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Best Apps to Password Protect File and Folder on Mac
If you are concerned about your security, you might need various apps in different situations. For example, you can password protect files, store password in a secure location using different apps, and so on. In case you want to encrypt your confidential files and folders on Mac, here are some simple apps to password protect file and folder on Mac OS X.
The built-in automatic exit-feature locks password protect apps Mac after a period of inactivity when you are away from your keyboard to further increase your security. Touch id for apps. The app is filled with good news and here is a great one. ILocker supports Apple touch id for apps Mac pro so that you can unlock your apps in an instant. With Mac App Blocker, you can password-protect each application on your Mac. Keep your apps and your Mac safe. Kids, co-workers, family members, guests - no worries. You pick which apps will be protected and Mac App Blocker keeps them secure. Tracks failed attempts to access the protected apps - so you'll know when it happened with date, time. AppBlock - Block Disturbing Websites & Apps is an application that helps you (its users) block annoying apps & websites and bring down your screen time. You can set a specific time and date in the app and once that period passes, the blocked apps or websites can be accessed again. There’s also the possibility to set up your profile to activate based on a specific wifi connection, your location. Lock your apps with a password and protect your data smartly. Prevent others from using apps With iLocker™ Mac, you can make your Mac not only even more safe but also more flexible if you share your Mac with others. ILocker™ Mac password-protects each app such as Apple Mail, Photos, Contacts, Safari, Games from unauthorized access. Mac App Blocker: The Mac app blocker is a software that can protect your Mac data. With this software, you can set a password to every app on your Mac. In this way, no one can access your Mac apps without your permission. It is one of the wonderful tools to restrict unauthorized access to your important data on Mac.
Why do you need to password protect file or folder?
In the present time, we must have distinctive gadgets to achieve the everyday works. For example, if you need to talk to someone, you need a mobile phone. However, when you need to do some office work, you should use a laptop, where you can do more jobs in less time. At this moment, no computer comes with an inbuilt tool to secure confidential files and folders. Therefore, you need an app to do so. Sitesucker 2 10 3.
It doesn’t matter, whether you do business work, or you are a student, Mac OS X is a great operating system that can let you perform various tasks at the same time. Therefore, if you are a Mac user, these following apps would be helpful for you.
Best Apps to Password Protect File and Folder on Mac
There are several apps for the same purpose; however, these following apps are more trusted than anything else. Therefore, you can choose one app among these apps.
Disk Utility
Disk Utility of Mac is a free and inbuilt tool that can be used in different situations like this one. You can password protect any number of files and folders on OS X with the help of this tool. The best part is you do not need to install another third-party tool, and you can set any password to lock or unlock files included in the password protected folder. Talking about the security, you can use 128-bit encryption as well as 256-bit encryption, and this is one of the essential things out there. The basic part of this tool is you need to create an encrypted image, and you can keep all the confidential files inside that image. To get started, do follow the following steps.
- Open Disk Utility. You can use Command + Space bar to open the search window and write down the app name to open it.
- Click on File > New Image > Image from Folder.
- Choose a folder that you want to convert into the image and lock that down.
- Choose 128-bit AES encryption from the Encryption drop-down menu and enter a password that you want to use.
- Click the Save button.
- After successfully creating the image, whenever you would go to open that, it will ask for a password. This is the same password that you have entered while creating the image.
That’s all! The drawback of this technique is anybody can delete the password protected image, and you would lose all the data within minutes. However, the advantage is you can password protect any number of files or folder by making use of this trick.
Concealer
Concealer is popular because it offers online security alongside file and folder encryption. From essential files to the credit card, you can store everything inside the vault. The best thing is it used AES 256-bit encryption, which is top notch but quite slower than 128-bit AES encryption. However, when it comes to security, you should opt for more secure layer than speed. As per the official website, you just need to drag and drop the file or folder to make it password protected. Another useful thing is you can password protect notes as well. Third important thing is you can set two different passwords. One password would work as master password, and another one would work to password protect each file or folder.
Data Guardian
Data Guardian is another excellent tool to password protect file and folder on Mac. Apart from the essential features, you can get password generator, browser, attachment backuper, database backup functionality, and more others. As this is available for Mac and Windows, you can synchronize your password by using one account. According to the official website, it used 446-bit Blowfish encryption, which can provide a top-level encryption for your files. You can encrypt image with the help of this tool. As Import-Export option is available with this software for Mac, you can import passwords into this app or export all of them to a flat-text file from this app.
