No one likes to be told no.  But sometimes you don’t want just anyone to be able to access the files on your computer.  How can you do that without locking everyone out of the machine?

The simple answer would be to password protect your file, folder or drive.  Unfortunately, Windows 7 does not have an option for doing that.  Some programs, such as Excel, do allow you to password protect a document, so your first step is to check the help files for your program to see if that is a possibility.

If that doesn’t work, or you want a more secure option, you have three choices: Hide your files, Deny Permission, or Encrypt them.

HIDING

Hiding files is the least secure, but easy.  It also works for folders and drives.  From Windows Explorer, right click on the item you want to hide, then select Properties.  Check the Hidden checkbox and then OK to save.  The file should disappear from view.  If it doesn’t, you need to change your file view settings.

To do that, in Windows Explorer, click on Organize, then “Folder and search options.”  On the window that pops up, select the View Tab.  In the Advanced settings window, select the button for “Don’t show hidden files, folders, or drives” then OK to save the setting.

You should know there aretwo problems with Hiding.  First, it even keeps you from seeing the file or folder.  If you need to get to it, you have to unhide it by following the steps above to change your file view settings, except select the “Show hidden files, folders and drives.”  The other problem is that if someone is actually looking for hidden files on your computer, they can easily find information in the Help index explaining how to unhide everything.

DENY PERMISSION

Most mothers teach you sharing is a good thing, but not when it comes to sensitive information.  If you have Administrator rights on your computer, you can exercise your authority to deny permission to other users.  You have the power.

In Windows Explorer, right click on the file, folder, or drive you want to change permissions for and select Properties.  Click on the Security tab then the Edit button. Highlight the user or group you want to deny permission to, and check all the Deny boxes under Permissions, then OK to apply.

Permissions in Windows 7 has a multi-layered potential which requires a more elaborate explanation than this article explores.  If all you want to do is keep someone from accessing private data, it’s best to keep it simple using the steps above.  Do not attempt more detailed permission editing without additional research.

ENCRYPTING
Encryption offers the highest security level but should not be used by the faint of heart.  If your encryption certificate and key is lost or damaged, you will lose all access to the files.  Your only safeguard?  Create a backup of the certificate and key.

Now, if you haven’t been scared off by the warning, follow the steps below.

Right-click the folder or file you want to encrypt, and then click Properties.  Click the General tab, and then click Advanced.  Check the “Encrypt contents to secure data” box, and then click OK.

Encrypting a folder applies that same property to all files and folders under it.  New files created later will also be encrypted.  If you are encrypting a file, you might get a warning that it is in an unencrypted folder which will give you the option to either continue changing only that file, or extending the action to the whole folder.

Later, when you’re ready to decrypt, follow the steps above to get to the Advanced Attributes window, but this time uncheck the Encrypt box.

As warned above, if you encrypt data on your computer, you need a way to recover the data in case something happens to the encryption key. So you should always create a backup of your EFS certificate.

Open your Start menu and type certmgr.msc into the Search box, then press ENTER.‌ Click the arrow next to the Personal folder to expand it and click Certificates.   Select the certificate that shows “Encrypting File System” under Intended Purposes and get ready to export.
Open the Action menu, All Tasks, and then click Export. In the Export wizard, click Next, then “Yes, export the private key,” and then Next again.  Make sure Personal Information Exchange is clicked, and then click Next one last time.

You’ll be prompted to enter a password, then confirm it.  When you click Next (so I lied, THIS is the last time), you’ll be able to Browse to a location and then enter a file name.  If you’re smart, you’ll choose an external location like a thumb drive and store that somewhere safe and secure.

Now click Finish and yes, you are finally done.