How to put a password on a folder using special programs or archivers. How to set a password for a folder without additional programs

Each of us from time to time has a need for hiding personal information on PC. Privacy may be needed various files or folders to which you want to restrict access to other users. This need has arisen for me more than once, and in this material I will describe various methods - how to put a password on a folder, list auxiliary programs that can easily password protect the required file, and also describe their basic functionality.

Popular archivers WinRAR or 7-Zip are installed on the computer of the vast majority of users. It is their functionality that I propose to use in setting passwords on folders to protect your files. If you do not have these programs installed, download one of them from the official websites WinRAR or 7-Zip.

Instructions for WinRAR

To understand how to put a password on a folder using WinRAR, look at how this process visually looks like:

Instructions for 7-zip

Working with an alternative archiver 7-zip just as simple.
Highlight necessary files or folder, right-click, and in the menu that appears, select “7-zip - Add to archive.”
Set the archive format to 7-zip, check the “Show password” and encrypt file names checkbox.
In the “Enter password” column, enter the required combination of letters (numbers).
And then confirm the changes by clicking “Ok”.

Hiding a folder using a bat file with a password

Create a folder that will be password protected. Then we create a text document in this folder with content similar to this one (go and copy the contents of the file into your file using copy-paste):

Although this method is not characterized by increased reliability, and an experienced user can always look into the bat file, nevertheless, this option can be considered as one of the alternatives to setting a password for a folder with files.

Setting a password for a directory using Microsoft Office 10

Tools Microsoft versions Office 2010 (or later) allows you to encrypt documents created in this product.

How to put a password on a folder using Windows tools

If you are not a retrograde, you use NTFS, not FAT 32, and users log into your computer using their (and not your) account (without administrator rights), then you can use the method below to set a password for the directory.

Its essence lies in specifying in the folder properties those accounts that will have access to it. If a person’s account does not have the necessary rights, they will not gain access to the directory or will be asked for a password.

To do this in Explorer, click on the folder (file) right key mouse and click “Properties”, go to the “Security” tab, then click “Change”.
Click on “Add” and enter the logins of people to whom you will deny access.
To check the correctness of the entered logins, click “Check names” (the correctly entered login will be underlined).
If you need to block everyone, then type the word “Everyone” (without quotes), click “Ok”, and put the necessary checkboxes in the “Ban” column, click “Ok”.
After these steps, all users (except administrators) will not be able to access this folder.

How to protect a folder with a password using auxiliary programs

Below I will give a list support programs, which allow you to easily set passwords on folders, and I will also describe their functionality.

LocK-A-FoLdeR. This program absolutely free and is excellent option for newbies. It has a minimal interface and a simple password system. The “Lock a Folder” option selects a folder for the password, the “Unlock selected folder” option opens a folder with passwords, and the “Change Master Password” option allows.

Instead of using encryption techniques LocK-A-FoLdeR program it simply hides the folder from those who might have access to it. To use the folder again, you need to run this program and click on “Unlock selected folder”.

Folder Protector. This program uses encryption to protect your folders. You need to launch it, specify the folder to which you want to close access, enter the password twice and click on “Protect”. The folder will be encrypted. It will be possible to decrypt it using the main program, as well as using a small executable file, which will be created after encryption.

The Folder Protector program has a semi-commercial basis (the free functionality is very wide) and can be recommended to many users.

Password Protect USB. This product very popular, although based on paid version. Its functionality is similar to the above programs, just click on “Lock Folders”, specify the path to the folder, and enter the password twice.

You can go the other way, because the Password Protect USB program is built into the Explorer menu. In Explorer, right-click on the desired folder, select “Lock with Password Protect USB”, enter the password twice and click on “Lock Folders”. Now, when I try to log into this folder A window will pop up asking you to enter a password.

DirLock. The functionality of this program is similar to the previous ones; after installation, the “Lock/Unlock” option will appear in the Explorer menu. If it does not appear, you need to run the program, and in its options select Add “Lock/Unlock” Context Menu.

Now, to encrypt a file, you just need to right-click on it, select “Lock/Unlock”, enter the password twice, and then click on Lock. The procedure for gaining access to an encrypted file is similar - after launching it, you will need to enter the required password.