Hider 2
Hider 2 is one of the best tools out there in this category. Because of having such awesome functionalities, it has gained so much popularity in a small period. As the official statement, it has AES-256 bit encryption. This is meaningless to mention that it is top notch security encryption to password protect any number of file or folder. It has a master password, and without that master password, nobody can open the vault and access your files. Talking about the highlight, it can password protect your external hard disk as well, which is not supported by many folder protectors out there.
MacFort
When you need a better tool than Disk Utility for Mac, you can opt for MacFort since it password protects all the folders faster than the inbuilt tool. As usual, it can protect all the inbuilt files and folders on your Mac. Apart from that, it comes with military-grade encryption, and it also offers physical data theft protection. This is so simple to use that you only have to go through two steps to password protect any file or folder. According to the statement, you can password protect iPhoto album, Mail, Dropbox, etc. Those are the most important things on your computer.
Cisdem AppCrypt
Cisdem Appcrypt is quite different than other since it can protect websites and installed apps as well apart from standard files. You can set a time limit for any website. This is important when you have an addiction to a particular site like YouTube or Facebook or so forth. As per the website, it increases the productivity of any person. As this is a business class app, you can apply the same filter to a team or business environment. Another important thing is it can exclude inactive apps from the vault. Before using this app, you should know that this tool cannot password protect folders. But it can encrypt files like Microsoft Office documents, text files, etc.
Espionage
Espionage is another awesome tool for protecting any file or folder. The highlight of this tool is you can set different conditions to lock or unlock any app or folder. For example, you can lock down a folder or app when you close the app or window of that folder. It can also be integrated into Apple FileVault to provide maximum security. On the other hand, you can find Spotlight integration to find out various files, folders, apps, etc. Talking about the encryption, you can get AES-256 bit encryption. The user interface is quite an old school, but that doesn’t matter when you are getting top-notch security vault. The best thing is you can use this tool right from the top navigation bar.
MacKeeper
MacKeeper is popular because nobody can find the password protected file or folder unless you open them through MacKeeper. As a standard security tool for Mac, it used AES-256 bit encryption for protecting your files. On the other hand, it provides another security. That implies, if someone tries to enter the wrong password multiple times, there would be a system-wide lockdown. Apart from that, it lets you remove very old files permanently. Talking about the encryption speed, it is quite slow since it may take almost 15 seconds to encrypt only 100 MB of files. Apart from these features, you can get automatic backup option so that you can add an extra layer of security to existing files.
Protect Files
Just like the simple name, the user interface of Protect Files is also simple. Apart from the UI, you can find some basic options to password protect files, folders, etc. It doesn’t matter whether you have a Word document or PowerPoint presentation, you can certainly lock that down with the help of this simple tool. Protect Files uses AES-256-bit encryption so that users can get maximum security out of this tool. Although it is quite old looking, you can find all the features those are required for being a standard security software Mac.
There are many other tools to password protect file and folder on Mac OS X. However, this list contains some tools those well-established, feature-rich, and very much affordable.
Mac provides a number of features that can enhance your privacy but password-protecting folders isn’t one of them. But, as it happens, there are more than one way to password protect folder on Mac.
In this guide, we have covered 5 of the best ways to password-protect folders on Mac and encrypt them as well. You can use these methods when you need additional protection for your files from co-workers or even your partners. Most of these methods involve enterprise-level encryption. So, if you want to lock a folder on Macbook pro, air even iMac, this guide will help.
Also Read: Ways To Password Protect a Folder in Windows
#1 Password Protect Folder on Mac Using Disk Utility
Disk Utility is an in-built macOS app for managing disks, drives and partitions. As it happens, it also lets you create a password-protected folder in your Mac. It is not a folder, per se. But, you can easily manage all your files. Let’s have a look at the steps now.
Step 1
First, we have to open Disk Utility app on Mac. You can simply search via Spotlight or find it in Utilities subfolder of Applications.
Go to File > New Image > Image from Folder. Alternatively, you can press Shift+Command+N
Step 2
Now, you have to select the folder that you want to password protect.
Step 3
In the upcoming window, you have to select a few things such as the name and security type.
- Give the name for the password-protected folder
- Provide some tags and select the location where you want to save it
- For encryption, choose 128-bit AES Encryption and provide the password
- For Image Format, you have some choices, such as Compressed, read/write, hybrid image and read-only. Choose one of them
Once you are done, click the Save button.
Step 4
Depending on the size of the folder, the encryption process may take some time. Once you get the confirmation message, go to the location where you saved the image.
Type the password and click Okay.
Now, you can see a virtual disk with the same name of the folder. Open it to see the files and access them.
After the use, Eject the drive to make sure that no one else can access the folder.
