Windows 10 broke several applications which required a lengthy workaround for one key program. The software manufacturer finally figured out what the problem was and included the fix in their July 2021 release of their software, just in time for Windows 11 to potentially break it again. Windows 10 obfuscated many settings and features. We spend countless hours searching for ways to keep undesired things from getting un-uninstalled, turning off crap that shouldn’t be running, changing settings back that Microsoft decides to change, and fixing printer drivers that Microsoft likes to break with updates. We are most certainly not looking forward to replacing the many perfectly good computers that Windows 11 feels aren’t worthy enough to be touched by Microsoft.
Windows 10 was a lot easier to navigate as everything was given its own space per se. There are a lot more advantages to Windows 11 than there are disadvantages but we would say to just really stick with Windows 10 if you can. There isn’t MUCH of a reason to switch other than a new look and slightly and we mean SLIGHTLY better Performance. Just wait until they update the OS enough or until even the Windows 10 support/maintenance stops in 2-4 years. But other than that, we think it’s a great OS but it does need some more work for the time being. As of now, we will discuss the ways by which you can protect the folder on Windows 10 as well as Windows 11.
- Also Read About: How To Take Screenshot On Windows
How To Password Protect Folder and Files In Windows [4 Methods]
Method #1. Using Batch File
In reality, there is no way to protect a file or folder in Windows OS conventionally because windows only offer encryption to the file and folders. To lock a file with a password you will have to depend upon other methods. The method we will discuss here is pretty simple and it won’t require any kind of installation process to execute it. All you need to do is to copy-paste some codes and you are done. So let us talk about the steps to password protect a file/folder in windows OS.
- Go to the notepad and open the app.
- Click on the new option and then choose text document.
- You can just simply open it by clicking anywhere on the notepad.
- Now you will have to copy the below-mentioned codes and paste them into your notepad document.
cls
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Locker
if EXIST “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRMaecho Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p “cho=>”
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Locker “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
attrib +h +s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p “pass=>”
if NOT %pass%==Your-Password-Here goto FAIL
attrib -h -s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
ren “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” Locker
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker
echo Locker created successfully
goto End
:End
- Now you will need to search “Your-Password-Here” from the notepad document. You can find the search option in the toolbar.
- Replace “Your-Password-Here” with the text “PASSWORD YOU WANT” after searching it.
- Tap on the File -> Save As.
- Provide a random name to the file like FolderLocker.BAT (add .bat in the end) [IMPORTANT].
- Change the Save as type as “All Files” [IMPORTANT].
- After performing above mentioned steps precisely, just double click on the file, and a new folder will be made automatically.
- Place the contents and docs which you want to be protected with a password.
- Now double tap on FolderLocker.BAT file after doing the above steps.
- A command prompt window will appear after opening the (.bat) file.
- The window of the folder locker will disappear from the screen along with the locker folder.
- Now to get back the FolderLocker.BAT file, you will have to reopen it by double click and after that enter your desired password, and you are done.
Your folder is now protected with a password.
Note – This trick does not Encrypt or Password Protect the folder. It simply changes the attribute of the folder. The password in the bat file only confirms the person that did the setup is the same and undoes the attributes. If your pc is set up to view Hidden Files this will have no effect at all. You must also note that the protected folder is seen when we turn on the view HIDDEN folders option. Also, one can easily open it without typing the password.
Method #2. Using 7zip-Protection
An encrypted zip file using a program such as 7zip is probably the simplest for other files. But you will have to be careful though. There’s no way back from lost/forgotten passwords or typos. The easiest way is to use 7zip to compress and encrypt the files in the directory with a password. Then delete the original files. You can click on the archive and when you enter the password you can see the files and open whatever you want. The files are unencrypted as they are being copied, and will stay unencrypted unless it’s a password-protected zip file.
Zip previously used other encryption methods that were not very good, if you create a zip file with encryption, make sure that you are using AES and not a compatible encryption method. Paul mentioned that Windows 10 does not support unpacking AES, which makes it insecure. These are the following steps to protect a file/folder with the help of a password. The below-mentioned things are required to be done to perform the 7-Zip protection in any folder.
- Go to the official site of the 7-Zip and download the latest version of the 7-Zip application.
- Install the application on your desktop/laptop.
- Click on Add To Archive option from the 7-Zip application and add the files and folders which you want to protect.
- Provide an appropriate name of the file which you want to protect with a password.
