How to password protect a file on a flash drive. How to protect files on a USB flash drive

Today I will tell you how to put a password on a flash drive. Surely each of us has a flash drive in our pocket or purse, on which there is some data. Flash drives, like all other things, tend to get lost, and since they are small in size, they are more likely to get lost. It’s okay if there is some unimportant data on it, but what if you have important documents or family photos there? What should I do then? - Set a password, that's what!
We will set the password using the built-in Windows tools, without any programs. It's called BitLocker. But there are limitations in this matter; not all editions of Windows support this function.
This function is available in the following OS:

• Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate/Enterprise
• Windows 7 Ultimate/Enterprise
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows 8

So I have an 8 GB flash drive.

Open the file explorer (My Computer) and right-click on the flash drive, thereby calling up the context menu and looking for the BitLocker function. If you have it, then everything is fine, but if it is not there, then this means that your system does not support this encryption method and you will not be able to password-protect the flash drive.

Next, in the window that opens, check the box - “ Use a password to unlock a flash drive". Then we come up with a strong password, which must be at least 8 characters and contain both letters and numbers, otherwise the program will not allow us further. Click - Next

So, we set a password. Now the program prompts us to create and save a key to restore access to data on the flash drive in case we have forgotten the password. You can print it on a printer, or you can save it on your computer. I will save it on my computer. Select the item - Save to file

Select a location on your computer where the file will be saved and click save

In the next window we are informed that the recovery key has been saved and if we have forgotten the password for the flash drive, then using this file we can recover it. Click - Next

Next, it is suggested which part of the disk needs to be encrypted. Since encryption takes relatively for a long time, then I chose the first item, that is, encrypting only the occupied space. If you have super secret information on a flash drive, then select the second option and then the entire flash drive will be encrypted. Click - Next

In the next window, confirm the action and click the button - Start encryption

As I said, encryption takes a while, so you'll have to wait a bit. After the process is completed, press the button - Close

Now remove the flash drive from the computer and reinsert it. Open Explorer " My computer" and we see that a lock has appeared on the flash drive, which means that a password has been set on it.

Now we open it and see that we are asked to enter a password to gain access. Enter it and press the button - Unblock

After which we see that the lock has opened and we can work with files. By the way, files that will be written to the media will be automatically encrypted.

That's basically all I wanted to say in this article. I hope it will help you protect your files from unauthorized access.

Question from a user

Hello.

Tell me how to password protect the folder in which I have my documents. The folder is on a flash drive, and you have to carry it with you and connect it to different PCs and laptops. I wouldn’t want anyone to see them or copy them to themselves.

A small addition: the password must be placed on the folder, and not on the flash drive itself. Those. to view a specific folder, enter a password, and everything else is free and open for viewing. Thanks in advance!

Good day!

The task is quite doable, below I will give several options for how to put a password on your files (and based on the pros/cons of each method, you can choose best option for yourself).

One moment!

Some users (especially beginners) set passwords for everything: movies, music, games, etc. As a rule, all these media files that you simply downloaded from the Internet are of little interest to anyone (except you), and it hardly makes sense to protect them (unless you want someone to know that you are interested in them) .

At the same time, we have to observe how lazily they treat passwords, personal data, scans of passports, tax identification numbers, etc. First of all, it is these documents that need to be protected!

To a file (document, notepad)

The easiest, fastest and most effective way to put a password on your folders and files is to send them to a password-protected (and encrypted) archive. When you need to gain access to files and folders inside the archive, you need to enter a password for access and use them safely.

On the plus side: you can protect any files in this way: Word/Excel documents, pictures, text files(notebooks), scans, etc. Also, archivers are available on any PC/laptop, which means you can open files on any computer!

There are, however, disadvantages: if you forget the password, it is very difficult to open such an archive (in some cases impossible); It is not convenient to work with large files (for example, a video folder).

Below I will look at how to create such an encrypted archive in the popular archivers 7-Zip and WinRAR.

7-Zip

A very popular archiver that allows you to compress files stronger than its competitors: WinRAR, WinZIP, etc. The archiver is free, convenient and designed in a minimalist style (there is nothing superfluous). In general, it rightfully occupies a leading position...

