By Adela D. Louie, Last updated: December 18, 2019

ISumsoft ZIP Password Refixer is powerful ZIP password software that helps recover unknown password from encrypted ZIP archive file in the short possible time. Then you can open your password-protected ZIP file with the recovered password. Download and install. Video about how to create password protected secret folders on Mac OSX to keep private files (pictures, videos, movies, documents, etc.) and access them any time you want or need! By following the steps below, you will create a password protected disk image (DMG) folder on a Mac. If you want to password protect files certain files like images etc, you may place them in password protected folders.

Disk Utility to password protect folders. FileVault for encrypting your entire computer. Print to PDF to instantly secure any document for sending. How to Encrypt a Folder on Mac Using Disk Utility. Disk Utility can create an encrypted file known as a disk image. It is similar to a zip file, but it utilizes the strongest Mac encryption method. Type in the password you want to use to protect the files. Enter the password twice. You should now see your compressed and password protected zip file in Finder. You can test the protection by double clicking the file.

Having a password protect on all the zip files on your Mac is not actually a difficult thing to do. This method will not require you to have any add-ons or you do not have to download anything. Instead of this, you can just easily use the zip utility that comes with your Mac.
This way, you can easily protect a zip archive file from anyone and thus, no one will be able to access it. In this article, we are going to show you how you can password protect zip files on your Mac and some other operating system.

Part 1: Why is it Important to Password Protect Zip Files

There are some reasons as to why you should password protect your zip files. And here are some of the main reasons that you should consider.

Reason #1: It Provides Other Level of Security For Those Sensitive Data

If you are actually archiving some data then you do not want other people to see, then you can have it password protected. That is why having a password protect on your zip files is very important for your privacy.

Reason #2: It Protects Files During Transfer

Usually, you use zip files if you would want to send out a document to other people through email or if you would want to upload it to a certain website. Keep in mind that sending out sensitive data using your email is not a 100% secure that is why adding a password to it can be a great idea.

Reason #3: It Decreases The Chance of Unauthorized People on Accessing Them

Once that you have to make a password protect zip file, then there will be no chance that other people will be able to access it. Even if you have accidentally sent them to the wrong person, your file will still be safe. This is a must for those files that are considered to be top secret.
Also, you will be able to protect your privacy and at the same time, the file that you are trying to work on. Most especially if these files are highly sensitive.
Now, these are the reasons that you might want to consider as to why you should password protect the zip files that you have on your Mac. Make this as your priority and everything will be safe. And that you will no longer have to face deeper problems when the person have accessed your zip file.

Part 2: How to Password Protect a Zip from Mac Using Command Line

If you know about the command line, the syntax for the encrypted zip command is like this:
zip -e [archive] [file].
And if you are going to encrypting two or more than zip files on your Mac using a password, the syntax would be like this:
Zip -er [archives] [folder]
However, if you are not familiar with the things that we have mentioned above, then you can go ahead and read on them for you to know how you can make a zip archive that is encrypted using a password. The encrypted zip files will be able to maintain password protection through any platforms.
This means that you will have the capability of sending a protected file to any Windows user. And before they can open it, they will be needing to key in the password for them to be able to view the content.

Part 3: Setting a Zip Password on Mac

Now, for you to be able to make a password protect archives, here are the steps that you will be needing to follow.

1. Go ahead and open the Terminal application on your Mac. And then choose Utilities Folder.
2. After that, go ahead and enter the following command: zip -er archivename.zip filetoprotect.txt
3. Once that you are done with that, go ahead and enter your password and have them verified. You also have to keep in mind that the resulting archive will be named “archivename.zip” and will now be encrypted with a password. And the files that are encrypted “filetoprotect.txt” will be accessible without having the password.

In this case, if you would want to compress certain multiple files within a folder, then you might be needing to have it modified first the command like this:
Zip -er archive.zip /path/to/directory/

Part 4: How to Open A Password Protected Zip on Mac

Even if you have created a password protected using the command line, it is not necessary to unzip the file using Terminal. This can be expanded by using the Finder on your Mac. All you have to do is double-click on the file and then enter your password. Doing so will then decompress your files. And aside from that, you can also have these files decompressed using the command line:

Unzip filename.zip

Now, here are some cases wherein you need to have the password protect zip archives.

• Password protecting a certain file or a directory.

• If you would want to send out a sensitive data and some encrypted file to an unencrypted network.

• If you would want to email a file that is confidential to a certain Windows user.

• If you would want to add another layer of security to a hidden folder.

• If you would want to protect your very own backups that are outside the Time Machine.