You can see how it works here:

Anvid Lock Folder. This free program will help you how to put a password on the folder http://anvidelabs.org/programms/asf/.

Launch the software, click on the plus in the main menu, use Explorer to find the folder for which you need to set a password and click on the image of the lock at the top. Enter the password twice and click on “Close access” (you can create a password hint). The folder will become hidden, and to access it you will need to launch Anvide Lock Folder, select our folder, and then click on the image of the open lock. Then you will need to enter a password and click on “Open access”.

IoBit Protected Folder. Paid program for setting passwords, has a simplified interface. After launch IObit programs Click on “Add”, select the required folder, enter the password, and confirm. To unlock, click on “Unblock”, enter the password, and get access to the file. It's simple.

Conclusion

As we see, there is a large number of in various ways put a password on the required folders and files. The simplest and most accessible allows you to use the capabilities of the archiver, while the more complex ones involve the use specialized programs, which has similar functionality. All these techniques can significantly limit the access of unwanted individuals to your folders, thereby ensuring complete confidentiality of your data.

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 to create 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. Can be stored on the computer personal correspondence, confidential important information or movies with age limit. 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

Can be used different ways how to make a folder with a password. Some of them should be used to protect files from the prying eyes of children by adding the necessary elements to hidden section. From more experienced users this will not save you, so you need to use more serious methods, for example, password-protect the archive or download additional applications, adding code combinations to any elements in the computer. All these methods will be described in the relevant paragraphs below.

Using archiving

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

Right-click on the desired directory (right mouse button).
In the menu, find the “Add to archive...” item.
On the "General" tab, find the "Set password..." button.
In the window, enter the same code twice (be sure to remember it).
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 maximum level protection. Here are some of the most popular programs in case you need to create a password for the directory:

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:

Download and install the utility.
Click "Lock Folder" and select the desired directory.
Enter the password you created twice. In case you suddenly forget the code, you can leave a hint for yourself. Click "Lock".
Open necessary files you can do 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 HDD. Instructions for use:

Download, install, launch the application.
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.
The program will display a white field into which you need to drag the elements for password protection.
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 in the Explorer properties on the “View” tab. hidden files.

For the other option, you must have multiple users created for operating system. For example, your child will have his own Account, and yours will have a password. To restrict access to certain directories from his account, follow these steps:

Right-click on required element, go to “Properties”, go to the “Security” tab, and make changes in the “Groups and Users” block.
Add those for whom access will be restricted in the Select window. Check that the account names are written correctly.
In the “Group Permissions” section, you can set the rights to the directory; for example, you can only view it, but you cannot delete or save anything.

Video instruction: how to protect a folder with a password

In general, all methods for setting a password look like this:

the user places all the data that he would like to protect into one directory;
sets a password for the folder;
The security system encrypts the data;
If necessary, you can access the folder by entering a password.

The need to hide important files may arise not only with probability physical access, but also from penetration from the outside, for example, from the network using viruses.

How to put a password on a computer folder using operating system tools

Unfortunately, standard systems to set a password in Windows family No. Therefore you will have to use external programs for this. But there is one trick that will allow you not to set a password, but to hide the folder as if it does not exist. Even switching to view hidden files mode will not help. And only the owner will know where it lies. This method works best on directories that are located on the desktop. First we need any folder.

Right-click on it, select “Properties” and look for the “Settings” tab.

Here we are interested in the “Change Icon” button. After clicking on it, a window will open with several standard display options. You need to scroll the slider a little to the right to an empty space and select it. After applying the parameters, you need to click OK, then again.

As a result, the folder will remain without any icon.

However, there remains a name that gives it away. Unfortunately, Windows will not allow you to save a directory without a name or with a simple space. But we can always insert non-breaking space. This can be done using the Alt code, that is, a set of characters that become available when you press the Alt key + a combination of numbers. Click on our folder, select rename and, instead of the old name, enter 0160 while holding down the Alt key. That's all, the folder is not visible, but it exists. The only drawback of this method is that it can be “groped” on the desktop of some Windows versions, for example, 7, by moving the mouse over the desktop or highlighting the area with our folder.

