Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

bw1128

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 29, 2010
631
0
how can i password protect a single folder? so that if clicked, you would have to enter a password to sell the text documents inside? i dont want my wife seeing our tax returns i just filed because im planning a big surprise for her, haha.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,545
943
How to password-protect files/folders/apps

To protect items with a password, you can use the Disk Utility app to create an encrypted disk image.
(Disk Utility is in your /Applications/Utilities folder.)

To protect items with a password, you can use the Disk Utility app to create an encrypted disk image.
(Disk Utility is in your /Applications/Utilities folder.)
  1. Launch Disk Utility (see image below)
  2. Click "New Image" on the toolbar, as indicated below
  3. Make your selections, as illustrated below
  4. Click "Create"
  5. Choose a password and enter it twice to verify
  6. If you want the password to be required each time you open the disk image, uncheck "Remember password in my keychain"
  7. Click "OK" and your sparseimage file will be created in the folder you selected.
ScreenCap 7.PNG
To open and use your disk image, follow the steps in the image below
ScreenCap 6.PNG
Your sparseimage can be transfered anywhere you choose and the password will still be required to open it. If you forget the password, you won't be able to open the file.

How to create a password-protected (encrypted) disk image in Mac OS X 10.3 or later
 
Last edited:

Mojo1

macrumors 65816
Jul 26, 2011
1,244
21
Using Disk Utility to encrypt files requires too many steps. I cannot comment about SecureFiles because I haven't used it...

GoSecure steps to encrypt a file or folder:

1. Drop the file/folder onto the GoSecure icon in a dock, on the desktop, etc.

2. Enter the password twice.

3. Click OK.

You can choose to automatically securely-delete the original or not. GoSecure offers 128-bit an 256-bit AES encryption. You can also have encrypted files placed in a default location such as the Desktop.

The ease of using GoSecure is worth $20 to me.
 

chown33

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 9, 2009
10,751
8,425
A sea of green
The ease of using GoSecure is worth $20 to me.

For much less than that, the OP can use a USB flash drive.

Copy the tax return files to the USB drive, then delete from the builtin disk. Eject the USB drive, unplug, and hide somewhere his wife won't look.

For safety, make two copies on two separate USB drives. In case the dog finds one and thinks it's a chew-toy.
 

Mojo1

macrumors 65816
Jul 26, 2011
1,244
21
For much less than that, the OP can use a USB flash drive.

Copy the tax return files to the USB drive, then delete from the builtin disk. Eject the USB drive, unplug, and hide somewhere his wife won't look.

For safety, make two copies on two separate USB drives. In case the dog finds one and thinks it's a chew-toy.

Yes, he can do that. But he asked about encryption options, not a way to hide the file. If he decides to hide the file instead, I would recommend saving it on at least two drives since USB flash drives are not fool-proof data storage devices.

I think that many people have sensitive data on their computers that is at risk via theft, etc. so in the long-run it is a good idea to select an encryption strategy and implement on a regular basis to protect that data.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.