On the “Enter Password” window, select the “Enter Password” field and type your password. On the “Archive Name and Parameters” window, click the “Set Password” button. If you don’t see WinRAR’s “Add to Archive” option, give your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC a restart. Select all your files, right-click any one file, and choose “Add to Archive.” Then, open a File Explorer window and find the files to add to your archive. To do that, first, download and install the free version of WinRAR on your Windows PC. You can use the app to secure your archives with a password as well. This file compression app allows you to make and extract files from various archive types, including ZIP. If you’ve used a Windows PC for any amount of time, you’ve likely come across WinRAR.

The Best File Extraction and Compression Tool for Windows When you open this archive, you’ll be asked to enter the password to extract files out of it. If you want, adjust any other options as you desire.įinally, start making your archive by clicking “OK” at the bottom.ħ-Zip will create your password-protected ZIP archive in the same folder as your selected files. Then, click the “Encryption Method” drop-down menu and choose “AES-256,” a popular cipher used by banks and the US military. Type the same password in the “Reenter Password” field. Here, in the “Encryption” section on the right, click the “Enter Password” field and type the password you want to use.

Select all these files, right-click any one file, and choose 7-Zip > Add to Archive. Next, open a File Explorer window and locate the files to add to a ZIP archive. To start, download and install the free 7-Zip app on your Windows PC. With this app, you choose the files to add to an archive, set the password, and let the app secure your archive’s contents. How to Password Protect Files and Folders With Encryptionħ-Zip is a free and open-source app that you can use to create and extract files from various archive formats, including ZIP.

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