Naturally, the method is the simplest, and a person well versed in computers will be able to find a hidden directory if necessary, but if there is no other possibility, then it can be used as an option. By the way, a table of Alt codes can be found on Wikipedia, which can sometimes help out when working with text.

How to password protect an Excel or Word file

Office Word packages and Excel are equipped own systems protect files with a password. But there are a lot of versions of the programs themselves, so let’s go through them in order. Word versions, up to 2003 inclusive, can be protected through the “Service” menu, in which you need to find “Options”, go into them and go to the “Security” tab.

In the “Encryption settings for of this document", in the "Password to open the file" field, you just need to enter the password and click OK. Naturally, you should then save the entire document.

How to put a password on a Word file? Here the scheme has changed a little. The menu is represented by the Office logo, which you need to click on. The “Prepare” item will give us another menu in which we need to find “Encrypt document”. The system will ask you to enter a password to save by clicking OK.

Setting a password for a Word 2007 file

Before you password-protect a Word 2010 file, you need to go to “File”, “Information”, then “Protect Document” and encrypt it with a password. By the way, in newer versions, for example, 2013, this process is performed similarly.

Now a little about Excel. It is also presented in several versions that were released in different time. Since the office usually works in batches, in Excel all actions are performed similarly to Word. That is, in Excel 2003 you can protect a file with a password like this.

In version 2007, just like in Word, you can password protect a file through the Office logo.

Well, in versions higher than 2010, protection is installed almost identically.

By the way, in other programs of the package Microsoft Office you can set a password also.

How to make a password for a folder on a computer using archivers

Any archiver contains a mechanism for encrypting archives with protection. This can be used to hide important data. However, this is a rather inconvenient method, since you will have to unpack the archive every time you need access. But it may be suitable in cases where you need to save data to long time, for example, when leaving on a business trip or vacation. Before you password protect a folder on your desktop or directly on your hard drive, you need to have one of the archivers installed on the system.

How to password protect a folder on a PC using WinRar

Hide directory in archive with using WinRar as easy as pie. Before you put a password on a folder in Windows 7, you must first install this archiver. We find the folder that we want to hide, right-click on it and context menu select “Add to archive” or “Add to archive” for the English version.

A window will open containing various settings future archive. We are interested in the “Set Password” or “Set Password” button. She, in turn, will display another window that will ask you to enter a password. After filling out the fields, you can click OK. And then again, after which current directory An archive with a password will appear, inside which our protected folder will be located.

Screenshot of setting a password in WinRar

By default, the WinRar archiver does not delete the source folder, so you will have to delete it manually.

How to encrypt a folder on your computer using 7-zip

7-zip is free archiver who knows how to work with big amount archives. It can also be used to create a password-protected folder on your computer. The actions are almost the same as those in WinRar. You need to right-click on the selected folder, select 7-zip and then “Add to archive”.

A settings window will open. Among them there is an “Encryption” block, in which you need to specify a password for protection and save all changes. After which it will be possible to detect new archive with default extension type 7z.

Screenshot of the archive settings window

Naturally, after a folder is password-protected, for example, on a computer with Windows 7 and 7-zip, in order to read it on another computer and be able to enter the password, you will also need an installed archiver, and not necessarily 7-zip.

How to set a password for a folder with programs and a high level of protection

The best way to protect your data is to use third party programs, which can set a password for a directory, regardless of the type of operating system. In addition, they also encrypt the data inside it so that it cannot be read even from other systems. There are several main popular programs.

Password Protect USB

The program is shareware, and its full version costs about $40. After installation, a new item “Lock with Password Protect USB” will appear in the context menu when you right-click. After clicking on it, a window will open in which you just need to enter a password and click OK. After this, when you try to enter the directory, you will be asked for an access password.

The program can block data on internal and external media.

Folder Lock

This program can encrypt folders on external and internal drives, protect them with a password and manage them. You can set passwords directly from the program interface. You can also protect entire sections directly from here. removable media and even CDs.

Hide Folders

The application, in addition to protecting folders with a password, can completely hide them from prying eyes.

