Microsoft - Can you password protect a folder?

[TopTree]

Hi all - You can password protect a word document ? But it would be easier to password protect a folder containing more than one document ? Thanks.

[Huguenot]

Are you asking people how to do it, or telling people they can do it?

Google is your friend: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000705.htm

[the-e-dealer]

Anyone know of any holidays in Spain Available 1st May 2013 for 4.

[DulwichFox]

No versions of Windows supports Password Protection of Files and Folders .

You need Third Party Software to do this.

One such produce is WinRAR.

Foxy

[Huguenot]

Do the approaches in the link not work DF?

[DulwichFox]

Huguenot Wrote:

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> Do the approaches in the link not work DF?

Hi Huguenot..

Originally your link just returnerd to the this page.

I did find the same site that your link goes to.

Check "Encrypt contents to secure data" option. Will be 'Greyed' out on Home editions of Windows.

Suggests using TweakUI.

As for Windows 7 article states.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has never released a TweakUI for Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7.

So to answer TopTree's question, It is easier to Password Protect the Word/Excel doc. than a folder.

Foxy.

[antantant]

I usually just winzip the folder it and then put a password on the zipped file.

[johnie]

If you have multiple users set up (with passwords) you can set the security settings on a folder so only certain users can access them. Right click on the folder then choose properties, then Security. Make sure you keeps secure backups elsewhere, as it is an easy way to lose access to your files if you delete your own account.

[Burbage]

antantant Wrote:

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> I usually just winzip the folder it and then put a

> password on the zipped file.

That can work nicely. But it depends on why you're encrypting the data, what the data is, what you need to do with it. Password protection via Office or Winzip (or most other compression formats) is fine for, say, emailing not-very-sensitive and not-very-all-personal information and for deterring, for example, the lodger from looking through your 'accounts'. But they can be cracked without too much difficulty.

Where proper encryption is needed, I use AxCrypt and TrueCrypt - both are free - for data I need to keep secure. They're proper encryption programs in that it's impracticable to decrypt them without the password, which also means that if you lose the password, you've lost the data. But they, or similar, are what I'd consider to be part of the 'reasonable steps' you'd be supposed to take if you're dealing with personal data.

AxCrypt works on files one at a time (you can encrypt a folder, but that just turns it into a folder containing encrypted files - the filenames and folder structure are retained). That's good for one-off confidential documents, and for quickly sharing encrypted files with other people - provided they're running AxCrypt (and Windows - which is what AxCrypt runs on)

If you're dealing with a lot of data that you need to keep secure, or Mac users, then TrueCrypt is better. It's more complicated in how it works - it makes encrypted area of disk space (a whole disk, a partition or a file) that works like a separate disk on which everything is encrypted, but once you've got the hang of it, it's fine. Which means you can work on files normally without leaving unencrypted copies lying around, or having to remember to re-encrypt them after you've worked on them.

Other encryption programs are available, but I don't think there are any that that work on all platforms, so what you choose will depend on what you, and the people you need to share data with, are using.

[Huguenot]

Crikey. I'm not sure I have data that needs that kind of protection! My cheque book is on the sideboard.

What kind of stuff do you protect?

[Burbage]

Huguenot Wrote:

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> Crikey. I'm not sure I have data that needs that

> kind of protection! My cheque book is on the

> sideboard.

>

> What kind of stuff do you protect?

Membership lists, customer lists, circulation lists, survey responses, competition entries and so on. Anything that contains any personal data (i.e. data that could be used to identify an individual) that I have been required to process or retain for any reason as a result of any job or role I've taken on, paid or voluntary, or data relating to a business that I am expected to handle in confidence (i.e. not intended for immediate publication).

Most of this is to do with my work but a proportion is spare-time stuff and, of course, my own data. As a rule of thumb anything that, if on paper, I'd lock in a filing cabinet or shred before disposing, gets encrypted. Like most people and organizations, I don't have any easy way to monitor data breaches, or the time to look for them. So I take precautions which, as well as firewalls and virus scanners, include encryption tools.

[Loz]

Huguenot Wrote:

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> Crikey. I'm not sure I have data that needs that

> kind of protection! My cheque book is on the

> sideboard.

>

> What kind of stuff do you protect?

Passport scans and bank related stuff.