You may have sensitive files like documents, images, videos, voice notes, that you want to keep private from friends and family (if they ever happen to use your Mac). Thankfully, it is effortless to put a password on a folder to shield it from others. So, without further ado, let’s get to the steps and show you how to encrypt and password protect a folder on your Mac.
- Folder Password Software Download
- Folder Password Lock
- Folder Password Mac App Password
- Folder Password Mac App Mac
- Encrypts and protects with password files, folders, applications and their associated files. It uses AES 128 or 256 bit encryption standard (you may use the same via Disk Utility ) There is no way to see encrypted files without MacFort app. If Mac is lost o stolen your private files remain protected.
- Protect safely and securely your most private videos/photos with Best Secret Folder. Simply add the video from your library or record directly thru the app. The app is password protected so no one will be able to access your videos/photos!
How Do I Password Protect a Folder on Mac?
Enter a password, then enter it again. It’s a good idea to enter a password hint. Click Choose, then click Erase. Disk Utility will erase the drive and create a new encrypted drive; any files you write to that drive will be encrypted, and when you mount it on a Mac, you’ll need to enter its password. Keeping the original unprotected folder at hand isn’t such a hot idea as it’s accessible to anyone who uses your Mac when it’s logged into your account, so trash it or archive it somewhere safe.
- Open Disk Utility. For this, open Finder → Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility. Or, press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search and type this app’s name.
- From the top menu bar, click on File → New Image → Image from Folder.
- Now, select the desired folder you wish to lock and click on Choose.
- Optional: For ‘Save As:’ continue with the same name, or you may also change it. Click on ‘Where:’ and choose the desired location to save the disk image. You can move it later as well.
- Important: For ‘Encryption:’ choose 128-bit AES encryption (recommended). The second option here (256-bit) is slower. Please enter the desired password, re-enter it to verify, and finally click on Choose.
- Important: Click on ‘Image Format:’ and choose read/write.
- Finally, click on Save.
You have successfully created a disk image (.dmg file) that is protected with a password. Now, let me show you how to use it.
How to View and Re-Lock the Password Protected Folder on Mac
- Locate the .dmg disk file.
- Double click to open it.
- You will be asked to enter the password. Type the same password you used while creating the disk image and click OK. (Note: Do not check the box for ‘Remember password in my keychain.’ If you do, it may defeat the purpose. The saved password will fill in automatically if someone has your Mac or knows its password.)
- After you enter the password, you will see a disk image on the desktop. It looks similar to an external pen drive. Double click to open it, and you will see the contents in it.
- Important: Now, delete the original folder so that the content inside it is removed from your Mac and is only available inside this password-protected disk image.
- To re-lock the protected folder, right-click and choose Eject “Folder Name.”
- To reopen it, follow the same process from step 1.
Notes:
- This disk image will have almost the same capacity as the size of the original folder. You can freely delete existing content inside it and replace it with other content.
- Do not delete this .dmg file. If you do, everything will be lost.
- If you want to permanently remove the locked folder (and its contents), open Disk Utility, → choose the disk image from the left sidebar, → right-click on it, and choose ‘Delete APFS Volume.’
Signing Off
This is how you can quickly, safely, and freely lock a folder with a password on Mac. I hope this guide was helpful, and you learned something new.
You can also use third-party apps like Encrypto to encrypt and put a password on individual files and folders.
Want to know more? Mac computer wont open apps. See how to password protect PDFs and lock notes on Mac.
Finally, here’s an additional tip for you. If you do not want the folder to show up in Spotlight Search, add .noindex after the folder name.
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I have been an Apple user for over seven years now. At iGeeksBlog, I love creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides that help people do more with their iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and Apple Watch. In my free time, I like to watch stand up comedy videos, tech documentaries, news debates, and political speeches.
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According to a study by Cyber Streetwise, the average person has 19 different passwords. With the importance of creating strong passwords — a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters — it's little surprise that 1 in 3 people struggle to remember them.
In this article, we’ll show you how to securely store and keep track of your passwords and online logins so that you don’t get locked out of your favorite websites.
The common ways to store passwords
Voila app for mac. When it comes to where to store passwords, there is no shortage of options, but some methods are more secure than others.
Let’s look at the most popular ways and their effectiveness:
- In your head — A great option as far as security is concerned but not great for retrieval. As we mentioned earlier, a third of people struggle to remember passwords. With security for banks and emails tighter than ever — to prevent cyber attacks — it is not the best scenario to reset your passwords all the time.
- Paper — Useful, but not secure, unless the paper is hidden away under lock and key. A post-it note stuck to your monitor or scribbles in a notepad on your desk leaves passwords vulnerable to theft.
- Phone — Passwords stored in a notes app on your phone are at the mercy of your phone being lost, damaged, or stolen. And even if your notes app syncs with the cloud, you face a challenge of trusting the cloud provider.
- Computer file or desktop — Word processor documents or passwords stored in Notes are at risk of being stolen by anyone with access to your computer, be it in person or via a virus. ZIP files and password-protected documents are more secure, but not fully so.
- Browser — A simple solution that remembers and pre-enters passwords to your favorite sites so you don’t have to. It works across all devices too. However, as a successful attack on Opera’s systems showed, security measures aren’t impenetrable.
- Email — Passwords sent to yourself or anybody else via email aren’t secure, unless you use an app like Canary Mail — the most secure email client with PGP encryption. A study by CPP Group found it was possible to teach people with even limited technical knowledge how to hack into an email account in less than 15 minutes.