The program constantly runs unnoticed in background. Therefore it provides reliable protection from viruses or unauthorized access. All settings and password settings are made directly from the program.

How to password protect a folder on a flash drive

Universal and standard solutions For Windows environment Hardly ever. All methods, one way or another, imply the presence on other computers installed programs, which were used to encrypt and set the password. Most in a convenient way can be considered the Lockngo program. It is paid, and for standard version you will have to shell out about 300 rubles. But it can be executed, regardless of the platform and the presence of the required application in the system.

Among the many files stored on our computer, a special place is given to files with confidential information. It can be text documents with logins and passwords, personal bank account numbers, personal photographs or videos. Access to such files, for obvious reasons, should be limited. One of the ways to restrict access to files or folders is to password protect them.

We use the WinRar archiver

Set a password for a file or folder standard using Windows it is forbidden, therefore, for the operation it is necessary to resort to help third party programs. One of these is WinRar- the most popular and simple archiver.

Select the desired folder and click right button mouse open the functions window, where we select “ Add to archive…”.

We are presented with a window with parameters created archive. By default, the “tab” is open. Are common", but we need a tab " Additionally”, where we are moving.

On the right side there is a button “ Set password”: click and move on to the main part of our work.

The system prompts us to set a password, without which it will be impossible to access the folder. To be safe, it is recommended to enter strong password, consisting of a set of letters and numbers. The longer the access code, the more difficult it is to crack. If your imagination is tight, you can use generators passwords. To check, enter it again, set the checkbox to “ Encrypt file names” and click on “ OK”.

The archiver returns us to the “ tab Additionally" Click “ OK” and reap the fruits of the work. Now, to access the contents of the archive, you will need to enter the password you set. Thus, you will protect yourself from theft of personal data.

Using 7-Zip

7-Zip is an archiver that also allows install passwords for folders and files. The mechanism of its operation is identical to WinRar. We add the desired folder or file to the archive and enter the password in the special field in the archiving settings.

Check the box next to the “ Encrypt file names” and click on “ OK" The file has been created!

To check if it works correctly, open it and enter the password. If it is entered correctly, a window with the selected folder opens.

Remember that when creating password-protected file the source remains in in the same form. To prevent access to secret files, delete source, leaving only the resulting archive. In this case, attackers will not be able to use your confidential information.

Using Anvide Lock Folder

There are applications that are designed specifically to restrict access to user files. Compared to archivers, they have more wide possibilities when limited. So, you can not only password protect a folder, but also hide. Anvide Lock Folder is one such application. Open the program and click on yellow plus sign in the upper left corner.

In the catalog we find the folder we need, click on it once with the left mouse button and click on the icon with closed lock. In a new window enter password, we confirm him and close access to the folder.

Now it has disappeared from the list of folders in Explorer. To unlock We repeat the same sequence of actions, but this time click on the icon with an open lock. Enter set password and open access to treasured files. By the way, when setting a password, you can select a hint in case you forget the code you created. A small but pleasant detail.

FlashCrypt to set a password

FlashCrypt is a small utility that encrypts data in a few clicks. It is easy to use and weighs just over 1 megabyte. Open the program and select the address of the folder you need encrypt. Set a password, enter it again and pay attention to the three lower points.

First ( Enable File Compression) means compression files during encryption, second ( do not delete original files) offers do not delete source files, but only create copies of them during encryption, the third activates password recovery function.

By default, the checkboxes are next to the first and third items, however, if you want the original files to disappear into oblivion after encryption, check the box next to the second item.

We use standard tools - Bitlocker function

Using Bitlocker Windows users 7 (and later OS versions) may encrypt all folders within one disk. Under the code fall all files, stored on disk, since the function does not provide the possibility of selective password protection. Also, Bitlocker unavailable for owners Windows XP and slightly reduces PC performance. However, its use is convenient for keeping information secret on portable media. Now about the encryption process itself. Let's go to control Panel, select the link “ system and safety”.

In a new window we search and open “ Disk encryptionBitLocker”, and then encrypt required section by clicking the button opposite (enable BitLocker).

