How to create password protected ZIP folder | Convert files to secured zip files, by Quick Look on YouTube. 1 min 21 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 21 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Gather the files you want to protect and move them into one folder, so you can archive them all in a single pass.
Install 7-Zip from 7-zip.org. Windows can compress files to ZIP on its own, but its built-in tool cannot add a password.
Right-click the folder and choose 7-Zip > Add to archive. The archive window opens with the format set to 7z.
Change Archive format to zip so the file opens on almost any device, and leave the compression level at Normal.
In the Encryption box, type your password twice and set Encryption method to AES-256 instead of ZipCrypto.
Click OK. 7-Zip writes the new.zip file next to the original folder.
Double-click the ZIP and try to open one file inside. It should ask for the password before showing any content.
Once the archive extracts correctly with the password, delete or move the unprotected original folder so only the locked copy remains.
Tips and common mistakes
Use a long passphrase, since short ZIP passwords are easy for cracking tools to guess.
Pick AES-256 rather than ZipCrypto, which is old and much weaker.
Send the password through a different channel than the file, such as a text message or a phone call.
There is no recovery: if you forget the password, the files inside are lost for good.
Questions
Can I add a password with the built-in Windows ZIP option?
No. Right-click > Send to > Compressed folder creates a plain ZIP with no encryption. You need 7-Zip, WinRAR or a similar tool to add a password.
Does the recipient need special software to open it?
They need an unzip tool that supports encrypted ZIPs, such as 7-Zip, WinRAR or Keka. Windows Explorer often refuses AES-encrypted archives, so tell them which tool to use.
Are the file names hidden too?
Not in a standard ZIP. The contents are locked, but the names of the files inside stay visible in most tools unless you also encrypt the file names.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
