Every user has files that he would like to hide. In this case, you need to set a password on them so that no one opens them. If you need to take advantage of this feature, learn how to password-protect a folder on your Windows 7, 8, or 10 computer.

RMB on the folder you are hiding → Properties → “Attributes” block → check the “Hidden” box → confirm the action.

The second option is to restrict access. But this method is effective if a separate account without Administrator rights is created on the computer for each user.

1. RMB on the desired folder → Properties → security tab → “Groups and users” block → Edit → Add.
2. In the “Select” window, enter the names of users for whom access will be limited → Check to check for spelling errors - confirm the actions.
   
3. In the “Group Permissions” window, check the boxes for the actions you prohibit.

After completing the action for users, when they log in under their own account, access rights to this directory will be limited.

WinRar and 7-Zip archivers

Most quick way password protection using WinRar or 7-Zip archiver.

Now, when unpacking the archive, a dialog box will appear in which you need to enter a password to perform further actions. Watch the video for the detailed process.

Programs with a high level of protection

Password Protect

Password Protect is a shareware program that works in all modern versions of the OS. The utility password-protects and hides folders, making them inaccessible to users who do not know the password.

Good to know! After using the information, you need to re-password it.

Folder Lock

The Folder Lock program is shareware and requires installation on your computer. Its main drawback is the English-language interface.

Conclusion

You can set a password for a folder or file in Windows 7,8 and 10 regular means, using archivers or programs with high level protection. The latter are provided on a shareware basis, but provide the maximum level of confidentiality.

Many people think that there is a special function in the system settings through which you can set a password for a folder or file. Unfortunately, this is not the case - there is no such option in Windows.

But there is third party solutions, which cope with this task perfectly. Now I will show you two ways to quickly password-protect a folder. The first is through archiving. It is simpler and more reliable, but not always suitable. The second is through a special program. You'll have to get a little confused, but then it will be easier to work with the files.

Method 1: Archiving

After installation, run the program, go to Tools → Settings and in the “System” tab add the formats 7z, zip, rar (click on each and press the + button), then click OK and close the window.

How to set a password

Right-click on the folder on which you want to put a password. In the context menu, if you have WinRAR, select “Add to archive...”.

And if 7-Zip → “Add to archive...”.

In the case of WinRAR, a small window will open where you need to click on the “Set password…” button (can be located in the “Advanced” tab). After which another window will appear, where we enter the code.

In 7-Zip we indicate it immediately at the bottom of the window (right).

It must be reliable: at least 10 characters, including numbers, as well as small and large English letters.

I also recommend checking the box next to “Encrypt file names.” The fact is that if someone tries to open this archive, then, of course, they will not be able to launch the files without a password, but they will see their names. If you encrypt, nothing like this will happen. When you open it, only a window for entering a password will appear and that’s it.

On a note . Pay attention to the line “Compression level” or “Compression method”. By default, the archiver reduces the computer file size. This happens without loss of quality, but takes some time. You can disable this option by selecting “No compression”.

When the code is assigned and, just in case, written down in a safe place, click on the “OK” button and wait until the folder is archived. If there are few files in it and they are small in size, then this will happen very quickly.

As a result, a new archive file will appear.

This is the password-protected folder. That is, it turns out that we still have both the original and the same thing, but in the archive under the code.

If in this way it is necessary to hide the data from someone who also uses this computer, then we delete the original. And don't forget to erase it from the Trash.

That's all! The folder is now password protected. True, in order to edit something in it, you will have to extract it every time. And then, if necessary, archive again using a password and delete the original.

Important! If you delete the original folder, leaving only the archive, and suddenly forget the code for it, then that’s it - screws :) Most likely, you won’t be able to get the data from there. So you should either know this password better than your name, or write it down in a safe place. Better yet, go to several reliable places.

How to extract data from an archive. To do this, right-click on it and select from the list WinRAR → Extract to current folder or 7-Zip → Unzip here.

Then enter the password and click OK.

Everything should unpack without any questions asked. But if there is a folder nearby with the same name, the system will start arguing: asking whether to replace the files in it with those in the archive.

Is it possible to hack such an archive? Theoretically - yes. Eat special programs for password selection. And if it is simple (for example, 123), then they will quickly cope with this task. But if the code consists of numbers, small and capital letters, arranged in random order, and their number will be more than 12, then the chance is minimal.

Method 2: Password Setup Program

You can also password-protect a folder or file using a special program. One of the advantages compared to archiving is that in this case it will be easier for you to work with files. That is, it’s easier to go into this folder and edit something in it.

There are many such programs, both paid and free. I don’t see the point in telling about everything - I’ll show only one. In my opinion, it is the simplest, plus you can use it for free.

Wise Folder Hide

First you need to download Wise Folder Hide from the official website. Download the Free version and install it on your computer. This process is no different from installing any other program - we just agree with everything and click “Next”.

Immediately upon startup, the program asks for a password. With this code you will open Wise Folder Hide itself.

Be sure to write this password down in a safe place! Otherwise, if you forget it, you won’t be able to open the program, and with it your folders.

This is what the program looks like:

It works very simply: drag the desired folder inside or click on the “Hide Folder” button and select it from the window. She immediately disappears, that is, she seems to disappear. And in the program its status is listed as “Hidden”.

Now we put the code on it. To do this, select “Set password” from the drop-down list.

A small window appears where we enter the code and its confirmation.

This will be the password for this folder. If you suddenly forget it, you won’t be able to open it later.

Usually after this a window like this appears:

Click "OK". That's all - a folder with a password. In addition, it is also hidden.

