Written by
Wilsey Young"How can I password protect a folder in Windows?" Many Windows users are curious about this, especially those who want to protect the folder containing sensitive data against unauthorized access. This post introduces different tools and shows how to password protect a folder in Windows 10/11.
Reddit discussions on password protecting a folder in Windows 10/11
If you are interested in how to password protect a folder in Windows and wonder if there are any tips from other netizens or geeks, the following heated discussions in the post from Reddit may help.
How do I password protect a folder on Windows 10?
by u/eatmydonuts in Windows10
How to password protect a folder in Windows 10/11
The following contents show how to password protect a folder in Windows using built-in tools or popular third-party software, including the built-in folder encryption tool, BitLocker, or the WinRAR compression tool.
How to password protect a folder in Windows 10/11 using the built-in folder encryption tool
This is a straightforward built-in folder encryption method that few people know:
- Right-click on the target folder, choose "Properties", and click the "Advanced" button under the "General" tab.
- Tick "Encrypt contents to secure data", click "OK", then click “Apply” in the “Properties” window.
- Choose "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files" and click "OK."
- Notice and click the notification to back up the encryption key to avoid losing access to the encrypted files.
- Choose “Back up now (recommended)” when you are asked to back up the certificate and key to a removable disk.
- Start the Certificate Export Wizard and click “Next.”
- Choose the format you want to use or keep the defaults as follows.
- Tick "Password", input the password twice, and click "Next."
- Click "Browse" to save the certificate and key to the removable disk you insert, then click "Next."
- Click "Finish" to finish the wizard.
This method is linked with the Windows user account, which means as long as you are logged into the user account that guides you through the steps above, you don't have to input the password every time you access the protected folder.
On the contrary, if you are logged into the wrong account or you move the encrypted folder to another computer, you will need the removable disk containing the certificate and key to regain access to the folder.
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How to password protect a folder in Windows 10 using BitLocker
BitLocker is a built-in encryption feature that helps protect your data by encrypting the entire drive or partition. BitLocker uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption algorithm to protect your drive or partition against unauthorized access, even if someone removes the drive and attempts to read it on another computer.
As you can see, this is an indirect way to password protect the folder, as BitLocker encrypts the entire drive or partition, but BitLocker is worth trying, thanks to its advanced encryption algorithm and high security.
If you don't want to encrypt the entire drive or a large partition that contains the target folder, use the unallocated space of the disk to create a small new volume (partition) through Disk Management:
- Right-click on the "Start" menu button or press the "Windows+X" keys to choose Disk Management.
- Right-click on the unallocated space in Disk Management and choose "New Simple Volume."
- Set the simple volume size and click "Next."
- Assign a drive letter and click "Next."
- Format the volume as follows.
Here's how to password protect a folder in Windows 10 using BitLocker:
- Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive or partition and choose "Turn on BitLocker."
- Enter the password and click "Next."
- Back up the BitLocker recovery key.
- Choose how much of your drive to encrypt and click "Next."
- Select the encryption mode and click "Next."
- Tap on "Start encrypting."
BitLocker feature is not included in Windows 11/10/8/7 Home Edition. Here's why and how to resolve: Quick Solutions to BitLocker Not Showing in Windows 10
How to password protect a folder in Windows 10 using a file compression tool
You can indirectly password protect a folder through a file compression tool, like WinRAR, in Windows, as some tools are designed with the password protection feature.
Here's how to password protect a folder in Windows 10 using WinRAR:
- Right-click on the folder you want to protect and choose "Add to archive."
- Tap on the "Set password" button under the "General" tab.
- Set the password and click "OK" to complete.
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