Do you have sensitive files that you’d rather not let others have
access to (such as your resume or your banking and credit card
information) stored on a shared PC? These days you just can’t be too
careful about protecting your personal information from the prying eyes
of others.
The best way to protect your sensitive files from unauthorized use is to place them in a password protected folder, but unfortunately Microsoft Windows doesn’t provide a way to do that (you’d think they would have thought of it by now!).
It sure would be nice to be able to right-click on a folder and click something like “Protect this folder with a password”, but no such luck.
But there are several third party utilities out there that will let you password protect your files and folders, and some of them carry a fairly hefty price tag. But as luck would have it one of the best of the lot is absolutely free. It’s called Folder Hidden, and here is how to use it to protect your own private files from prying eyes:
The best way to protect your sensitive files from unauthorized use is to place them in a password protected folder, but unfortunately Microsoft Windows doesn’t provide a way to do that (you’d think they would have thought of it by now!).
It sure would be nice to be able to right-click on a folder and click something like “Protect this folder with a password”, but no such luck.
But there are several third party utilities out there that will let you password protect your files and folders, and some of them carry a fairly hefty price tag. But as luck would have it one of the best of the lot is absolutely free. It’s called Folder Hidden, and here is how to use it to protect your own private files from prying eyes:
1 – Download Folder Hidden from www.winmend.com/folder-hidden/ and install it on your PC.
2 – Open the Folder Hidden program. The
first time you use it you’ll be asked to enter a password. DO NOT forget
or lose your Folder Hidden password because it will serve as the one
and only gatekeeper to all of your hidden/password protected files.
3 – Once the program is loaded, click on the Hide Folder button.
4 – Navigate to the folder you wish to protect, select it with your mouse, then click OK.
That folder is now hidden from within Windows Explorer and it cannot be
seen by any programs. You can search for it in Windows Explorer if you
wish to verify that it cannot be seen. Repeat this process for every
folder you wish to protect. Here’s a screenshot:
5 – To access a folder that you have
hidden, all you need to do is run Folder Hidden again. Right-click on
the folder you wish to access and click Unhide.
Once you’re finished working with the files in that folder you can
quickly hide it again by checking the box beside the folder name and
then clicking the Set To Hide button. If you ever decide that you no longer need to protect a folder, simply unhide it and click the Remove button.
Very important: Remember what I said about not forgetting your
password for opening the Folder Hidden program. Without that password
your folders will remain hidden forever, even from you!
1 Right click the folder you want to change
