How to Password Protect Folders in Windows

Windows computer doesn't provide a built-in way to protect a folder containing sensitive files with a password. But it doesn't means you can't protect your files. There are large number of third party software which allows Windows users to password protect any folders.

There isn't any feature in Windows Vista, 7 or 8 for password protecting files and folders. But you can encrypt files or folders. To do this follow the steps below.

1. Right click on folder you want to encrypt and choose properties.
2. Click on Advanced button.
3. Check Encrypt Contents to Secure Data.
4. Click on Apply button and than OK.

Note: If you're not able to check the encryption option than the version of Windows you're using might not be supporting this feature. Make sure the drive is formatted to NTFS.

Do you know? You can easily Customize Folder in Windows.

If you want to password protect a folder than you can compress the folder with a password using compression utility like Win RAR or 7-ZIP. But it will not be a good idea to protect your files as you to decompress your files every time you need to work with it. There are number of program to protect files and folders with a password and you'll not need to compress files (or folder) to do this.

You can use Folder Guard or Folder Protector to encrypt the folders with password. In this post I'll show you how to protect a folder using Folder protector as it also provides a free version.

• Download the application from here.
• It is a portable application and you'll not need to install it.
• After downloading, move or copy the Folder Protector (lockdir.exe file) to the folder which you want to protect.
• After moving the application to the accurate location, double click on lockdir.exe file to open it.

• Write your Password twice.

Tip: You can use a hint or your e-mail to retrieve the password if you ever forgot it. It is optional and may not use this option. Also note that the password hint will be visible to everyone.

• Click on Forward arrow key (see on the right side of application) to write a Password Hint and Recovery E-mail.
• Click on Protect button. Each and every file on that folder will disappear now.

To unprotect the folder, double click on the Folder Protector (lockdir.exe file), write your password and click unprotect button.

Folder Guard is also good option but it not available for free. It has a lot of features which is worth using. You can hide a folder and it will be invisible to Windows Applications, office or MS-DOS programs. Or lock a folder with a password easily or restrict the file to specific users. With Folder Guard, you can block the file modification too. Go to Folder Guard Website to know more.

Another good option is Protected Folder. To lock a folder, just drag and drop to the Protected Folder Safety box. It uses a single password for all locked folder.

There are many other programs available to protect our folder in Windows PC but many of them are annoying and few of the applications aren't able to unlock the folder it locked after uninstall. Try these if you're worried about the security of data on your Windows PC.