Tip of the Week: How to Password Protect a Zip File

Have you ever thought about password protecting a zipped folder so that only authorized individuals and users can access it? While Windows might not have built-in functionality for this type of protection, a free app called 7-Zip gives you the power to do so. Let’s go over how you can use 7-Zip to password protect a ZIP file on your Windows PC.

Use 7-Zip to Protect a ZIP Folder

Once you are ready to get started, and you have 7-Zip installed on your computer, open File Explorer and locate the files that you want to add to your encrypted ZIP folder. You can hold Ctrl to select multiple files while clicking on the ones you want to ZIP. Once you’re ready, right-click on any of the files and see the option for 7-Zip. You should see the option to Add to Archive. Click it.

The next thing you’ll see is a pop-up window with several options, one of which is Encryption. There will be fields for you to enter a password. Type out the password you want to use (be sure to make it a secure one), re-enter the same password into the secondary field, then move down to the Encryption Method field. For this, AES-256 is a relatively safe option to use; it’s commonly used for encryption by banks and the military. Once you are ready, click OK.

And that’s it! The next time you try to open the files, you’ll be prompted to enter your password.

True Protection Begins with Us

You might find it helpful to password-protect a folder on your PC, but if you want to truly optimize security for your organization, you’ll need something just a tad stronger. You want comprehensive network security, military-grade encryption solutions, and remote monitoring and management tools at your disposal. You might be worried about a small business being able to afford all of these tools, though, and that’s where OnSite I.T. comes in.

We can help your business by equipping it with all the tools you need to keep your company as secure as possible, whether you have an in-house IT department leading your efforts or not. We can effectively take the place of any internal IT department or work alongside your employees to ensure your business is as well-protected as possible.

To learn more about what we can do for your organization, contact OnSite I.T. at (403) 210-2927.