Part 5: Other Ways to Password Protect Your Zip File on Mac

Aside from what we have mentioned above, there is also another way for you to be able to make a Zip file from your Finder. However, there is no way that you can actually have it encrypted using the graphical interface. The zip command that it is using includes in your Mac does not actually have the way for you to encrypt zip files without having to use a third-party application.
Because of this, we have the Keka, which seems to be one of the most useful file compression and decompressing application that you can have for your Mac. However, Keka does not actually use AES for you to encrypt your zip files by default. What you need to do is to get the beta version of Keka for you to be able to do this. Or you can also use the standard version and make encrypted 7z files. All you have to do is to follow the guide below.

1. Go ahead and launch Keka on your Mac.
2. After that, go ahead and chose 7z and then enter the desired password on your archive.
3. Once that you are done with the password, go ahead and drag and drop one or more files that you would want to compress towards the Keka window. They will then be able to compress into 7z file encrypted with the password that you have just entered.

Always remember what your password is because you will be needing that for you to access the file. And that is actually how you can password protect zip files on your Mac.

Part 6: Password Protecting A Zip File on Other Operating System

The OS X is not the only one that is capable of password protecting a zip file, but so as with some other operating system. Here are some of them.

1. Windows – 7-Zip

The Windows operating system actually has a built-in way for you to be able to make a zip file. Some even offer to password protect and encrypt the zip files that you have. Now if you would want to password protect your zip files, then the 7-Zip is recommended for you.
Using the 7-Zip, you will be able to choose some files in your File Explorer or from your Windows Explorer windows. And after that, go ahead and right-click on them and then choose 7-Zip. After that, go ahead and choose to add to the archive. Here all you have to make sure is that you have selected the “Add to archive” option. This way, you will be able to set a password that you want.
The 7-Zip also lets you create a 7z archive by default. Or you can also have the option to choose Zip. However, if you do not want to go with zipping, then you have to make sure that you have selected the AES-256 encryption method. And then, go ahead and enter your password and then click on the “OK” button for you to make your encrypted archive file.

2. Linux – File Roller with p7zip-full

The standard Archive Manager or the file-roller that comes with the Ubuntu and some other GNOME-based desktop actually do not have an option for you to make password protect zip files. That is why it is all thanks to the File Roller because you will be able to use it for you to be able to make a 7z archives.
Now, for you to enable this, the first thing that you need to do is to install the p7zip-full package. Once that you already have that, then you can make encrypted 7z files which can come directly from the File Roller window. You can also choose some files under the file manager window. And once you do, go ahead and right-click on them and then choose “Compress”. Or you can also launch the Archive Manager application and use it for you to make new archives.
If you are already in the Compress window, you have to make sure that the 7z archive format is selected. Then go ahead and click on the Other Options header and enter your desired password. The password that you are going to make will also be used to unlock the archive in a later time.
Aside from what we have mentioned, there are still a lot of different software programs that you can use for you to be able to make a password protected zip files. But whatever you want to use, you always have to make sure that it is using secure encryption. The problem that we are dealing with Zip files are not fully theoretical.
You must keep in your mind that the web is actually full of tools that you can use for recovering a certain password protected zip file. That is why you have to be 100% sure that you can trust that certain application. You can actually base on the rating of the application that you are trying to get. You can also base it on the comment section of application if there are any bogus activities happened to them when they try to use the program.
You must ensure that everything that you are using is actually safe. Because if not, it will be useless that you have password protected your zip files because other people will be able to just easily hack it and have the files that you have. If this happens, then this would be a danger to you because they might remove all the data that it contains or that they can easily spread it on the web. Another possible thing that could happen is that they can give it to the wrong person.

People Also ReadUnable to Expand Zip File on Mac?What is The Best Mac Cleaner in 2019?

Part 7: Conclusion

As you can see, doing a password protect zip files on your Mac is not that complicated as it sounds. All you need to have is the knowledge and the right tool that you can use. You also have the option to just merely use your Mac to make a password protect zip files on your Mac or you can also use a third-party application.
As what we have shown you, there are some applications that you can actually use. This will now depend on you if you would want to use them or not. You just have to keep in mind that having a password protect is one of the best things that you can do to your zip files if you would want to keep it confidential at all times. This way, no one will be able to access it but you.

How To Make A Zip File Password Protected On Mac File

suresh pawar2019-02-28 08:30:29

Hi,Thanks for the information about this Really nice Post.

Would you like to prevent unauthorized people from accessing sensitive data that you store on data servers and shared computers, or send via email? Then it’s best to use password-protected archive files, like those in ZIP format.