To open a folder, you will first need to launch the Wise Folder Hide program and specify the password for it (the program). Then select “Show folder” from the drop-down list and enter the password for it. Only then will it become available for viewing and editing.

Then, to classify it again, we repeat the procedure: drag it inside the program window and install the code. The same can be done with individual files.

It happens that when you start the program, the Russian language disappears - some gibberish is shown. In this case, you can do this: click on the button (at the top) and select Languages ​​→ English. And then click this button again and select Languages ​​→ Russian.

Important! If it suddenly happens that you forget the password for a program or for your secret folder, then getting it back will not be so easy. Neither uninstalling nor even reinstalling the system will help.

In the end you will have to buy full version Wise Folder Hide, which is $20-30. In addition, you may have to contact support and correspond with them on English language. So be careful and don't lose your passwords!

Probably, each of us at least once found ourselves in a situation where personal information stored on a computer was accessible to prying eyes. Who will like it? After all, we often store photographs, documents and various information on our computer.

How to make sure that other users who also use your PC cannot see this? The answer is obvious: these documents need to be classified. To do this, you just need to know how to put a password on a folder on your computer. This is exactly what we will talk about now.

on a computer using standard Windows tools?

To do this, we will need a standard one. It does not need to be downloaded anywhere, since it is automatically installed along with the operating system. So, to put a password on a folder on your computer, you need to do the following:

1. Right-click on the folder that you want to classify and select “Add to archive.”
2. In the archiver window that appears, check the “Delete files after packaging” checkbox, then go to the “Advanced” tab and click the “Set password” button.
3. In the “Enter Password” window, enter the fictitious code 2 times and confirm it by pressing the “Ok” key.
4. That's all. WinRAR has created an archive that can only be unpacked after entering the password.

Unfortunately, this method is not convenient for everyone. For example, if the folder contains video files, then archiving will take too much time, and this is a significant disadvantage. Therefore, this method is used only with small files.

How to put a password on a folder on your computer using Anvide Lock Folder?

First, we look for the utility and install it. Using this program you can put a password on any files or folders. Moreover, they become hidden.

1. Launch the Anvide Lock Folder program.
2. In the window that appears, click on the plus sign in the upper left corner and mark the file that we will hide from prying eyes. Click "Ok".
3. Select the selected file and click on the lock icon.
4. In the window that appears, enter the password, confirm it and click on the “Close access” button.
5. Ready. Now files that have a password set will appear as hidden items.

In order to open it, you will need to launch the Anvide Lock Folder program, click on the open lock icon and enter set password. This is such a useful utility.

How to put a password on a folder on your computer using the Hide Folders program?

The course of action is the same - install the utility on your PC. The operating principle is the same as in the previous method:

1. Launch the program Hide Folders.
2. In the window that appears, click on the plus sign and select the files and folders that you want to hide.
3. Click the button labeled "Hide". Thus, we turn on the working mode, and all selected files become hidden.

To make folders visible again, you will need to launch Hide Folders and press the "Unhide" key. The only difference here from the previous utility is that one password is set. The program itself will ask for it at startup.

Putting a password on a folder, as you can see, is not that difficult. The main thing is to have at least one convenient utility in your arsenal.

Sometimes users need to put a password on a folder or file. Unfortunately, Windows does not have such a special function, which would be a good idea for developers to think about operating system. 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 photos. 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 set secret passwords for folders, this is with the help of archiver programs such as WinRar or 7z and with the help of programs that put the 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 WinRAR archiver program 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 some complex set of 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 the Anvide Lock Folder program. 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 launch it, it will prompt you to read the license. Click the “I Accept the License Agreement” button. 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

There are many ways to protect a folder on your computer with a password, but most of them require you to install a special software. However, many of these programs are paid. There is an easy way to put a password on a folder using a batch file. Although this method does not provide 100% protection, it can be used as an option to protect your data.

Setting a password for a folder

First, let's create a regular folder anywhere with an arbitrary name. For example, Personal.

Then you need to go into this folder and create in it Text Document with any name. This is easy to do using context menu.

Open a text document and paste the following code:

cls
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Private
if EXIST "Compconfig Locker" goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Private goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure you 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 Private "Compconfig Locker"
attrib +h +s "Compconfig Locker"
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to unlock folder
set/p "pass=>"
if NOT %pass%== PASSWORD_GOES_HERE goto FAIL
attrib -h -s "Compconfig Locker"
ren "Compconfig Locker" Private
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Private
echo Private created successfully
goto End
:End

Now we find the field in the code PASSWORD_ GOES_ HERE and replace it with the password we need. Save the file and rename it to locker.bat.

! If you have file extensions disabled on your system, you may have difficulty changing the file name. The point is that in the file locker.bat, locker is the name of the file, and .bat- extension. When displaying file extensions is disabled, you only see the file name and when you rename text file, then give it a name locker.bat, but the extension remains the same - txt. Therefore, to avoid such problems, before renaming the file you need .

Checking the code

We run the file locker.bat, as a result of which a Private folder should be created, in which you need to place all your documents that you want to protect. After that, run the batch file locker.bat again.

You will now be prompted to lock the folder. Select Y.

This will make your Private folder disappear.

If you run the locker.bat file again, you will be prompted to enter a password.

When you enter the password you specified in the batch file, the Private folder will be displayed and you can work with it again.

Conclusion

This method of setting a folder password is not the most secure. The fact is that advanced user can see your documents if you enable the system to display hidden and system files. You can also find out your password by viewing the contents of the locker.bat file. The advantage of this method is that no additional software is used.