Sometimes, we need to apply a bit of to the data on our computers. We might want to protect our tax records from prying eyes, or lock away business plans from our competitors. Or we might just want to ensure that any children with access to our device can't access inappropriate content. extra protection In any case, knowing is a useful skill. But as any Windows 10 users will discover when locking down folders, it isn't as easy to do so as you might think. how to add password protection to a Windows folder Windows 10 does not allow folders to be password protected as a native feature (unlike earlier Windows versions). Nevertheless, it can be done, and . you don't need to download third party software Just follow this tutorial, and you'll be able to add password protection to any sensitive files in minutes. How to Apply Password Protection to a Folder in Windows 10 First, open Windows Explorer and then open the folder that you'd like to password protect. Right click on an empty patch of space inside the folder, bringing up the file menu. Choose "New" from the file menu and then choose "Text Document." A new text file should be created inside the folder. There's no need to give it a specific name right now. Open the text file you have created. Notepad will do just fine for this. Now comes the technical part, although it's very simple if you just follow the instructions. Copy and paste the code below into the text file: @ OFF
title Folder Locker EXIST “Control Panel.{ EC2020 AEA -A2DD B30309D}” UNLOCK NOT EXIST Locker MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p “cho=>” %cho%==Y LOCK %cho%==y LOCK %cho%==n END %cho%==N END Invalid choice. CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Locker “Control Panel.{ EC2020 AEA -A2DD B30309D}”
attrib +h +s “Control Panel.{ EC2020 AEA -A2DD B30309D}” Folder locked End
:UNLOCK Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p “pass=>” NOT %pass%==Your-Password-Here FAIL
attrib -h -s “Control Panel.{ EC2020 AEA -A2DD B30309D}”
ren “Control Panel.{ EC2020 AEA -A2DD B30309D}” Locker Folder Unlocked successfully End
:FAIL Invalid password end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker Locker created successfully End
:End ECHO if 21 -3 -1069 -08002 goto if goto echo if goto if goto if goto if goto echo goto 21 -3 -1069 -08002 21 -3 -1069 -08002 echo goto echo if goto 21 -3 -1069 -08002 21 -3 -1069 -08002 echo goto echo goto echo goto In the text, use the find function to locate a command including the text "your-password-here" Enter a strong password here. This will become the password to access your folder, so make it hard to guess. Now, save the file and choose the "All Files" type. Name the file "FolderLocker.bat" and press Save. Run FolderLocker.bat, then check your original folder. You should see a new folder called "Locker." This will act like a conventional folder, just with password protection applied. However, it's not "locked" yet. Before locking the folder, add any items that need to be password protected by dragging as normal. When you're done, run FolderLocker.bat in the original folder. You should now see a prompt asking whether you want to lock the folder. Type "Y" and the folder will seemingly disappear. The folder hasn't been removed. Instead, it has been hidden and a password has been applied. To open it, run "FolderLocker.bat" and enter your password when prompted. Going Deeper with Windows Password Protection The process above will add password protection to simple folders. However, we can also . That can be a more efficient and targeted option for sharing confidential pdfs or images, and it requires a slightly different procedure. password protect individual files Adobe Acrobat can be used to protect pdf files. Just open the document to be protected, go to the "File" menu and choose "Protect Using Password". You can then set a password for either viewing or editing the document. If you need to password protect a Windows doc file, open Office and bring up the document. Head to "File", "Info", and then "Protect Document". Then choose the "Encrypt with password" option. The two processes above can also be used to protect other file formats such as jpeg images. Just import them as usual, and apply the procedures described. If All Else Fails, Choose Third Party Software Finally, we need to mention third party tools. If the procedures described earlier don't work for some reason or are excessively complex, third party software can provide an alternative. Reliable apps include - a freeware tool which hides files and folders, and can add passwords easily. Commercial tools like FolderGuard, Folder Lock Lite, and Protected Folder all provide the same service, as well as a few other system security features. So have a look around and investigate the options. WiseFolder Hider

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