. Dir Lock

   Another convenient tool for protecting the contents of your folders. A small program of a couple of hundred kilobytes in size is embedded in the Windows Explorer context menu when first launched.

   To protect a particular directory, just right-click on it and find the “Lock” button in the expanded list.

   
   

   A window will immediately open where you will need to enter and confirm your password.

   Nearby are the Add and Remove Context Menu buttons - they allow you to unload a program from the context menu and load it back.

   If you no longer need to protect a folder with a password, you can remove the lock.

   To do this, simply run Dir Lock. The main window will display a list of all password-protected folders on the connected device.

   Select the desired directory from the list and click on the “Unlock selected directory” button. You will have to enter the password again, after which the protection will be removed.

4. Anvide Seal Folder

   Are you looking for free programs for setting passwords that will not be inferior in functionality to paid solutions?

   Then you should definitely take a closer look at Anvide Seal Folder.

   This freely distributed application works very simply - click on the plus sign in the main menu, specify the path to the directory that needs protection and set a password for it in the window that appears.
   

   Alternatively, you can simply drag the desired folder (or even several selected folders at once) into the program window by holding down the left mouse button.

   If you are afraid of forgetting your password, supplement it with a secret question/hint.

   
   
   

   In addition to being free, Anvide Seal Folder has a number of other advantages - there are several languages, including full Russian localization, the ability to automatically update to the latest version, work in the background and several appearance options (skins).

Put a password on the folder using archivers

As practice shows, the average PC user does not necessarily need to download additional software to protect confidential information on their system.

Archive programs, which are used by almost every active user, also have similar functionality.

How to put a password on a network folder in Windows

The procedure for setting passwords for folders that need to be made accessible to several users over a local network is somewhat more complicated than the previously described manipulations.

Let's look at the sequence of actions using Windows 7 as an example (there may be differences in other versions, but they will be insignificant):

When two (or more) people use a PC, the issue of information privatization arises. Agree, it’s not very nice when someone gets into your personal belongings?! Now we will clearly tell you how to password-protect a folder on your desktop, hide your secrets from prying eyes and never worry about it again.

Unfortunately, Windows did not provide such a function when creating the operating system, so desperate users resort to a variety of solutions to the problem.

If the standard OS interface does not have the function we need, then the creators of the archiver knew exactly what the user needed.

Adding information to the archive

To do this, right-click on the object we need and select the “Add to archive...” button in the menu that opens.

Select the “Add to archive” button.

A menu opens before us to set the name and parameters of the future archive. In the lower right corner, click on “set password”, as in the screenshot.

Find the “Set Password” button.

Along the way, you can set the document name, its format, compression method, dictionary size, update method and many additional parameters.

Setting a password

In the window that appears, you can set any password convenient for you. In this case, you can activate the function of displaying symbols as you type to reduce the risk of errors, or set the option to encrypt file names. Without it, a third-party user will have access to a list of your files, but he will not be able to familiarize himself with them in detail. This function completely restricts access to any information in the folder.

So, when you try to open “Our Folder” the following window will appear:

View of a password-protected winrar archive.

Protect your data with Hide Folders 2012

Today there is a simple and accessible software for setting a password on a Windows folder - Hide Folders 2012. The developers made their creation paid, but you can fully and truly appreciate all the functionality within 30 days of free use. So, first of all, download the program to official website.

To get started, click “Add” and in the window that opens, click on the function for selecting the position of an object, as in the pictures below.

Click “Add folder”.
Using Explorer, we look for our folder.

Using the explorer, select the location of our object and wait for “Ok”. Double-click on the folder with the left mouse button, then click on “Properties” in the top menu and get the following result.

Choosing a protection method.

Let's go through each point
Do not protect - any user will be able to open, read, change and delete your data.
Hide – the object will be completely hidden (even enabling the display of hidden files in the system will not produce results).
Block – documents will not be hidden, but you will not be able to log in.
Hide and block – the folder will be hidden and have restricted access status until this is changed in the program.
Read only – allows you to only view files: they will not be modified, copied or deleted.

Setting a password

To do this, we choose a means of protection.

Selecting a data protection tool.

Go to the “password” tab.

Open the “password” folder in the program.

