Users often find themselves in a situation where they need to hide the contents of a folder or file from prying eyes, so the question arises of how to put a password on the folder.

Unfortunately, the developers of the Windows operating system did not provide for such a function as setting a password for individual user files and directories.

The OS can only be configured to prohibit certain users from using or viewing a specific type of directories, files or programs.

Setting a password for a folder is necessary if:

• you want to hide your files from unauthorized access to them by others;
• want to protect your personal data from illegal copying or distribution.

Put password on archive

Using this method, you can password-protect a folder with any types of files, while it is possible to hide the very fact that the archive contains files of a certain format.

The window for entering the code will fly out even before the archive is opened, so it is impossible to find out about its contents if the user does not know the combination. A password for an archive without programs is the easiest way to protect folders.

Advice! The function of setting a password for the archive does not require preliminary installation of additional software, you just need to have preinstalled free WinRAR or 7-ZIP programs.

To add the desired folder to the archive and password protect it, follow the instructions below:

• Right-click on the folder you are interested in and add it to the archive, as shown in the figure;

The process of adding a folder to the archive

• Immediately after you have selected the “add to archive” action, a window will appear with various settings for the parameters of the created archive. Go to the tab with additional parameters and find the button for setting a password, it is shown in the figure;

The window for additional parameters and settings of the created archive

• Click on the button that allows you to set a password.

After this action, a small input window will instantly appear. The new code must be entered twice (to check the correct entry). You can also check the box next to the file name encryption option.

Thus, third-party users will not be able to find out anything about the type of hidden files.

The process of setting a password for an archive

After trying to open the archive, we see that first you need to enter the code and only then you can view and edit its contents.

An attempt to gain access to a password-protected archive

This method of installing the code is the simplest and most effective one. However, to implement it, you will need one of the archivers on your computer.

Also, if the code is forgotten or lost, restoring the contents of the archive will become a rather difficult task for the user. That is why you should keep a backup copy of the protected files, for example, on the cloud storage.

Using the above method, you can also password-protect the archive on a USB flash drive.

Using PasswordProtect USB

On the Internet, you can find a huge amount of third-party software that can cope with the task of installing code on the system object you need.

A large proportion of such programs, unfortunately, can harm your files, and not protect them from unauthorized access by other users.

This article presents the most popular and common types of software that have been tested by a large number of users, so these programs will not harm your computer and files that need to be password protected or hidden.

This program is available for download and installation on a PC and is compatible with Windows 10.

Main program window

PasswordProtect USB allows you to password-protect folders and remove previously set encryption. The application has an intuitive user interface, so working with this utility will not be a difficult task for the user.

You can start the process of installing the code not only using the main program window, but also using the computer desktop.

After you have installed this software on your operating system, the installation function will be displayed in the menu of each folder, you just need to right-click on it, as shown in the figure:

Setting a password for a folder using PasswordProtect USB

• The next step is to enter the code in the window that opens. Enter it twice to eliminate the possibility of an error.

Setting a password for a folder using a third-party program

• After installing the code, a sign will be displayed on the folder icon, which indicates that the folder is protected. When you try to open a password-protected folder, such a dialog box will appear. In this way, most often they put a code on folders with photos.

Dialog box for entering a password to open a folder

Folder Lock Software

This program is able to protect a folder on a laptop or PC. Supported operating systems: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10. The utility encrypts the folder itself, without a file.

You can put the code on a folder with absolutely any content: with files, with photos and documents.

To install it on a folder using this program, follow the instructions:

• Download and install Folder Lock;
• Enter the password in the text field, which will be the password for the folder;
• Click OK;
• Drag the required folder to the main program window or use the “add” icon;

The window for adding a folder in the program

• after the folder has been added, it instantly becomes locked and only a person who knows the password can open it.

Put a password on a network folder

You can also password-protect the network folder. You can also download separate programs for this, for example: Folder Hidden

You can also use the program Folder Guard (Download link).

The main property of a network folder is that it is available for viewing by all network users, so sometimes there are cases when the content can be hidden. However, is it possible to hide this type of content folders for all users?

It is possible, but there is a threat that users of the same network can easily crack the password.

Network folder appearance

Password text file

You can password protect a text file separately from the folder. Thus, you can increase its crypto resistance (resistance to hacking).

A large amount of text can be stored in a regular text file, so this method is perfect for encrypting individual bulky user documents with a password.

In order to increase the level of protection, you should also change the encoding of the text file and then, in the event of a hack, an attacker will not be able to read the content without using a number of additional programs that select the correct encoding.

To put a password on a notepad file, follow these steps:

Creating a standard notepad file

• Open the file you just created and enter the text shown in the figure below. Instead of the words YOUR_PASSWORD, you need to enter a combination that will be a password;

Text to set a password in a text document

• Save the document in bat format;

Now, when trying to open a notepad document on a computer, a password will be requested, only after entering the correct password the user will be able to view and edit the contents of the file.

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