- Type the password for the folder for encrypting/unencrypted.
- Compression level must be selected as AES-256.
- Click on OK after executing all the steps successfully.
Note – A. 7z file is a compressed file and you can use 7ZIP to uncompress it. Now you can compress files with a password and if you don’t have the password you won’t be able to use the file that’s compressed. So, it is advised to note down and save the password somewhere else. In that case, you must note the password somewhere else so that if you ever forget the password, you can regain access to your protected folder with the noted password. This is the most reliable method among all the methods here.
Method #3. Encryption (Windows Based method)
This is one of the easiest and most basic methods which can help you in protecting your file/folder with the help of encryption. In this method, you are not required to write any code and there is no need to download any software to perform this method. It is a window-based method that encrypts your file/folder. This process comes pre-installed in most of the recent Windows OS. Here we discuss the process to encrypt a file/folder in windows 10 and windows 11. So, let us discuss the steps required to execute Encrypting File System (EFS).
- Go to the folder you want to encrypt and right-click on it too and navigate to the properties option.
- A general tab will appear on the screen, Head to the Advanced option and click on it.
- A new pop-up will show on the screen in which you will see an option Compress or Encrypt attributes.
- Right-click on the File or Folder you want to encrypt and select Properties. Tick the box “Encrypt contents to secure data”.
- Now finally click on the OK option on all the appeared menus.
Note – There are more downside of using this encryption method if you reset or change your Windows password outside of the standard change password option while logged in, such as from another user account or with 3rd party boot media, or delete and recreate your account or reinstall Windows, your files are lost and can’t be decrypted. You won’t be able to share your encrypted folder with others easily.
Chances are you want to encrypt a folder and give access to a selected few, we don’t think EFS can easily cater to this scenario. If someone has a full drive encrypted and the Windows PC is locked, there is virtually no way to access the files on the PC unless someone cold-boots the RAM and gets the key. There are also chances that you will be unable to see the Encrypted file. This happens when the hard drive of your PC isn’t formatted as NTFS or you may be using HOME EDITION of the Windows Operating System (Home Edition of Windows OS doesn’t come with this feature).
Method #4. Password Protect Folder Software
There is numerous software that can help you in protecting a file with a password. Most of this software is free but can you trust their protection level? Or can you keep your confidential files and folders in that software-based protection? So, here we have researched and found out some of the most reliable and total protection-based software which can provide you total security and safety. So, let us discuss this software and its specialties in detail.
1. Lock-A-Folder
It is one of the most widely used software which provides total encryption as well as full security. This software can work in most of the Windows OS (Depending upon the version of OS). Owing to legal issues, developers had to stop the development of the software, and officially this software is not available. But you can download this software from other sites and use it as open-source. You can even make files invisible and inaccessible with the help of features available in this software. This function can be availed after creating a master password.
2. Folder Lock
This is the most recommended software in terms of protection security. The functionalities differ in the paid version as well as in the free version. For the time being, it is the most downloaded password protection software on the internet. More than 50 million people have downloaded this software. The best thing about this software is its total security, it can even lock USB as well as external hard drives.
3. Secret Folder
This software works as the name suggests, it works as an encrypter for your files as well as folders. The best thing about this software is its multi-purpose use and it is free to download and install. You won’t need to pay anything to use all the features and functionalities of this software. It is different from all the above-mentioned software, it provides uninstall protection. With the help of this feature, you can even protect the software from getting uninstalled. To uninstall the software, you will be required to enter the master password. So, overall this is the best password protection software owing to this functionality.
4. Secret Disk
It is a kind of software that provides a unique methodology to lock the file with the software. The programs will work as a virtual hard drive and there you can store all your important files and folders. You can open the virtual hard drive with the help of a master password. Secret Disk is available in two versions, the free version has limited features while the paid version has a diverse range of functionalities.
Final Words
Windows 11 will run on any machine that can run Windows 10. Computer technology has been progressing very rapidly and hardware outgrows its usefulness over time. By all means, large numbers of beta testers always have been and probably will be the preferred way this company validates the seaworthiness of its flagship products. Let’s keep this a secret though. Rather than doing anything to your computer, you should be looking at how to move your accounting to a computer running a supported OS. This means Windows 10. You could look at Windows 11 but it is so new you should wait a while before using it. The above-mentioned methods to lock the windows folder are much reliable and tested on multiple devices.
