Using a password to lock files and folders is a great way to guard your work against people you don’t want to snoop around in your stuff.
- Find the file you wish to lock. Once found, right-click it.
- Select ‘Properties’
- On the General page, select ‘Advanced…’
- Inside allows you to choose the settings you want for this file/folder. Under ‘Compress or Encrypt Attributes’, select the checkbox for ‘Encrypt contents to secure data’ and click ‘OK’.
If this is your first time using the feature, you will be asked to back up your encryption key. Keep it somewhere safe as you’ll need the key to view any encrypted files or folders. It is best to put any encrypted files into a single parent folder for the best protection.
If you are wanting to reverse the encryption, go back through Steps 1-3 and uncheck the ‘Encrypt contents to secure data’ and click ‘OK’.