This post will show you how to lock a file or folder in Windows 11/10. You can use the built-in method to encrypt folders or third-party apps.

Provide your most important files with the utmost security by learning how to lock a folder in your Windows PC and Mac.

Knowing how to password protect a folder in Windows 10 allows you a degree of protection from the people you share your computer with — or from someone stealing your hard drive.

To password protect a folder in Windows 10, you'll need to open the folder's "Properties" menu.

However, a little labour can help you password protect a folder without installing any third party application. Note, this trick will work on Windows 7, Windows 8 (8.1) and Windows 10.

How to Lock a Windows 10 User Account When you lock a user account, you're taken to the login screen, where you'll need to select a user to sign back in.

SEE: Checklist: Securing Windows 10 systems (TechRepublic Premium) This tutorial shows you how to create a hidden read-only folder in Windows 10 and hide it from the standard view of File Explorer.

In this guide, we'll show you the steps to lock down your Windows 10 device remotely using your Microsoft account if lost or stolen.

The year-long free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ends on July 29. But what if you're not ready to upgrade yet? Here's how to claim your upgrade so it's available at no cost when the time comes.