After installing it, you will see a menu of the same name in Explorer: 7-Zip. Now, to create an archive, you just need to right-click on the required file or folder and select from the menu that appears "Add to archive..." (see screenshot below).

1. (1) - must be specified name of your archive and the place where it will be stored. In general, the archive name can be anything, and it can later be renamed, just like a regular file;
2. (2) - archive format. Better compression provides the 7-Zip format, which is what I recommend choosing;
3. (3) - SFX archive - self-extracting archive. That is, if you check the box next to this item, an EXE file will be created (like a regular program), by running which you can extract files without using an archiver (a convenient thing for extracting files on any computer, even those , where there are no archivers at all);
4. (4) entering a password - the password can be anything, here the archiver does not set any restrictions. However, remember that passwords like “12345”, “God”, “Love”, etc., associated with your name and date of birth, are very easy to hack! Install something more reliable (recommended 6-10 characters, with upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters);
5. (5) choosing an encryption method- I recommend leaving the default AES-256, and additionally checking the “Encrypt file names” checkbox. Thanks to this, your files in the archive not only cannot be opened, but you can’t even see what file names are hidden in the archive!
6. (6) - start archiving.

Creating an archive // ​​7-Zip

After the archive is created, you can try to open it. For this action, any archiver (even not 7-Zip) will definitely ask you to enter a password for decryption. If you don’t know it or have forgotten it, then your files will remain inaccessible!

WinRAR

One of the most famous archivers, providing a good compression ratio. Allows you to open and extract files from all the most popular archive formats: ZIP, RAR, ACE, TAR, GZIP, etc.

To create an archive in WinRAR, just right-click on a file/folder and select "WinRAR/Add to Archive" (note: add to archive).

1. (1) - set a name for the archive (Archive name), can be anything;
2. (2) - select archive format (RAR recommended);
3. (3) - select option "Set Password"(password setting) to encrypt the archive.

Then specify the password itself (line "Enter password", i.e. enter a password) and it is highly advisable to check the box "Encrypt file names"(i.e. encrypt file names).

After this you can start archiving. In general, the password-protected archive is ready - you can use it...

Password protection of Word/Excel documents, etc.

Documents created in Microsoft Office, can be encrypted regular means, without additional programs. It is very convenient when you often need to work with an encrypted document. By the way, you can also put pictures in such a document...

To set a password: open the menu FILE/INFORMATION . Then click on the function "Document Protection" and select what you want: encrypt using password (by the way, in addition to this, the document can, for example, be prohibited for editing, restrict access, etc.) .

Please note that the entered password (if you forget or lose it) is almost impossible to recover! By the way, the office itself is warned about this when it is assigned.

After the document is protected by entering the section "INTELLIGENCE", you will see a key and lock icon appear and a note that a password will be required to open the file. Actually, that’s it, the document is protected!

To folder/directory

It is not always convenient to set a password for a specific file. For example, you have a catalog with pictures, personal photos, with which you often work (edit old ones, upload new ones, etc.), and which you would not want anyone to see without your permission. In this case, creating an archive every time is not convenient, and you have to resort to other tools. About them below...

♦
Protected Folder

A very convenient utility for protecting and hiding your files and folders from outsiders. To protect a folder with a password, you just need to move it to a window (to the “safe”) - and everything in it will be reliably protected by your password.

Advantages:

1. allows you to protect your personal and important information from theft of programs;
2. there are several levels of protection;
3. very convenient to use: just drag and drop the folder - and it is protected!
4. entirely in Russian;
5. Compatible with Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (32/64 bits).

A very simple and at the same time reliable program for protecting encryption and password protection of any folders: be they on a hard drive, flash drive or any other removable media. Each folder, by the way, can be protected by its own separate password. The program is fully translated into Russian and is supported by all popular versions of Windows.

Advantages:

1. there is no need to keep it running all the time;
2. does not install any special drivers to the system;
3. simple, intuitive interface - even a complete novice PC user can understand it;
4. there are hot keys;
5. the program is compact and does not take up much disk space;
6. free for home use.

