How to password protect files and folders on your Mac? It can be an essential step in protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access. The good news is that it’s a relatively straightforward process, even if you’re not tech-savvy. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the steps necessary to password protect any folder or file on your Mac computer. We’ll also provide some tips on how to create strong passwords, so you can be confident that your data is secure. So, whether you’re a first-time Mac user or a seasoned pro, read on to learn how to keep your sensitive files and folders safe.
We are going to show you How to Password Protect methods or two ways to password protect any file or folder on your Mac. To protect this secret folder on desktop, which has a few private pictures, my passwords, and some other sensitive stuff. The first way creates a zip file that is also compatible with Windows and Linux. But a listing of file and folder names can be seen, and the second option creates a. DMG file that will only work with Mac, but all file and folder names are hidden.
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1. ZIP Method:
Open up a terminal window. Go to desktop and then type the following command “zip -er nameofoutputfile.zip nameoffoldertobeprotected/*” (e for encrypt, r for recursive, the name of the output file zip, then type the folder that you want to protect) I recommend appending a asterisk to explicitly specify the contents of the folder, but this is optional.
Finally, hit enter and type a password. We highly, highly recommend that you choose a long, strong password here because there are tools that can easily figure out short guessable passwords. Go ahead and confirm the password that you just typed, and then you’ll see the zip file get created. Delete the original directory, and if you try to open the file, it will be prompted for a password. Only with the correct password will the file contents be extracted.
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Opening the same file on Windows also prompts for a password. But notice how the file and folder names are visible. Examining the contents of the zip file on Mac and Linux also exposes the file and folder names. So if that’s a problem for you, you can try to zip the zip file. Or perhaps a better way is to create an encrypted DMG file, which we will show you how to do.
2. How to Password Protect with DMG Method:
- Open up the Disk Utility app.
- Go to File new image.
- Image from Folder
- Select the folder that you want to protect with a password.
- Click choose and either pick 128 or 256 bit encryption
- Type in a password, verify it, and then click on choose.
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Finally, click on Save, and a few moments later, depending on the size of your files, an encrypted password protected DMG file will be created for you. We can close out of Disk Utility now and get rid of the original folder. When you open the DMG file, you will be prompted for a password. Only when you provide the correct password will you see the files mounted which have been decrypted and are now accessible. When you’re done with these files, be sure to eject the volume to prevent unauthorized access.
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3. Conclusion:
Password-protecting files and folders on a Mac is an effective way to protect your data from unauthorized access. By password-protecting a file or folder, you can ensure that only authorized users have access to the information contained within. This can help to protect your data from theft or unauthorized use, ensuring that your information remains safe and secure. Password-protecting files and folders on a Mac is simple and easy to do, making it a useful tool for safeguarding your data. If you want to learn more about how to password-protect files and folders on a Mac, be sure to check out this blog post.
Last update on 2025-09-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