Note: If you had selected read/write for Image Format, you will be able to copy and paste files easily. But, it depends on what kind of protected folder you want.
You can count on this method if you need something native. As you see, we don’t need a third-party app to protect folders on Mac using Disk Utility.
#2 Password Protect Mac Folders Using Hider
If you want to password protect folder in mac without disk utility, then third-party apps are better option.
Macpaw Hider is an popular app to enable password protection for folders and files. However, it does work like having a secure space inside your Mac. Hider is a paid software (starts at $19 for single license) but you can check out the free trial for 15 days.
You can use this method to encrypt and protect folders, files and secure notes. It also has an impressive UI to make things cool. Once you are installed, you can add whatever you want to protect into the Hider 2 UI. It also offers an option to hide the document/folder.
Read: The Best Ways to Password Protect PDF File
This is the best thing we loved: once you close Hider 2, everything is secure. You have to enter the password to access contents from the Encrypted folder. Hider 2 is a premium software and it comes at $19.95 for one license.
You can try this method if you need a more accessible way to password-protect files and folders. You cannot use this method if you want to send/transfer the locked content.
#3 Encrypt Files via Terminal, using OpenSSL
Here is another built-into-Mac method to protect your folders and files. You should use this method if you want to add files to encrypted folder in Mac. We are going to do this using Terminal and it involves some code. If you would, let’s have a look at the steps.
Step 1
Open Terminal on your Mac and enter the following command.
Now, in this command,
openssl and aes-256-cbc designates the encryption type.
–in ~/Desktop/Photo.jpg designates the file you want to encrypt and its location
-out ~/Desktop/Encrypted.file designates the location where the encrypted file would be saved
Step 2
Enter the command and provide the encryption password when asked
Confirm the Password to continue
Step 3
Now, you can see the Encrypted.file document on your Desktop. Depending on your need, you can change the directory and encryption methods
Note: To decrypt the same file, enter the following command
Make sure you change the file-names and add ‘-d’ without quotes.
As we said earlier, you can use this method to encrypt and protect individual files. Since everything can be managed via Terminal, you don’t need a third-party software. Well, the limitation is, you can’t do it for folder.
#4 Use Concealer to Password Protect Files, Folders and More
Concealer is an advanced Mac app that lets you encrypt and store files and folders. In addition, you can take care of sensitive documents like Notes, Credit Card and software licenses. All of these are protected by one master password.
In addition to that, Concealer allows you to set individual password for stored files as well. Just like we said in the case of Hider 2, it also uses 256-bit encryption. Once closed, everything is clean. Without the master password, whatever you stored in Concealer will be inaccessible.
There are also some other smart features that may interest you. But the point is that you can simply drag-n-drop files and encrypt them with best security. Of course, don’t expect to share these files easily. Unlike the Terminal and Utility Disk methods, you should have Concealer app for encryption and decryption.
Concealer for Mac is available at a price tag of $19.99. However, there is a free trial version that allows you to save a limited amount of data.
#5 Password Protect Files Using Compression
Here is another method to protect files/folders via Terminal. However, we are going to compress the folder or file with a password. This way, the contents cannot be accessed without a password. But, since it’s a ZIP file, you can easily send/transfer it.
Let’s have a look at the steps.
You have to open Terminal and bring it to where you’ve stored the file. In my case, I had my files on Desktop.
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Now, after the confirmation, you have to enter the following command.
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So, this means the file Photo.jpg will be converted to a ZIP file named photo.zip. You have to provide a strong password after the command. Repeat the password and you’re done.
In a second or two, you can see the zipped file on your Desktop. Now, whenever someone tries to open the ZIP they will require a password to open a folder on Mac. Do one more thing: delete the original file, since the same is safe inside one ZIP file.
As you can see, this method works like a piece of cake. You don’t have to worry about anyone accessing the files, especially if you deleted the originals. Also, this password protection would work even if you transfer the ZIP file to somewhere else.
Bonus Tip
Want to prevent some folders from showing up via Spotlight? Here’s a method.
Add ‘.noindex’ after the folder name. If the folder name was Photos, make it Photos.noindex
The folder will not be shown in Spotlight search anymore. Keep it somewhere away and it’s a kind of safety.
Password Protect Folder on Mac
So, we have covered the 5 best ways to make a private folder on macOS. The first four methods use higher levels of encryption while the fifth one is compression. Anyway, it’s sure that others won’t have access to your files. If you ask us, Utility Disk is our favorite one. You don’t need a third-party app, but you have access to a read/write folder. Which one do you think you’d choose? Let us know in the comments.
Read: 4 Things You Can Do If You Forget Your Wi-Fi Password