To protect the zip file from prying eyes and unauthorized access you can encrypt the zip file using a strong password. Moreover, anyone can unzip that file and access your confidential content. Let's say you have a folder containing some confidential files and you want to create a zip file that is password protected and encrypted.Ĭreating a plain zip file is not wise as it provides no extra security. You will be presented with a new prompt to add the password for the archive.In this tutorial we will learn to create password protected and encrypted zip file using the Terminal. When the Set default compression options window appears, click on the Set password button.

Next, go to Tools > Convert archives and then click Compression. Right-click the ZIP file, click Open with and then choose WinRAR archiver. Note that it is also possible to create a password-protected archive from a file(s) instead of a folder(s). The password-protected zip file is saved in the same location as the source folder (if you didn't change the location). Also, check the Encrypt file names checkbox (this option is only available for RAR archive format).Ĭlick Ok and Ok again to finish creating the archive. In the pop-up window that appears, enter the password you want to use. Under the Archive format, choose the RAR radio button (or ZIP). The Archive name and parameters window appears.

Right-click the folder you want and choose Add to archive from the context menu that appears.

If you don't want to hide file names, you are still free to use the ZIP format. If you don't encrypt file names, anyone can see the file and folder names within a password-protected ZIP file, but can't extract or view content without entering the password. If you want to encrypt the file names, you need to use the RAR archive format instead of ZIP. Click on the following link and follow the instructions if you don't have Winrar installed on your computer. To create a ZIP file, we need third-party archiving software like WinRAR. We will also look at how to add a password to an existing ZIP (or WinRAR) file. In the following tutorial, you will learn how to create a password-protected ZIP file in Windows 10/11. How To Create a Password Protected Zip File in Windows 10/11

Set password for zip file