I’ll show you with an example how you can easily encrypt and close your folder from prying eyes. Install and run the program. Then add a folder (you can use the Ins key).

Now, even if you close or delete the program, your folder will remain inaccessible (an attempt to enter it (if you remember its name and address) will end in an error, as in the screenshot below).

By the way, the folder is not visible even if you boot into safe mode. In general, it is hidden reliably!

To decrypt a folder and files in it, you need to run the utility again, click on the icon with open lock and enter your password.

To a flash drive

Method No. 1

The easiest way to put a password on an entire flash drive (or disk) is to use a feature that already exists in Windows - BitLocker. Allows you to reliably and quickly protect information on a flash drive

Note! Not all have BitLocker encryption. Windows versions. If you have Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1/10 - most likely you should have it.

To protect a flash drive in this way, connect it to a USB port, open "My computer" (or “This PC”) and right-click on it, select from the menu that appears. Next, follow the wizard's instructions to set a password.

When the password is set, try removing the flash drive from the USB port and then plugging it in again - you will see that access to it is blocked (and its icon has become a closed padlock). Until you enter the password to unlock, the information on the media is securely protected!

Unlocking a disk/flash drive

Method No. 2

A very simple and convenient utility for protecting flash drives (works in all versions of Windows). All you need to install protection on a flash drive is to download the utility and copy it to a USB drive (see screenshot below).

Action No. 1 - copied the program file to the USB flash drive

Then you can set a password.

Action No. 2 - launched the utility from the flash drive, formatted it and entered the password

ALL! Now, when you connect a flash drive, it will appear empty (only the USB Safeguard program file will be visible in it).

To see the files on it, you will need to run this file and enter the correct password. If you do this, a disk will appear Z, equal in volume to your flash drive - this is what you need to work with (and it is on this that all your files added for encryption will be located)...

In general, everything is simple, convenient and easy to use!

An analogue of a similar utility: Rohos Mini Drive.

ADDITION

You can also create a virtual encrypted disk (something like an image) to connect and view which you need to enter the correct password. This technology makes your files as secure as possible from outsiders. In addition, absolutely any type of file can be stored on such a disk.

Examples of programs: TrueCrypt, CyberSafe, Rohos Disk, etc.

PS: don't forget your passwords! Otherwise, make the files so secure that you won’t even be able to look at them yourself...

USB flash drives are small, portable and universal devices storage Flash drives are very convenient for transferring data between computers. However, due to their portability and compact size, USB media can be easily lost. Therefore, you need to take care of reliable protection of the data on the flash drive.

Unfortunately, you can't simply set a password on the entire drive like you can with a smartphone or computer. For enhanced protection your files need to be encrypted. If you don't want to separately purchase a secure, hardware-encrypted flash memory device, you can use free software to get a similar level of security.

In this article we have presented several simple ways to protect files and folders on a USB flash drive.

If you need to protect only individual important documents, and you do not need to encrypt entire folders, then you can simply limit yourself to setting password protection for individual files.

Many programs, including Word and Excel, allow you to save files with a password.

For example, when the required document is opened in text editor Microsoft Word, you can go to the menu File > Details, select item Document protection and option Encrypt with password.

All that remains is to ask secure password and confirm its installation. Be sure to save the document and be sure to remember or write down the password.

Download portable version VeraCrypt and extract it to a USB drive. When you launch the application, a list of available drive letters will be displayed. Select a letter and press Create Volume

To create a virtual encrypted disk inside a file, select the option Create an encrypted file container and click "Next".

In the next step, you can select the volume type: regular or hidden. Usage hidden volume reduces the risk of someone forcing you to reveal your password. In our example we will create regular volume. Next, select the location of the encrypted volume – a removable USB drive.

Configure encryption and specify the volume size (must not exceed the size of a USB drive). Then select the encryption and hash algorithm, you can use the default settings. Then set your volume password. In the next step, your random mouse movements will determine the cryptographic strength of the encryption.