In the dialog box that appears, you must enter your password and confirm it by clicking “Ok”. The program is controlled by two “On/Off” buttons. At any time, you can activate or deactivate the parameters applied to an object. It looks like this:

Enable/disable buttons in Hide Folders.

Now you know how to password-protect a folder on your desktop, and you can more confidently save your confidential information on local PC storage. These two methods are quite sufficient to solve the problem.

Often several users (family or office employees) have access to one PC at once, so to save personal data and information you should know how to create a password for a folder. This can be done using standard Windows resources or using additional utilities for creating a secret code.

Is it possible to password-protect a folder on a computer?

If you have never encountered the question of how to password-protect a folder on your desktop, then you should understand that this can generally be done in several ways. The computer may store personal correspondence, confidential important information, or age-restricted films. Because of this, there is a need to install protection and limit the ability to open some directories. You can even block access to the operating system as a whole - create a password (put a password) when logging into Windows.

How to put a password on a folder or file

You can use different ways to make a folder with a password. Some of them should be used to hide files from the prying eyes of children by adding the necessary elements to a hidden section. This will not save you from more experienced users, so you need to use more serious methods, for example, password-protecting the archive or downloading additional applications that add code combinations to any elements on the computer. All these methods will be described in the relevant paragraphs below.

Using archiving

The easiest and most reliable way to password-protect a folder on a computer is to use any archiver (7-Zip, WinRar). Each of them has a built-in ability to enter a secret code when creating an archive file. The algorithm of actions is very simple:

1. Right-click on the desired directory (right mouse button).
2. In the menu, find the “Add to archive...” item.
3. On the "General" tab, find the "Set password..." button.
4. In the window, enter the same code twice (be sure to remember it).
5. To open this packaged file, you will need to enter your password.

Using special programs

If you do not want to unpack the archive every time, then you should choose another method of how to securely password-protect a folder on your computer - use specialized software. This method guarantees the maximum level of protection. Here are some of the most popular programs if you need to create a directory password:

• Password Protect. It is a shareware program and works with all known modern operating systems. The utility sets a password and hides the necessary directories from users who do not know the code to open it. The program has a Russian interface, which simplifies the process of working with it. The algorithm for using the application is as follows:

1. Download and install the utility.
2. Click “Lock Folder” and select the desired directory.
3. Enter the password you created twice. In case you suddenly forget the code, you can leave a hint for yourself. Click "Lock".
4. You can open the necessary files like this: open the utility, select the necessary elements, click “Unlock”.

• Folder Lock. This option, how to password-protect a folder on a computer, unlike the previous one, has only an English-language interface. It is also distributed on a shareware basis and requires installation on your hard drive. Instructions for use:

1. Download, install, launch the application.
2. There will be a field for a password in the window, enter it and click “OK”. Repeat it again to confirm and click OK again.
3. The program will display a white field into which you need to drag the elements for password protection.
4. To remove the lock, run the utility again, enter the code, select the necessary elements and click “Unlock”.

How to set a password for a folder without archiving and programs

The easiest way to hide a directory is to make it hidden. This feature is available in all Windows starting from version 7. To do this, right-click on the element (mouse, right-click), click on “Properties”. At the bottom of the “General” tab there will be an “Attributes” block. Check the box next to “Hidden” and click “Apply”. From now on, you can see such a file if you set the display of hidden files in the Explorer properties on the “View” tab.

A computer that is accessed by multiple people may need to protect the data stored on its hard drive. An office machine with personal work or a home PC with secret information stored on its hard drive is not important.

There are two ways to solve the problem - either set a password for the entire computer at once, or protect a separate folder. Then neither curious household members nor equally inquisitive colleagues will be able to view the contents of the “secret” folder without permission. To learn how to set a password for a folder, read further in the text of our article.

Option 1. Protection using Windows

For PCs running Windows OS versions XP and older, there is an extremely simple method for setting a password for a folder on the computer. It does not require additional downloading of applications or installation of programs.

To implement it, several conditions must be met:

1. The folder (file) must be stored in a partition with the NTFS file system. To display the file system, you need to go to START - My Computer - Desired Disk (in the screenshot it is drive C).

