PASSWORD PROTECTED & ENCRYPT IN WINDOWS WITHOUT ANY SOFTWARE

STAGE 1: 
Password Protect & Encrypt Files or Folders in Windows: Free

With hackers becoming more and more sophisticated, most users are worried about the safety of their personal data. There are many options available to protect the user’s data but none comes close to encryption in terms of safety offered. This article contains some of the best and easy to use methods and tools that allow you to password protect and encrypt important files and folders in Windows without costing you anything.

Encrypting files in Windows using the Encrypting Files System (EFS)

Windows offers an inbuilt encryption method called EFS to protect sensitive data from unwanted users. EFS can be used only on hard drives formatted as NTFS and on professional and premium editions of Windows 10,Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Vista or Windows XP. Home editions of Windows do not support this. 

To encrypt files with EFS, follow these steps:-

1.   Right click on the file or folder you want to protect and click 

            on Properties at the bottom of the menu.

2.   This will bring up the Properties window. In this window under the General tab, click on Advanced.

3.   In the Advanced attributes window, tick on Encrypt contents to secure data option.

4.   Click OK and Apply.

If the file is encrypted successfully, its name will generally be visible in green font.

If you encrypt files and folders with EFS, it would not change how you access those files and folders. You would still be able to read, modify and delete those files as long as you are logged into the user account that encrypted those files. However, other users from would not be able to do this. For example, if you carry the encrypted file in a flash drive, you would not be able to access it from other computers. To access it from other computers, you will need your encryption key.

STAGE 2:

Bit Locker

Bit Locker is a Windows utility that allows you to encrypt hard drives and removable storage devices.

Bit Locker also uses EFS mentioned above with a minor difference.

It encrypts the entire drive instead of encrypting individual files and folders. With Bit Locker too, you wouldn’t notice much difference while using your computer but if anyone else tries to access them on a different computer, he will be shown a screen asking the password.

Bit Locker To Go can be used to encrypt removable flash drives as well.

Bit Locker too depends on the safety of your Windows user account to ensure that files remain private.

Hence, it is extremely important to use a strong Windows password.

Bit Locker can be turned on in the Control Panel. Bit Locker only works on devices having TPM.

In case your PC does not have TPM, you will get an error saying “This device can’t use a Trusted Platform Module.”

TPM is a special circuit that’s built onto the motherboards of Bit

Locker compatible computers.

Bit Locker is only available on Professional editions of Windows.

Bit Locker can be turned on in the Control Panel.

Bit Locker only works on devices having TPM.

In case your PC does not have TPM, you will get an error

saying “This device can’t use a Trusted Platform Module.”

TPM is a special circuit that’s built onto the motherboards of

bit locker compatible computers.

Bit Locker is only available on Professional editions of

windows.

Bit Locker can be turned on in the Control Panel.

Bit Locker only works on devices having TPM.

In case your PC does not have TPM, you will get an error saying “This device can’t use a Trusted Platform Module.”

TPM is a special circuit that’s built onto the motherboards of Bit Locker compatible computers.

Bit Locker is only available on Professional editions of Windows.

step 1:

open control panel

step 2:

click on system and security option

step 3:

click on Bit locker Drive Encryption

step 4:

you see your pc drive list select which you want lock or encrypt your files

after select/click turn on Bitlocker

step 5:
1.choose password to unlock your drive
2.smart card to unlock
3.automatically unlock

Tick which you want to option 

Note:
 if you tick smart card you want smart card reader machine 

step 6: 

now you will see list of options select any option if you want 

if you forget your password or lose your smartcard,you can use your recovery key to access your drive

step 7:
After completing select next ,click on start encrypting button

step 8:

After completing the encryption process your drive will be locked 

that's it your done just enter your password to decrypt your drive

DECRYPTION:

step 1:To decrypt your drive repeat step 1to step 4 

step 2:After click turn off option which one you encrypted 

step 3:The decryption process will continue 

step 4:decryption is completed the password will removed thats it 


Stage 3:


we use third party softwares also given below to 

protected our files

7 ZIP

7Zip is a free and open source compression utility that has the option of allowing users to create a password protected archive. The encryption offered by 7Zip is AES-256 (AES stands for Advanced Encryption Standard), which is virtually impossible to crack and used by everyone from giant tech companies to your next door IT expert. 

7Zip can also allow you to encrypt the file names in the archive so that no one without the right password has a clue as to what is present inside the protected archive.

To encrypt files and folders with 7Zip, either create a new password protected archive from the 7Zip file manager or simply right click on the folder or file you want to protect and select “Add to archive” from the 7zip sub-menu.

You can choose either 7Zip’s .7z or .zip format. If you use .zip format, an additional encryption method called ZipCrypto is available, which is also good but not as secure as AES-256. Also, if you use a .zip archive, you cannot encrypt file names.

7Zip supports multiple platforms, is easy to use and also very fast when it comes to creating and extracting archives.

Vera Crypt

Vera Crypt is a fork of and successor to the extremely popular and discontinued encryption software True Crypt. Vera Crypt claims to have removed the issues that were raised while security auditing True Crypt. It supports Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux .Like True Crypt, Vera Crypt is completely free and supports AES, Serpent and Two Fish encryption ciphers. Vera Crypts simple to use and offers very fast encryption process. VeraCrypt also allows a single hidden volume to be created within another volume. The Windows version of Vera Crypt can be used to create and run a hidden encrypted operating system. The best part about this software is that its code is available for review and the developers claim an individual security audit is being planned.