Smartphones and laptops tend to get misplaced often, so it is critical to ensure that all your confidential files and folders are well protected. One of the best ways to do that is to password protect your confidential data on your MacBook and Windows 10 PC. We have already discussed how to password protect your files and folders on a Mac, so today, we will learn how to lock and password protect files and folders on your Windows 10 PC.

With news of data leaks and hacks becoming increasingly commonplace with each passing day, online data security and privacy are more important than ever. So follow our tutorial below to password protect your confidential files and folders on Windows 10. It will ensure that your privacy isn’t compromised even if unauthorized individuals gain access to your laptop.

  • BitLocker Encryption
  • Built-in Encryption Option
  • Third-Party Utilities
  • File Compression Tools
  • OneDrive Personal Vault

1. BitLocker Encryption: Best Password Protection Option in Windows 10

BitLocker is a volume encryption feature built into some of the more recent versions of Windows, starting with Windows Vista. You can use it to encrypt and password protect any non-system and non-recovery partition in Windows 10. To encrypt a drive, follow the steps below:

  • Once the encryption is in place, you will have to enter your chosen password following every restart to access that drive. You can also use a USB flash drive for additional protection.

Windows 10 offers yet another native option to encrypt and secure your folders. This method won’t add password protection to a folder, but it will make sure other user accounts cannot access the folder. Once you encrypt a folder, it will only be accessible via your user account and password. Here’s how it works:

One of the best utilities to lock folders in Windows 10 is a freeware program called Easy File Locker. The software gives you options to hide a folder, make it inaccessible, deny any changes and make it undeletable as well. All you need to do is set a password in Easy File Locker and select a file or folder. Then, choose between Access, Write, Delete and Visibility options, and click on ‘Start Protection’. Once you lock a folder or file, you can only unlock it by entering a chosen password.

You can also use a file archiving tool, like 7-Zip (Free), WinZip (Free), or WinRAR (Free), to compress a folder and add password protection to it through archive options. To do that, install any of the programs we’ve mentioned above. Make sure to allow the installer to add the relevant options to the Windows Explorer right-click context menu. If you don’t know what that means, install using the default values.

  • Once you have installed the program, you will see an ‘Add to Archive‘ (or similar) option in the Windows Explorer context menu. So, go ahead and right-click on your target folder and choose that option.

Another option to password-protect your confidential files in Windows 10 is OneDrive Personal Vault. OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service that competes against apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Apple iCloud. However, the service distinguishes itself by offering you a ‘personal vault’ on the web, the mobile app, and Windows 10.