Once encryption is complete, each time you connect the USB drive to any computer, you can run the VeraCrypt hosted on it and mount the encrypted file container to gain access to the data.

VeraCrypt supports encryption of entire partitions and storage devices.

Download VeraCrypt and install the program on your PC. When you launch the application, a list of available drive letters will be displayed. Select a letter and press Create Volume. The VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard will launch.

To encrypt the entire USB drive, select the option Encrypt a non-system partition/drive and click "Next".

In the next step, you can select the volume type: regular or hidden. Using a hidden volume reduces the risk of someone forcing you to reveal your password.

On the next screen of the wizard you need to select the device, i.e. our removable USB disk, and then click "OK" and "Next".

In our example, we will create a regular volume. On the next screen of the wizard you need to select the device, i.e. our removable USB drive, and then click “OK” and “Next”.

To encrypt the entire USB drive, select Encrypt the partition in place and click "Next". VeraCrypt will warn you that you must have backup copy data – if something goes wrong during encryption, you can restore access to your files. Then select the encryption and hash algorithm, you can use the default settings. Then set your volume password. In the next step, your random mouse movements will determine the cryptographic strength of the encryption.

Then select the cleaning mode. The more rewrite cycles, the more reliable the cleaning. In the final step, select Encryption to start the encryption process.

Once encryption is complete, each time you connect the USB drive to your computer, you will need to mount it using VeraCrypt to gain access to the data.

Many modern archivers, including the free 7-Zip, support AES-256 encryption and password protection of files.

Install 7-Zip, then right-click on the file or folder on your USB drive and select 7-Zip > Add to archive. In the "Add to Archive" window, select the archive format and set a password. Click "OK" to begin the archiving and encryption process.

Found a typo? Highlight and press Ctrl + Enter

A USB flash drive is a data storage device that is connected via a special interface. You can transfer and save any information in different quantities to a flash drive. Users store photos and videos, important documents and software, installation files OS and passwords, etc. Sometimes very important information is stored in a small storage device. A flash drive can be dropped from your pocket, it can simply be stolen. And then the personal information stored on this device will be available to strangers. To protect yourself from such common occurrences, it is important to protect the data on your storage device.

Setting access to information using a password

You can set passwords on flash drives using two methods.

1. This can be done using BitLocker Drive Encryption. This is the name of the technology that allows you to encrypt OS data. This program is preinstalled in new versions of Windows (“seven” and “eight”). But the peculiarity of the technology is that it encrypts information on the entire disk, and not on a separate element file system. You can also protect information on a flash drive.
2. You can protect user data using applications that need to be downloaded to your computer. There are plenty of these special tools and we will provide a choice of three of the most convenient utilities. The functionality of these applications will help protect with a password not only the entire flash drive, but also individual information on it (file, folder).

Protecting a flash drive in Windows

If you have Windows version 8 or higher, you have BitLocker technology pre-installed. To protect important information on a flash drive or the entire drive, you need to follow eight steps.

So, how to encrypt USB drive data, step by step guide:

Free data protection programs

Now we will talk about three free utilities.

TrueCrypt

This utility is free and in demand among users, but is difficult to master. But if you are looking for a reliable tool that can be used to password protect individual elements and the entire drive, learn how it works.

Rohos Mini Drive

This utility has two versions - free and professional. The first version is easy to use, reliable, but allows you to corrupt a small flash drive. For home users who store personal information on storage devices, it is quite enough.

MyFolder

This utility has a simple user interface, can password-protect individual elements, works quickly, but does not encrypt as reliably. The algorithm used by the utility is inferior to others presented above.

Setting a password for a separate folder

Sometimes you don't have to encrypt everything USB drive, but only a separate piece of information, for example, that stored in a specific folder. This will not be difficult to do if you use a special utility. From a huge selection of software, we chose Anvide Lock Folder.

Download Anvide Lock Folder and launch it immediately. All interface elements are understandable even to an untrained user. After launch, the utility is ready to work. Select an individual item on your drive or PC and click on the corresponding lock icon. All that remains is to type the password. Now, if you need to view the contents of a password-protected folder, run the utility. For greater reliability, you can come up with a complex password for the utility itself.

