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Manual encryption

In this chapter we will go over how to manually encrypt individual files and folders on both a Mac and Windows computer.

Table of Contents

For Mac users

Encrypting a Mac default file (Pages, Keynote, Note, etc.)

Step 1: Open the file you want to encrypt. Navigate to File -> Set Password…

Step 2: Enter your encryption password, enter it again in the Verify field, and add a password hint. Make sure you choose a strong password and Back! It! Up!

  • OR check the box next to “Open with Touch ID.”

To change a document password, open the document and select File > Change Password. You can also remove the password from the Change Password menu.

In Note, this option is under “Lock Note.” You can choose to use the login password for your Mac user account or create a new password.

Video tutorial

Encrypting a Microsoft Office file (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Step 1: Open the file you want to encrypt. Navigate to Review -> Protect -> Protect Document.

Step 2: Under security, you can add a password to open the document, modify the document, or both. You will re-enter the password(s) to verify. Make sure you choose a strong password and Back! It! Up!

Step 3: Click OK and save the file to ensure the password protection takes effect.

Password protection is not available in the online versions of Microsoft Office – you must use the desktop versions!

Encrypting a PDF file

Encrypting a PDF is a good option if you have a finished file that you want to store or share, rather than a working file.

For an existing PDF file:

Step 1: Open the file in Preview. Choose File -> Export.

Step 2: Click the “Permissions” button, then set your passwords.

  • Set a password for opening the PDF: this password will decrypt the PDF for viewing only.
  • Set permissions: whatever boxes you click, these permissions will be granted to anyone with the password for opening the PDF. If you leave boxes unselected, that option will require the owner password.
  • Set an owner password: this password will decrypt the PDF and allow any of the unchecked permissions above. It can be the same or different as the viewing password.

Step 3: Click Apply and then Save.

To change permissions at any time, open the PDF and go to File -> Edit Permissions.

Many other file types (e.g. Word, Excel) can be similarly saved as a PDF using the software’s File -> Export function. For more info, see this video.

You can also download and encrypt webpages as PDFs on many operating systems using the Print -> “Save as PDF” function. For more info, see this video.

Encrypting a folder using Disk Utility

Step 1: Open Disk Utility from Finder -> Applications -> Utilities or by searching using the Spotlight Search tool in the menu bar.

Step 2: Go to File -> New Image -> Image from Folder.

Step 3: Browse for your folder and click “Choose.” A new window will open with options for saving the DMG file (password-protected disk image).

Step 4: Click the dropdown next to Encryption and select an encryption type. Apple recommends 256-bit AES encryption. You can also set other options, including the name and location of the encrypted folder and whether the folder is compressed, read only, etc.

Step 5: Enter a password, enter it again in the Verify field, and click Choose. Click Save. Once the process is complete click Done. Make sure you choose a strong password and Back! It! Up!

Your encrypted folder will look like a regular DMG file, which has a similar icon to a hard drive. Double-click the icon and enter your password when prompted to open the folder – you will also have the option to add the password to your Mac’s keychain as a backup.

Encrypting a zipped folder

Step 1: Open Terminal from Applications -> Utilities, or by searching using the Spotlight Search tool in the menu bar.

Step 2: Enter the command zip -er YOURFILENAME.zip , replacing YOURFILENAME with whatever you wnat to call the encrypted zip file. Don’t press Enter! Press space.

Step 3: Add the path to the folder you want to encrypt, or drag and drop the folder into the Terminal window, then press Return.

Step 4: When prompted, enter your desired encryption password, press Return, verify by retyping the password, and press Return again. Make sure you choose a strong password and Back! It! Up!

By default, the file will save to your home directory (Macintosh HD -> Users -> [Your username]). To save somewhere else, add the path to YOURFILENAME, e.g. /Users/myusername/Desktop/YOURFILENAME.zip

Video tutorial

This video tutorial walks you through encrypting any folder, including a zipped folder, on Mac.

For Windows users

Encrypting a Microsoft Office file (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Step 1: Open the document you want to encrypt. Navigate to File -> Info -> Protect Document (or Protect Workbook, or Protect Presentation).

Step 2: Choose “Encrypt with Password” from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Enter your desired encryption password, click OK, and confirm the encryption password. Make sure you choose a strong password and Back! It! Up!

Step 4: Save your document to ensure that the password protection takes effect. You can continue to edit and save the document as usual.

Password protection is not available in the online versions of Microsoft Office – you must use the desktop versions!

Video tutorial

Encrypting a PDF file

Encrypting a PDF is a good option if you have a finished file that you want to store or share, rather than a working file.

For an existing PDF, use Adobe’s Protect Tool:

Step 1: Open the PDF in Adobe and select Tools -> Protect.

Step 2: Click “Encrypt” and choose “Encrypt with Password.”

Step 3: Select whether you want the password to decrypt the document just for viewing/opening the file, or also to restrict editing. You can explore the permissions you are restricting in the “Permissions” menu.

Step 4: Enter your password, click OK, and save your documet.

If you do not have Adobe on your computer, you can also use their free online tool by navigating to https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/password-protect-pdf.html.

Many other file types (e.g. Word, Excel) can be similarly saved as a PDF using the software’s File -> Export function. For more info, see this video.

You can also download and encrypt webpages as PDFs on many operating systems using the Print -> “Save as PDF” function. For more info, see this video.

Encrypting a file or folder using EFS (Encrypting File System)

Step 1: Right-click on the file or folder you want to encrypt and select “Properties.”

Step 2: Navigate to the “General” tab click the “Advanced” button.

Step 3: Check “Encrypt contents to secure data,” click “Apply,” and press “OK” to activate EFS for the selected file or folder.

Encrypting a zipped folder

Step 1: Right-click the folder you want to zip and select “Show more options.”

Step 2: Click or hover over “Send to” and click “Compressed (zipped) folder” option. This will create a ZIP folder with the same location and name as the original folder. On Windows 11 this option will display directly as “Compress to”.

Now just follow the above steps for encrypting a folder with EFS.

Video tutorial

Key considerations for manually encrypting individual files

Below are a few options for backing up or accessing saved encryption keys on your Windows or Mac. However, we highly recommend that you make your own backups of all your passwords, including encryption passwords, in a recognized password manager like BitWarden.

Backing up Windows security certificates for encrypted files

Step 1: Enter “certificate” into the Windows search box.

Step 2: Choose Manage computer certificates.

Step 3: Select Personal -> Certificates. Your available certificates will appear in the right-side pane.

Step 4: At the top of the window, navigate to Action -> All Tasks -> Export. You now have the option to save these certificates on a USB, external device, or in the cloud for safekeeping.

Backing up Mac Keychain passwords for encrypted files

Step 1: Navigate to the Keychain Access app on your Mac.

Step 2: Select the items you want to backup and select File -> Export Items.

Step 3: Select a location to save the keychain items, click the File Format pop-up menu, and choose a file type to save them as.

Step 4: Click Save and enter your password to access the exported keychain items.

Reference pages