2. The user must create a separate account with a password in advance.

In order to put a folder under a password, you need to hover the cursor over the desired folder (the “Password” folder in the example) and right-click on the icon. In the window that appears, in “Properties”, check the “Cancel sharing of folder” checkbox. After clicking “Apply” and confirming the password, the folder is closed to outsiders.

This was the first of many methods - the easiest and fastest way to protect a folder with valuable information.

Option 2: Using third-party utilities

Third-party programs for setting passwords on folders are a great way to protect your data. Among the numerous programs it is worth noting such as:

• Anvide Lock Folder– a serial compact program, to use which there is no need to install the application on your computer. The program file can be stored on removable media (flash memory, external drive);
• Password Protect USB– performs the same functions. Designed to maintain the confidentiality of data in folders stored both on the hard drive and on USB drives;
• File lock– the utility is convenient to use. Allows you to protect folders with a password and saves the passwords used for each folder. Using the program, you can completely delete files or folders (you cannot restore deleted data - the utility clears the area on the disk previously occupied by the folder).

The principle of operation of such useful utilities can be considered using the example of one of the most popular programs - Password Protect USB. You can download it both in a trial version and in “full volume” on some software portals.

The first use of the utility requires running it:

• in the window you need to select Lock Folders;
• specify the path to the desired folder;
• Set password.

After making sure that the program works correctly, without errors, you can proceed more succinctly:

• right-click on the icon of the desired folder;
• select “Lock with Password Protect...” in the dialog box;

• Enter the password twice in the appropriate lines to set the password and confirm it;
• You can use a password hint by checking the “Password Hint” checkbox.

The appearance of the folder will now change - the “brick” on the icon will indicate the set password. Unauthorized attempts to open a folder protected in this way will be met with a prompt to enter a secret code:

To unlock, just right-click on the folder and select the desired line in the window. After entering the password, the folder will again be open to all PC users.

Option 3. Using archivers

Strictly speaking, now we’re not really talking about setting a password for a folder. This method does not password protect the folder itself, but its archived version.. At the same time, this option is distinguished by a certain elegance - after all, archivers are usually used only for their intended purpose. So creating a password-protected version of a folder can be seen as an interesting way to protect data.

First of all, you will need the archiver program itself. By downloading and installing the WinRAR program on a PC, the user is able to securely hide important data behind a password. In addition, the document archive takes up much less usable space on your hard drive or flash drive.

How to use the utility to protect folders? Right-clicking on the folder icon will open a window in which you need to select the “Add to archive” line.

In the archiver window that opens, select “Set password”:

All that remains is to set the required password and remember it - recovering passwords for archives is quite complicated.

Now you need to delete the original folder. The saved archive will be reliably protected - each time you try to extract information, you will be asked to enter a password.

Many users sometimes have a desire to hide some information from strangers. But not everyone knows how to password protect a folder or do anything similar. Let's look at how to put a password on a folder on Windows 10.

You can hide your information without programs from the Internet. Everything you need is in the operating system. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on any folder and select

1. In the window that opens, go to the tab

1. Press

1. You will see a list of users and groups on your computer. Specify the required account. For example,

1. Immediately after this, a list of rights that he has for this directory will be displayed below. Place the checkboxes at your discretion and complete the action with the " OK".

If you uncheck all the boxes in the "Allow", then in the future if he wants to open this directory, he will receive the following message.

Without administrator rights, this person will not be able to access the contents of this folder.

Using archivers

This is an alternative method for storing rarely used information. Today, almost everyone has such programs on their computer. Let's look at the most popular of them.

You can buy the application on its official website.

To archive the necessary information, right-click on the desired folder.

After that, select the items “ » – "Add to archive…".

In the window that opens, you can specify:

• file name;
• its location;
• format;
• and much more.

The most important thing is to click on the button "Uset a password."

Immediately after clicking, you will be prompted to enter the required password twice. Then click on the button OK".

In the future, when you open this file, the following window will always appear.

Without knowing the security key, even you will not be able to see the data stored there.

7Zip

Then select " 7- Zip» – "Add to archive...".

This archiver operates on the same principle. You will only enter the password in this window:

Locking documents

If you need to hide the contents of a Microsoft Word or Excel file from prying eyes, then it is not necessary to put a password on the entire directory. It is enough to block the file itself.