- Keychain — Mac’s Keychain Access password management software is protected by 256-bit AES encryption (iCloud, by comparison, is only encrypted with a minimum of 128-bit AES), making it a decent option to store and access passwords across your Apple devices.
- Password managers — Operating as an online storage locker for all of your passwords, this option means that you only have to remember one password to access the rest. Managers let you store unique, strong passwords for different sites and use industry-standard encryption to keep them safe.
Get a password manager for Mac
Store passwords on Mac, securely. Grab Secrets along with your Setapp perks and worry not about privacy.
Free ways to track all your passwords
The stronger passwords you create, the easier they are to forget. And the more you forget, the more likely it is for you to create easy-to-remember passwords instead. But with approximately 95 passwords stolen every second, you can’t take the chance of using a few weaker but memorable passwords over less memorable stronger ones. So you need to track them. You can do this for free using any of the methods below.
Write them down
Putting passwords into a spreadsheet or Google Doc is a simple way to store them. Files can live in the cloud which is useful for accessing them across different devices.
If you’re saving files to your computer, improve your chances at security by locking them down in a password-protected encrypted folder and burying them deep within system folders. Always make sure the file is given an anonymous name and never use the word “passwords.”
Use Facebook, Twitter, or Google to log in
An increasing number of websites come with the option to sign up and log in using your Facebook, Twitter, or Google credentials. This means you don’t have to worry about creating (and possibly forgetting) new passwords. Of course, it doesn’t work for every website and requires your social passwords to be rock-solid. You’ll also be putting your faith in these sites to protect your information. They do go out of their way to do this, but there is always risk.
Keychain Access
A built-in password manager for macOS, Keychain Access lets you store and track all of your passwords. It’s a management tool that uses your admin credentials as the master password, and is one of the best ways to store passwords.
From Apple:
iCloud Keychain keeps your Safari website usernames and passwords, credit card information, and Wi-Fi network information up to date across all of your approved devices that are using iOS 7.0.3 or later or OS X Mavericks 10.9 or later.
iCloud Keychain can also keep the accounts you use in Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Messages up to date across all of your Mac computers. And when you sign in to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and your other Internet accounts, iCloud automatically adds your usernames and passwords to all of your devices.
Store them in your browser
Most popular browsers offer standard password storage. Logins can be stored at the click of a button and entered automatically, saving you a lot of time. However, this option only works for online passwords. Desktop passwords will require another solution.
Manage passwords in Google Chrome
- Open the Chrome menu using the button on the top right of the browser toolbar.
- Click on the Settings menu option (or type chrome://settings/ in the address bar)
- Choose Advanced at the bottom of the page.
- In the “Passwords and forms” section, click the Manage passwords link.
Here's you can manage all stored credentials:
- To see the password, click Preview
- To delete saved item, click More
- To access your passwords from any device go to myaccount.google.com/general-light
Is it safe to store passwords in the cloud?
Data stored on your computer feels safe. It sits in a file away from the prying eyes of the internet. Data stored in the cloud is out there in the big wide world. It doesn’t feel as secure.
However, passwords stored in the cloud are no more at risk of hacking, natural disasters, and power outages than locally saved passwords. The reputation of cloud providers is staked on their ability to protect the sensitive information of their customers. Every effort is made through data protection policies and industry standard encryption to keep passwords safe.
That said, peace of mind is everything when putting your faith in the cloud, so only ever choose to store your passwords in an app that uses OpenPGP format and AES, RSA, and SHA encryption standards for maximum security.
Storing and remembering passwords securely
To handle passwords effectively while enjoying easy access and the convenience of having web page logins filled automatically, a password manager is your best option.
Password managers keep all of your passwords in one place and can even create new passwords to save you the effort. Better still, you’ll only need to remember the password to login to the password manager.
There are hundreds of password managers on the market. Some are free, and some cost thousands of dollars. Some offer more features than you’ll ever need, and some just cover the basics.
The password manager for Mac we recommend at Setapp is Secrets. It’s simple, secure, and offers everything you’ll ever need in a password manager:
- Stores all passwords, bank details, credit cards, and other sensitive data in one place
- Features a simple user interface
- Automatically fills logins on Chrome and Safari
- Syncs passwords across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod
- Generates unique, strong passwords, including one-time passwords for services that support two-factor authentication
- Allows imports of passwords and information from CSV files and popular apps and services, including 1Password, LastPass, and RapidoSerial
- Allows the creation of recovery keys to unlock data in case a password is forgotten
- Stores data in the industry standard OpenPGP format with encryption in AES and RSA algorithms
- Handles and encrypts data — no browser extensions or third-party apps can access information
- Automatically locks to keep passwords safe if your device is lost or stolen
Private passwords storage
Access Secrets via Setapp. One easy tool that gives you the most secure way to store passwords.
How to manage usernames and passwords
Finally, keep your accounts secure by taking the following steps to manage usernames and passwords for all online and offline accounts:
Folder Password Software Download
- Never use the same username and password across different online accounts
- Use a password manager to remember logins for websites that you use regularly, but opt for a dedicated app over an in-browser feature
- Enable two-step verification for your Apple, email, and social media accounts
- Reset passwords regularly and use a password generator to create an unpredictable combination of letters, numbers, and special characters
Safe storage of your passwords is critical for the security of your online accounts. Writing passwords down and hiding them away is a better solution than trying to remember them, but for total peace of mind, you should go with a password manager.
Try Secrets, a simple and secure password manager included in the Setapp app collection. As a bonus, there’s a free iOS app to help you take control of your passwords across all of your devices.
Folder Password Lock
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Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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