How to put a password on a folder in Windows or macOS

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You only need one application. Or even nothing at all, except for the built-in functions of the OS.

How to put a password on a folder: a universal way

All archivers can encrypt the contents of a folder, making it impossible to open it without a password. Yes, you will have to extract the files every time to work, and then compress them again, or just view them inside the archive and then update it. But, knowing the password, the information can be viewed in any OS using the application for working with archives.

Let's use free 7-Zip for Windows as an example, but any archiver will do. Differences in menu items will be minimal.

If the program is not yet on your computer, download and install it from the official website. Right click on the desired folder and select 7-Zip → "Add to archive …" in the context menu.

In the "Encryption" section, enter and confirm the password, check the box next to "Encrypt file names" and click OK. After that, delete the original folder.

The archive can be safely stored even on the desktop. If you try to open it, a password entry window will appear. And only after specifying the correct password, the zipped folder with files will open. If you forget the combination, you won't be able to access the data. So be careful!

How to put a password on a folder in Windows

Unfortunately, Windows doesn't have built-in functionality for this task. Therefore, you have to use third-party tools. For example, the Wise Folder Hider utility, which allows you to hide and put passwords on folders, even in the free version.

Install the application from the official website and run it. Create and confirm a login password. It will be used to unlock the program itself.

Drag the folder you want to protect into the Wise Folder Hider window, or specify the path to it by clicking the Hide Folder button.

Select in the drop-down menu opposite the Set Password folder and create a password to open it.

Done, your data is now double protected. The folder is hidden and does not appear in the explorer. To view, you need to launch Wise Folder Hider, enter a password to enter, and then another one for the folder itself.

While the application is running, you can freely work with the folder in the explorer. If you close Wise Folder Hider - access to information will be blocked again.

How to put a password on a folder in macOS

In macOS, you can do without third-party software. The system allows you to create a so-called image of a folder, which is an encrypted copy of it. All files that are stored inside this image are password protected.

To create an image, open Disk Utility through Spotlight search or from the Applications → Utilities folder. Go to the menu "File" → "New image" → "Image from folder" and specify the path to the folder where you want to set the password.

Specify a name and location for saving the image. Choose 128- or 256-bit encryption and come up with a password. Set the format to "read / write" and click "Save".

Now you can delete the original folder and use the protected image. When opening, you will need to enter a password, after which the image folder will appear and will be available in the Finder until you click on the "Extract" button in the side menu.