To do this, go to the menu "Office", select items there “Prepare” – “Encrypt document”.

Immediately after this you will be asked to enter your security key.

Then again to confirm.

If someone wants to open this document, they will be shown the following window.

Until the password is entered, the contents of the file will not be displayed.

Using virtual disks

If you decide to make a folder with a password, then you should first try an alternative option using encrypted images. This method is much more convenient and does not require the installation of additional software.

BitLocker on Windows

Let's take a step-by-step look at how to create virtual data storage using the Windows 10 operating system.

1. To begin, press the Win + X buttons on your keyboard. In the menu that opens, click on the item "Run."

1. Enter the following command and click on the button OK".

diskmgmt.msc

1. The result of this action will be the opening of the utility

1. Select items from the menu "Action" – "Create a virtual hard disk."

1. Specify the location where the image will be located and its size. If you wish, you can choose a dynamic size. Once all this data has been entered, click on the “ OK".

During placement, you need to manually specify the file name.

1. Immediately after this, a new unknown section will appear in your list.

1. Right-click and select "Initialize disk."

1. In the window that opens, click on the button “ OK".

1. Disk 1 now displays the status "Base", but not "No data", as it was in the beginning.

1. Right-click again and this time in the new menu click on the item "Create a simple volume."

1. In the window that opens, click on the button "Further".

1. Specify the size (it is set to the maximum value by default) and click "Further".

1. Specify a letter and click "Further".

1. Let's just continue.

1. Finally click on the button "Ready".

This section is now displayed as normal.

1. Right click on the new volume .

1. Select an item "Turn onBitLocker".

1. Next, check the box next to the first item.

1. Enter password. Preferably complex.

1. You will be prompted to save the recovery key. You will need it if you forget your password.

1. After you specify a convenient method, the key will be saved.

1. You will then be asked to specify the encryption mode.

1. Next, click on the button

After you are finished working with the data, the virtual disk will need to be disconnected. To do this, right-click the mouse and select "Extract."

To reconnect, just double-click on the disk file.

Immediately after this, it will appear on your computer.

Double-click on it. The system will then ask you to enter your security key.

If entered correctly, the virtual disk will be available for work.

Don't forget to remove it! If you do not do this, then anyone who sits down at the computer after you will be able to see all your data.

In cases where what is described above seems very complicated, it is recommended that you read the further information, which tells you how to password protect a folder using additional software.

Third Party Applications

There are additional utilities that allow you to block access to certain directories. As a rule, most of them are paid. There are also free programs, but they usually just make the folder hidden. Any experienced user will be able to find it and view the contents if desired.

If you decide to install something like this, it is recommended that you look at the following examples.

TrueCrypt program

You can download an excellent application on the Internet. It can also encrypt your hard drive and do everything described above.

At the very beginning during installation, you will receive a message that this utility is only relevant for Windows earlier versions. And if you have “Ten”, then it is wiser to use Bitlocker, since it does the same thing.

If you have a home edition or for educational institutions installed, then there is no option for disk encryption.

Folder Lock

You can download the program on its official website. This utility can:

• hide any folders, files and even sections;
• encrypt information and set a password to decrypt it.

To get started, click on the “ Lock folders» . After this, a window will open in which you need to specify any directory and click on “ OK".

You will then be asked to enter your password. After that, to block, click on “ Lock Folder» .

Anvide Lock Folder

Then you need to enter the password twice and click on the “ Close access».

Conclusion

The best way is to create a virtual encrypted disk. Because the:

• no one except you can open it;
• you don't need to buy additional software;
• the data is actually encrypted, not just hidden;
• all data is stored in one file that you can carry with you on a flash drive;
• the ability to create an image of expandable volume.

If you do not plan to use the hidden information for a long time, then it is better to archive it. This way you can save space on your computer and install a security key.

Don't use very simple passwords (12345, your birthday, etc.) that are easy to guess. But at the same time, you shouldn’t be too “wise”, since you can forget a very difficult one. Can you imagine what will happen to you if you lose all the information that is very important to you due to a forgotten password...

Video instruction

If you haven’t figured out how to put a password on a folder in Windows 10, we recommend watching the video additionally.