You can password protect ZIP files on both Windows 10 and macOS. However, the range of functions provided by your system’s password-protection tools are limited. For this reason, we recommend using external software.

Password Protect ZIP Files with Windows System Tools

Microsoft Windows 10 provides a feature for password protecting files and folders which is integrated in the operating system. Windows password protection can also protect ZIP files from unauthorized access, without having to use third-party software. To activate password protection for your files, follow these steps:

Windows password protection is only available in the editions Microsoft Windows 10 Pro, Education, and Enterprise, not in Windows 10 Home.

Step 1: Using the right mouse button, click on the ZIP file that you would like to password protect.

Step 2: In the shortcut menu, select the “Properties” option to open the file properties.

Step 3: In the “General” tab, click on “Advanced” in order to open the “Advanced Attribute” dialog window.

Step 4: In the “Advanced Attributes” dialog window, select the check box next to “Encrypt contents to secure data”.

Step 5: Close the “Advanced Attributes” dialog window by clicking on “OK” and save the change in file properties by clicking on “OK” or “Apply”.

The file icon now displays a padlock. This indicates that the corresponding file is password protected. But what does this actually mean?

After you have activated password protection, you’ll note that you can still open the file without a password prompt. File content can also be displayed and processed without changes. Nevertheless, the file is password protected – with a key generated by Windows that is stored in your user account.

You have access to the file as long as you are logged into your user account. By contrast, other users will be denied access. This can be very practical in many situations. However, only in a few application cases does it serve as a password-protected ZIP file. For instance, this feature is not intended for sending password-protected ZIP files. For this, we recommend using a compression program with an encryption feature.

Encrypting File Folders with macOS Standard Tools

Though it’s true the Apple operating system macOS does not offer any native features for password protecting ZIP files, you can however protect the directories – in which ZIP files are located – as image files. To do so, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a new folder in Finder – macOS’ standard file manager.

Step 2: Relocate all ZIP files that you’d like to protect into the folder you just created.

Step 3: Open the macOS hard drive service program. You can do this via Spotlight search.

Step 4: Click on “File” in the menu bar above and choose “Image from Folder” under “New Image”.

Step 5: Choose the folder you created at the beginning that has the files you wish to protect and click on “Open”.

Step 6: Give the image a name and choose a save location.

Step 7: Choose the type of encryption:

• 128-Bit-AES encryption (recommended)
• 256-Bit-AES encryption (more secure, but slower)

Step 8: Enter a password of your choosing and confirm entry by clicking on “Choose”.

Step 9: Make sure that the image format is set to “Compressed” and complete the process by clicking on “Save”.

The encrypted image is created in .dmg format in the save location you specified.

Select the image by double-clicking on it and entering your password to access the password-protected file.

An open .dmg file is displayed as an integrated drive in Finder.

Eject the image via Finder if you are no longer using the protected files. Otherwise, they will remain accessible without a password prompt.

To make sure that your data is protected from unauthorized access, you should delete the unencrypted original data.

Password Protecting ZIP Files with Third-Party Software

Since the options for each operating system are limited, we recommend using a third-party program. For example, we have chosen 7-Zip, a free packer application with a high compression rate and reliable encryption. It creates archive files in the 7z, TAR, WIM, and ZIP formats. The program’s encryption feature is available for 7z and ZIP files.

Follow these steps to create a password-protected archive file for any file folder of your choosing:

Step 1: Download the open-source 7-Zip compression program from the provider’s website and install the software on your system.

7-Zip is automatically integrated into the Windows Explorer shortcut menu.

Step 2: Using the right mouse button, click on the file folder that you would like to encrypt.

Step 3: Choose “7-Zip” in the shortcut menu and click on “Add to archives…” in the pop-up menu.

Step 4: In the packer program’s configuration mask, you’ll find the required settings for the save location, archive format, compression strength, compression method, and encryption.

Enter a password, then enter it again.

In archive format, 7z is available with AES-256-bit encryption. This can also be used for password protecting ZIP files. What’s more, the latter can be encrypted with the ZipCrypto algorithm.

Opening an archive file that has been password protected with 7-Zip requires you to enter a password.

How To Create And Password Protect A Zip File On Macos

Windows users often utilize the WinZip packer program for password protecting ZIP files. The programs WinRAR, Peazip, Bandizip, and Ashampoo Zip Free also offer encryption features. We provide you with a detailed comparison of the range of features in our article on the most popular WinZip alternatives.

How To Make A Zip File Password Protected On Mac Os

Related articles