Step 2: Click on OK and the filename will turn green or a lock symbol will appear depending on Windows version. Right-click on the file > Properties > Advanced button under General tab > check the Encrypt contents to secure data. Step 1: Any file or folder can be encrypted in Windows, provided the above conditions are satisfied. Now let’s see what are the basic steps to encrypt a file or folder in Windows.

Also, there are some limitations of encryption, it is only available to Pro edition users & will work only on NTFS partition. But in case, if someone physically steals your drive or makes a new account on your PC, he/she will be unable to open them. So whenever you log into to your account all the encrypted files are decrypted on the fly and available in the normal state. So one might wonder what it is the use of Encryption then? The answer is that the encryption key (generated when you encrypt something for the first time) is associated with your account, more specifically to your password. If you encrypt a file/folder in Windows, you can easily open it, transfer it or mail it and it will still open on the receiving end. So today we will see four ways in which you can cleverly hide your stuff natively in Windows without any external help (somewhat).īefore we move on to the various methods, it’s important to understand how encryption works in Windows. But what if you’re stuck in a similar situation without access to the internet? There is popular script floating around the internet which makes it look like you’re actually locking a folder, but in reality, it just hides-unhides the folder and is not an effective method at all. Fortunately, I had an internet connection so I downloaded a simple app for the purpose and handed over the drive knowing my personal stuff was safe. Turns out there is no way to do that without the help of an external app. So I fired up Google to find some quick ways to lock up the files on Windows. Of course, I had the option of telling the true reason but didn’t want to seem rude. I was little uneasy as it contained some personal stuff which I was not comfortable sharing. Recently my boss asked me to lend him my external hard disk (for reasons which can’t be explained).

How to lock a folder in windows