There are many ways in which you can secure your personal files and folder on your computer, to avoid anyone else from accessing and/or misusing the information stored in them. If you learn how to password protect a folder then you can ensure that any classified information in your folders cannot be accessed by others without a password. This article will tell you how to password protect a folder in simple and easy-to-follow steps.
How to password protect a folder in Vista
- The first step is to close all the files and folders that are open on your PC, especially if you are securing executable files or folders (.exe). You can press Ctrl+Alt+Delete buttons to see all the programs that are currently running your computer and confirm the status of the .exe files.
- Now, locate the folder that you want to password protect by using the “Computer” tool in Vista’s Start menu. Do not open the folder by clicking on it.
- When you find your folder, right click on it to access the password protection option. You will get a pop-up menu on your screen; select the “Properties” option here.
- Under the “Properties” menu, select the “Security” tab on the top right hand corner of the pop-up window.
- Now, the next step to password protect a folder is to change the folder permissions. You will see two white text boxes in the “Security” menu. The top box will show all the users and user group on your PC. Highlight the user or user group to which you want to deny access to your protected folder and then click on “Edit” between the two boxes. This will enable you to deny access to the selected user by clicking on the options tab in the bottom box. You can edit options for each user or user group here. Once you finish editing, click the “Apply” button and then click OK.
- Now, approve the changes by clicking OK on the Security window. Your folder is now protected and other users will have to enter the correct password to access it
- To double-check that your folder has been protected properly, log out from your user account and try to log in as a different user, whom you have blocked from accessing the file. If your folder in not accessible under that username, it means you have successfully protected your folder.
How to password protect a folder in Vista using Folder Password Expert
This software program, is a security tool that allows you to protect your folders from other users by locking folders on the memory card, internal hard drive, network drives, pen drives, memory card etc. The software comes with easy-to-understand steps that enable you to set up passwords to protect your folders. Some salient features of this software program are:
- It gives you secure data protection by ensuring that secured folders can only be opened with passwords, even if the drive is plugged in some other computer.
- It uses different password to protect different folders.
- It allows you to set passwords without having to move your folder to another location.
- It allows you lock an unlimited number of folders.
- The program also prevents malicious users to get your passwords from the Windows registry or program files.
How to password protect a folder in Vista through Password Protected Sharing
When you enable the password protected sharing feature on your PC, only the users that know the password can access your secured folders. Password protected sharing is disabled by default in Windows Vista. Follow these simple steps to enable it:
- The first step is to open Network and Sharing Centre.
- Now, click on the down arrow button under the Sharing and Discovery section.
- There will be an option here labeled “Turn on password protected sharing”.
- Click on it and the click on the “Apply” button.
- You have successfully enabled password protected sharing and now you can protect the folders that you want.