Put a password on a folder in MacOS

In the operating room Mac system exists built-in a program that allows you to encrypt user files. It is called " Disk Utility " We open it through the list of installed programs or look for it in Spotlight. After starting, do the following subsequence: “File-new-disk-image from folder.”

Select a folder and click “ Create an image" In the encryption settings indicate 128-bit key, compressed image format and save changes.

Followed by standard procedure entering passwords. We complete it with a checkmark next to the item “ Remember the password in the keychain”.

Ready! The current directory now contains the original folder and its encrypted image. To provide full protection We recommend that you delete the sources and do not forget the set password, so as not to permanently lose access to classified files.

Sometimes users need to put a password on a folder or file. Unfortunately, there is no such thing in Windows. special function This is something that operating system developers would do well to think about. But there are special programs for these purposes. They allow you to put a password on both a folder and individual files.

Why do you need a password on the folder? Mostly people want to block access to a folder with a password if it contains some documents or personal photographs. If you use a laptop or netbook. then it wouldn’t hurt you to put strong password to folders containing important information for you. In case of loss or theft of the device, your folders with files will be reliably protected from curious people or, God forbid, intruders.

There are two ways to install secret passwords on folders, this is done with the help of archiver programs such as WinRar or 7z and with the help of programs that put a password directly on the folder and not on the archive.

METHOD 1. How to put a password on a folder using WinRAR program

For example, we have a folder with documents that need to be destroyed. Open the program WinRAR archiver and find our “Documents” folder. Select it and find it in the upper left corner of the program and click the “Add” button

In the “Archive name and parameters” window we see that our archive will be called “Documents.rar” (if you wish, you can simply rename it to any name convenient for you, for example “My Documents” or “Secret Files”).

At the top, select the “Advanced” tab

On the right we find the “Set password” button and click on it

We get to the input and archiving window. In the first field we set a strong password, and in the second field we confirm it

Recommendation for setting a password! Do not enter your date of birth, children's birthdays, names of your pets, cats, dogs, crocodiles, etc., etc. Because it can simply be hacked or guessed by searching through words and dates of birth.

Set the password (if the documents are really very important) to something complex set characters with the addition of numbers and alternations CAPITAL and CAPITAL LETTERS. Example: Sdty49URTg5hj2 R12; This password will definitely be difficult to crack.

After the password is entered into the fields, click the “Ok” button

Now the ruined archive is ready

Now, when we try to open or unzip a file, we will always be asked for a password, and until we enter it, there will be no way to view the document.

METHOD 2. How to set a password for a folder without archive.

The first method of setting a password is good, but there are some inconveniences. They consist in the fact that you have to work not directly with a folder, but with an archive, which is not always very convenient, and when working with a document, you can lose some of the saved information when saving it. So in the second method, let's look at setting a password directly on the folder.

There are many programs for these purposes, but many of them are paid. I will use a program called Anvide Lock Folder. Why did I choose this particular program? Here are some benefits:

First of all, this program is free.

Secondly, it is in Russian

Thirdly, it does not need to be installed, it is simply launched from a file

Fourthly, it has a nice and clear interface

Fifthly, after setting a password on a folder, it hides it so that you won’t be able to find it until you remove the password.

Well, these are the benefits that I noticed during personal testing.

So, to use it you need to download it first. We go to the manufacturer's website at http://anvidelabs.narod.ru/ find and download Anvide program Lock Folder. Perhaps the developer's site has moved, so it can be found through a comprehensive Yandex search.

Downloaded the program. Unzip it somewhere.

We launch the program for setting a password for the folder. When you first start it, it will prompt you to read the license. Click the “I Accept” button license agreement" In subsequent launches it will launch immediately bypassing this window

So, in fact, it was installed without any problems, which is good news. Now we need to select the folder on which we want to set a password and hide it from prying eyes. Click on the big plus sign, which means adding a folder

In the folder overview, I select the same “Documents” folder as in the first method and click “Ok”

Now, having previously selected the folder for setting the password “Documents”, click on the “Lock” button

There is also a special option “Reminders”, in case we suddenly forget the set password. The button is in the lower right corner. Just press it and write a hint