In this article, learn how to make a password protected and encrypted compressed file. Hence that you can easily protect sensitive files safely with a strong password, if one does not know the password the ZIP / 7z / RAR files will still encrypted and unreadable.
How to password protect ZIP files on Windows 10
Method 1. Password Protect ZIP Files using Windows System Tools
Note: Windows password protection is only available in the editions Microsoft Windows 10 Education, Pro, and Enterprise, not in Windows 10 Home.
For regular folders and files, you can use built-in Windows 10 features and set individual encrypted passwords. Here are the steps to activate password protection for your files
1. First, go to the ZIP file that you would like to password protect, right-click on it select the Properties option.
2. In the General tab, click on Advanced. This will open the Advanced Attribute dialog window.
3. In the Advanced Attributes dialog window, tick the check box next to “Encrypt contents to secure data“. Click OK.
4. Click OK > Apply to save changes.
Now you will see a padlock on the file icon. This shows that the corresponding file is password protected. However, the file is password protected with a key generated by Windows that is stored in your user account. Thus you can still access to the file without a password prompt. By contrast, other users will be denied access. Hence we highly recommend you use a compression program with an encryption feature.
Method 2. Use WinZip
WinZip is one of the most used compression tools for Windows 10. Of course, WinZip can help you easily compress folders or files into one compressed file. Here are the steps to password protect a file that you want to zip using WinZip.
1. First, download WinZip from this site and install it on your computer.
2. Once installed, launch it.
3. In the top options pane, click Create/Share. Make sure activate the Encrypt option in the right ACTIONS menu.
4. Drag a file from the navigator menu on the right into the NewZip.zip center space.
5. When a file is dragged, the set your password window will pop up.
6. After setting your password, you also will need to set the encryption setting.
That’s it! Now you have a military-grade encrypted, password protect your zipped file.
Method 3. Use WinRAR
WinRAR is the world’s most popular compression too with over 500 million users worldwide, which means that it has great features in it. This tool can also be used for setting up a password for the compressed file. Here are the steps:
1. First, download the WinRAR client – you can get WinRAR for Windows 10 from this link.
2. Once downloaded, double click on the executable WinRAR file and follow on-screen prompts and install this tool.
3. After that, select the file which you want to compress and secure. Right-click on this file and select “Add to archive…”
4. When a new window opens, go to the General tab, type a name for the future zip file, select the Archive format (select on ZIP) and before clicking OK for confirming your changes, click on Set password.
5. When prompted, type your passwords and re-enter it for confirmation.
6. Save your work and you’re done.
If you have already a compressed file and want to set a password for it, here are the steps:
1. Launch WinRAR and click on Tools.
2. Next, choose Convert archives from the Tools options.
3. From Convert archives, under Archive types keep the zip option ticked.
4. Select the location where you want to place the protected zip and then click on the Compression… button.
5. The Set default compression options window will be popped up. Go to the General tab, click on Set password… and type your password.
6. Complete the validation process and apply the changes.
See more: How to Lock Folders in Windows 10 without Software
Method 4. Use 7-ZIP
7-Zip is a free and open-source file archiver for compressing and uncompressing files. This tool will allow you to set up one password only during the zip process. Here are the steps:
1. First, download and install the 7-zip software. Download 7-ZIP from here.
2. Double click on setup file, and then follow the instructions to install it.
3. Go to the folder or file that you want to password protect it. Right click on it, click on 7-zip, and then click on “Add to Archive“.
4. In Archive format, select “zip“. Type the name, and then choose the place where you want to save the file.
5. In bottom, select Encryption Method.
6. Enter the password that you want, reenter it again. Lastly, click OK.
These are the easiest methods in which you can protect a zip file by setting up a dedicated password.
Hope something helps you.