How to password protect a folder in Windows 10 and 11

The short answer

If you only want to stop other people who use the same PC with their own Windows accounts, EFS encryption is built into Windows 10 and 11 Pro and costs nothing. If you worry about a lost or stolen laptop or USB stick, encrypt the whole drive with BitLocker or Device encryption. If you want a separate password for one set of files, a 7-Zip archive with AES-256 works everywhere but is a copy you unpack to use. If you want the folder to stay where it is and open with a password, use a folder lock app such as R Folder Locker.

Compare the options

Option 1: encrypt the folder with EFS

The Encrypting File System is part of Windows 10 and 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education. It isn’t available on Home editions.

1. Right-click the folder and choose Properties.
2. On the General tab, click Advanced.
3. Tick Encrypt contents to secure data, click OK, then Apply, and choose Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files.
4. When Windows offers to back up your file encryption key, do it, and keep the backup somewhere safe: without that key, a reinstall or a new account can leave the files unreadable.

EFS doesn’t ask for a password when you open the folder. It opens automatically for your Windows account and stays closed to other accounts and to someone who takes the drive out of the PC.

Option 2: encrypt the drive with BitLocker or Device encryption

BitLocker (Windows Pro and up) encrypts a whole drive, and BitLocker To Go can put a password on a USB stick or external drive. Many Windows Home PCs offer Device encryption instead: look in Settings › Privacy & security › Device encryption.

Drive encryption is the right tool against theft: if a laptop or USB stick is lost, nobody can read it without the password or recovery key. It doesn’t lock anything while you are signed in, so it won’t keep a folder private from someone using your unlocked PC. Save the recovery key where you can find it: Windows offers to store it in your Microsoft account, in a file or on paper.

Option 3: a password-protected 7-Zip archive

1. Install 7-Zip from 7-zip.org.
2. Right-click the folder and choose 7-Zip › Add to archive (on Windows 11 it may be under Show more options).
3. Choose the 7z format, enter a password under Encryption, keep AES-256 and tick Encrypt file names.
4. Click OK, open the new archive to check it asks for the password, then delete the original folder.

The archive works on any PC with 7-Zip, but every time you want to change a file you extract it, edit it, and add it back. The compression in File Explorer can’t add a password.

Option 4: lock the folder where it is

R Folder Locker from RSDWare locks a folder in place: right-click it and choose Lock with R Folder Locker. The folder becomes a lock item with the same name; double-click it and enter your password to open it. Secure lock encrypts every file and file name with AES-256, quick lock blocks the folder instantly whatever its size, and a permanent lock locks itself again 15 minutes after you open it.

The download is free; the app needs a lifetime license key (US$49.99, one PC) to lock folders.

Before you lock anything

• Make a backup of the folder first, on another drive. Encryption that works also means a forgotten password or lost key can’t be undone by anyone.
• Avoid the “locker.bat” trick you may find online: it only hides the folder with a file attribute, and anyone can show hidden files again.
• Write the password down somewhere safe, away from the PC.

Common questions