Setting a password on a flash drive without a program

IN different models USB flash drives provide data protection using hardware methods. But this protection requires prior activation when you first start using the storage device. Then you need to come up with a password for the USB drive. How more complex password, the more reliable it is. Therefore, it is recommended to mix letters with numbers and add special characters to them.

The use of flash media for storing information is gaining increasing popularity, because they have a number of undeniable advantages over outdated CDs and DVD discs. The flash drive does not take up much space, is easy to use and has a fairly large amount of memory. That is why the question: how to put a password on a flash drive is relevant these days. After all, it can store personal data, important documents and, in general, any other information that you would not want to show to other people.

In this article I will tell you how to put a password on a flash drive using the built-in BitLocker program, or using free program USB Safeguard.

BitLocker

You can set a password on a flash drive using the built-in Windows tools. The BitLocker program is used for this. Go to the “My Computer” folder and right-click on the flash drive on which we will set a password. Now in context menu select an item "Enable BitLocker".

If you didn’t find this item in the context menu, it doesn’t matter. Go to “Start” - "Control Panel".

In the upper right corner, select “View” - “Category”. Then follow the link "System and Security".

In the next list, select the item "BitLocker Drive Encryption".

Select the disk partition that corresponds to the flash drive, I have it (G:), and click on the button opposite it "Enable BitLocker".

In the window that opens, put a tick next to the item "Use password to unlock disk". Next, enter the created password, the length of which must be at least 8 characters, otherwise the program will not allow you to continue, and click “Next”.

In the next window, the program offers to save the disk recovery key, this is in case you forget the password. Select an item "Save the recovery key to a file" and select a location on the computer where it will be stored. It’s better if this is the folder where people go least often. Click "Next".

Do not remove the flash drive during encryption. My 1GB flash drive was half full and took 3 minutes to encrypt. Therefore, if your flash drive is larger, be prepared that the process will take a little time.

Now, the flash drive is password protected. Every time you plug it into your computer, a golden padlock will appear next to the disk. We open the flash drive and see that the BitLocker program asks for a password. Enter it and click "Unlock". When the flash drive is unlocked, a silver padlock will appear in the “My Computer” folder next to it.

If you want to delete or change the password on a flash drive, right-click on it and select from the context menu "BitLocker Management". The following window appears in which you can perform several necessary actions.

USB Safeguard

The USB Safeguard program allows you to set a password on a flash drive. Its clear functionality is suitable for both advanced and novice users. You can download USB Safeguard from the official website: http://www.usbsafeguard.com/download.html. You will be offered two versions to download. The first one is free, suitable for those who have a flash drive up to 2 GB. The second one is paid and allows you to set a password on a flash drive whose volume does not exceed 16 terabytes.

I will install the first - free - version. I click on the “Download now” button and save the installation file.

Now copy the downloaded installation file to the root of the flash drive and run it from the flash drive. The installation of the program is carried out as usual: constantly click “Next”, then “Finish”. Considering that most flash drives are in FAT format, during the installation process the program will offer to format it in NTFS - we agree. Please note that formatting will delete all files from the flash drive, so it is better to copy everything to your computer in advance.

In the next window you need to enter the password for the flash drive. We come up with it, enter it, confirm, in the last field you can enter a hint, you will see it if you forget the password. Click "OK".

Now remove the flash drive and insert it back into the computer. Open it and run the file “USBSafeguard”.

That is, the program creates another protected virtual disk Z: on the flash drive. The capacity of this disk is the same as the capacity of a flash drive. When writing a file to the Z: drive, the space on the flash drive will also decrease.

Files that you do not want to protect access to, simply copy directly to the flash drive: in my case it is the G: drive. If you want the file to be protected, copy it to the Z: drive.

Thus, when you connect the flash drive to your computer, you will have access to open files on her. But to open password-protected files, you will need to launch the USBSafeguard program and enter the password. Only after this you will have access to the protected Z: drive.

Now you can put a password on the flash drive. Just choose one of the described methods and I’m sure everything will work out and your personal files and documents will be protected.