How to Encrypt Files on Windows - Tutorial - Tom’s Guide

If y'all're looking for a simple style to keep files and folders private on your Windows figurer, you take several options right in front of you.

Thank you to the Microsoft Role Suite, you lot tin use a congenital-in encryption feature to password-protect Office files, such as Word documents or PowerPoint presentations.

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Some Windows operating systems as well come with Encrypting File System (EFS), which lets you encrypt any kind of file, every bit well as whole folders and subfolders.

Note, however, that EFS is only available for Windows 10 Pro, Windows viii Pro or Windows eight Enterprise. Users with a Home edition of Windows will need to use either Office Suite encryption or a 3rd-party solution, such every bit VeraCrypt or 7-Zip.

Nor does either of these methods offer full-disk encryption, which encrypts your entire hard drive and its partitions. That can be washed with Bitlocker, which again is only bachelor to Pro and Enterprise accounts.

To set up your Windows file encryption, you'll want to follow these pace-by-step instructions.

Earlier yous start

Before yous offset altering your files, in that location are some tips you lot need to keep in mind.

Any file can be decrypted if you're targeted past a savvy enough, or well-financed foe. Yous might want to discover a paid solution if your files are truly valuable.
Files encrypted using the beneath methods tin still exist deleted, so you lot might want to have a backup on a secondary location.
If you lose your encryption passwords, you've lost your encrypted files forever. And then, again, keep an unencrypted backup of the file on a physical drive somewhere safe where it won't be plant.

How to encrypt files using Microsoft Role

This process encrypts private files uniform with Microsoft Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint or Excel. Once you encrypt a file this mode, you'll demand to reopen information technology in Microsoft Office. You won't be able to open it in Google Docs, Adobe Reader or LibreOffice.

These steps work for all upward-to-appointment versions of Office, beyond Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

i. Open up a Microsoft Function program and click Open

ii. Click Browse

iii. Select a file you want to encrypt and click Open up

iv. Click the File tab at the tiptop of the folio, then scroll downwardly and click 'Info'

five. Click 'Protect Document' on the left side

7. Enter a countersign for the file

Y'all'll be prompted to re-enter the aforementioned countersign again, so click OK. Subsequently yous get out this file, y'all'll accept to enter the same countersign to reopen it. Be sure to store this password in a separate, safe identify.

How to delete temporary files

You're not quite done yet, though. 1 of the flaws with Microsoft Office'south encryption is that unencrypted versions of recently opened files might still be stored in your computer's temporary memory. You lot'll want to get clear that out after you've encrypted a file.

ane. Click the Start button

2. Type 'Deejay Cleanup' into the text field and select Disk Cleanup and click OK

iii. Expect for the loading bar to complete

It's calculating how many files it will exist able to delete.

5. A new popular-upwardly window volition appear request you to confirm the deletion

Click Delete Files.

6. You'll see a new pop-up window (pictured beneath) with a loading bar running every bit your files are deleted

Once information technology's finished, the window will disappear and the temporary files are gone.

How to Encrypt Files on Windows using Encrypting File System (EFS)

EFS works by letting you utilise encryption to already-existing files or folders in your file system. Y'all can yet edit or modify these files or folders following the encryption process.

In one case again, this is bachelor simply to Enterprise and Pro versions of Windows 8.1 and Windows x. Users of the Home versions of those platforms won't be able to use EFS.

With EFS you won't notice any change in the style yous admission your files; all you have to exercise is log in to your Windows account at startup and the files will exist accessible.

Still, this means that y'all demand to pick a strong, hard-to-guess countersign for your Windows user account.

Note: Step viii is time-sensitive, and then make certain to click the "Back up your file encryption fundamental" prompt after confirming attribute changes in pace seven. Missing that prompt means you'll need to start over once more.

one. Correct-click on the file or folder yous wish to encrypt

3. Click Advanced under the Full general tab

This will bring up a second popular-up window entitled Avant-garde Attributes.

4. Bank check 'Encrypt contents to secure data'

If the line is grayed out, you lot may exist using a Home version of Windows that doesn't support EFS.

five. Click OK

6. Click Employ

7. Choose how extensive y'all desire the encryption to exist

You tin choose to encrypt just that folder, or to encrypt all of the folder'south subfolders and files. We recommend the latter. Whichever yous choose, click that selection and then press OK.

8. Make certain to click the 'Dorsum upwards your file encryption primal' popular-upwards message before it disappears

If y'all miss the pop-up message, you'll need to restart your machine and try once more.

The computer creates an encryption fundamental using an encryption certificate provided by Microsoft. Now that your file or binder is encrypted, you won't need a countersign to access it other than the password you use to sign into your Windows profile when you plough the estimator on.

How to back up your encryption central

You should back up that encryption primal to a separate device, because if that key is ever lost or damaged, yous won't be able to access your encrypted files. The easiest method is with an external USB drive, so plug 1 into your PC before starting.

one. Click the pick 'Support now (recommended)'

2. Click Next

3. Click Side by side again

4. Check the box adjacent to Password, enter your password twice and click Next

5. Click Browse

6. Navigate to a directory, such as a USB bulldoze, proper name your encryption key and click salve

7. Click Adjacent

8. Click Finish

9. Click OK

Now squirt your USB bulldoze (or wherever y'all stored the file) and proceed information technology somewhere safe where you lot'll call up it.

How good are Windows' encryption services?

Windows' congenital-in encryption isn't a perfect solution. If you encrypt a unmarried file, the computer stores an unencrypted version of that file in its temporary retention, so a savvy snoop can still access information technology.

Information technology's fairly easy for an assaulter to interruption Windows encryption using a fauna-force attack, which is when an attacker uses a programme that methodically guesses every possible combination of messages and numbers, starting with common passwords.

If you're very serious about security and privacy, you might not trust a Microsoft solution. The FBI and NSA can require U.S. companies to paw over data or encryption keys. For those reasons, we suggest using a gratuitous third-party service such as VeraCrypt or WinZip.

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