Many computer users want the ability to password protect folders on their devices to add an extra layer of security for sensitive files and information. However, most mainstream operating systems like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android don’t have built-in options to password protect general user-created folders. There are some technical challenges that have prevented this from being a standard feature. But there are still ways you can emulate folder-level password protection through third-party software and some tweaks to OS settings.
The technical challenges
The main reason why you can’t natively password protect user-created folders on most devices is because consumer-grade operating systems are designed first and foremost for usability and maintaining the integrity of the file system. Adding the ability for users to encrypt folders with passwords adds a significant layer of complexity.
Here are some of the specific technical challenges with implementing folder-specific password protection and encryption in mainstream consumer operating systems:
- Encrypting folders separately from the root file system requires separate key management and adds risks of data corruption if not implemented properly.
- Maintaining the usability of encrypted folders across functions like search indexing, file previews/thumbnails, copying, and backup requires deep OS integration.
- Password protecting folders makes file operations like copying, moving and searching more complex for the OS and apps.
- If the user forgets the password or it gets lost, the data is unrecoverable without a backup key.
- General consumer users may inadvertently lock themselves out of their own folders.
The operating system vendors have decided that the costs outweigh the benefits for most consumer users. They don’t want to deal with an influx of tech support cases from average users who ran into issues or forgot passwords. Data loss from consumer encryption errors can also lead to bad press and reputation damage.
However, the OS makers also recognize that some advanced users have legitimate needs for folder-level encryption. So they have provided ways for third-party software to add this functionality in a tightly controlled way, which we’ll get into more later.
The alternatives OS makers provide
Instead of enabling folder-specific password protection directly, mainstream consumer OSs like Windows, macOS and iOS/iPadOS offer some alternative options to protect your data:
- Full disk encryption – This protects all the files on your device by encrypting the entire storage disk. You only need to enter the password on bootup.
- Individual file encryption – Many OSs allow encrypting individual files with passwords. But this must be done manually per file.
- User account passwords – Requiring a password to login prevents unauthorized access to the entire system.
- Remote wipe – On mobile devices, you can remotely wipe the device if it gets lost or stolen.
Some operating systems also provide ways for third party software to add folder encryption in a controlled way, like through user-installed addons and extensions or via corporate device management tools. But there isn’t a simple native way to password protect folders directly built into the consumer versions of mainstream OS software.
When folder encryption may make sense
For many average users, the encryption options built into consumer operating systems are sufficient for protecting your data from unauthorized access. Full disk encryption protects your entire device. User account passwords prevent accessing your files when the device is locked. And remote wipe allows securely erasing data if a mobile device gets lost.
But there are some specific situations where you may want to encrypt specific folders as an added layer of protection:
- To meet stricter compliance regulations for financial and healthcare data.
- When sharing a computer with multiple user accounts and you want to lock sensitive data to your account.
- If you frequently access sensitive data in public places where your device could be stolen.
- For people who handle extremely confidential data like lawyers, executives, HR.
- To protect private personal content from children who may access your computer.
In these cases, folder-specific encryption provides an added safeguard by isolating and protecting sensitive data even if the rest of the device is compromised. But it requires more technical know-how to set up correctly.
How to manually encrypt folders
If your use case calls for folder-level password protection, here are some options on how to manually encrypt folders and emulate password protection:
On Windows
Native NTFS encryption – Windows computers support the Encrypting File System (EFS) to encrypt files and folders at a system level. It allows encrypting folders and the contents within will remain encrypted. The steps are:
- Right click on the folder and select Properties.
- Click Advanced and enable the option “Encrypt contents to secure data”.
- Click OK and confirm to encrypt the folder.
This will encrypt the folder transparently using your Windows account credentials. But one limitation is that it ties the folder encryption to your specific user account on the computer. Other accounts won’t be able to access the encrypted folders.
VeraCrypt containers – VeraCrypt is an open source encryption tool that lets you create virtual encrypted disk containers. You can create a container file, mount it as a virtual encrypted drive, place your folders within it, and password protect the container.
Other options like BitLocker, Private文件夹 and CloudFogger also offer ways to manually encrypt folders on Windows.
On Mac
Encrypted disk images – macOS has built-in options to create encrypted disk images that can be mounted as virtual drives. You can move folders into an encrypted disk image to protect them with a password.
To encrypt a folder on Mac:
- Open Disk Utility and select File > New Image > Image from Folder.
- Select the folder you want to encrypt. Set encryption and add a password.
- This will create an encrypted disk image file containing your folder.
- To access the folder, double-click the disk image and enter the password.
Third party tools like Knox and CryptoBox offer similar options as well.
On iPhone/iPad
Encrypted archives – On iOS, you can use encrypted archive apps like eCryptbox, SafeKeep, and iEncrypt to create encrypted vaults secured with a password. You can store sensitive folders and files within these archives to protect them.
Encrypted cloud storage – For folder encryption on mobile devices, cloud storage services like BoxCryptor, Sookasa, and Viivo allow encrypting folders before uploading them to cloud storage for secure syncing across devices.
On Android
Encrypted archives – Apps like Crypt4all, Andrognito, and Cryptonite allow creating encrypted vaults on Android. You can move sensitive folders into the encrypted archives and set a password to restrict access.
Encrypted cloud storage – Boxcryptor, Sookasa and Viivo also work on Android to encrypt folders locally before uploading them to cloud storage servers protected with a password.
What about built-in folder encryption?
A few operating systems do provide native options for folder encryption more easily, but they involve trade-offs:
- Linux – Many Linux distributions allow encrypting folders using eCryptfs. But this requires using the command line terminal.
- Chrome OS – Some Chromebooks support encrypting user folders through device settings. But this ties the encryption to your Google account.
- Android – Folder encryption apps like Anthropic and FolderVault are built into some Android skins. But availability varies across devices.
In enterprise environments, companies can also use mobile device management (MDM) tools to deploy device-wide encryption policies remotely including for selective folders. But this requires centralized administration and device ownership by the company.
So in the consumer space, no major desktop or mobile operating system provides a seamless way for users to encrypt arbitrary folders with password protection. The encryption options are either all-or-nothing for the disk, require manual encryption per folder, or are limited to enterprise tools.
What the future could hold
The lack of built-in folder encryption in mainstream operating systems remains a pain point for many. But there are some promising developments that may change things in the future:
- Apple is working on APFS encryption for iOS/iPadOS which can support per-file/folder encryption natively.
- Microsoft is developing BitLocker-inspired encryption for individual files and folders on Windows.
- Cloud storage providers like Dropbox are adding local folder encryption options on desktop before syncing.
- Third party tools are making folder encryption more user-friendly and seamless.
Advances in encryption standards like AES256, hardware encryption support, and rising CPU power can make the overhead of folder-level encryption less onerous as well.
As data breaches make personal security more important for consumers, we may see native folder encryption and password protection become a standard feature across desktop and mobile operating systems.
Conclusion
In summary, most mainstream operating systems don’t natively support encrypting user folders with passwords due to the complexity involved. But they provide full disk and file-level encryption options. If you really need folder-specific encryption, third party tools on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux can emulate this functionality through encrypted containers and archives protected with passwords.
We may eventually see folder encryption built directly into desktop and mobile OSes in the future as both software and hardware advances make this more feasible.