How to Password Protect a Zip File on Windows 10

In this tutorial, we are going to see how to password protect a Zip file on Windows 10. Zip files are a great way to share large documents and images via email since their small size makes them easy to send and receive.

A single attachment is also much easier to manage than a dozen.

However, what to do when a Zip contains sensitive data and you want to protect it from curious or malicious people? It’s simple: add password protection.
 

 

How to Password Protect a Zip File on Windows 10

Step 1: First, download 7-Zip from the official website.
 

 
Step 2: After downloading, double-click on the exe file and install 7-Zip.
 

 
Step 3: Now we can create a zip file with password protection. To do this, place all the files you want to protect in a single folder. In our case, We put all the documents in a super secret folder on the D drive.
 

 

 
Step 4: Right click on the folder and select the option 7-Zip -> Add to archive.
 

 
Step 5: By default, 7-Zip tries to compress files in 7z format. Select Zip from the Archive Format drop-down menu.

Step 6: Then leave all default settings as they are and enter your password twice in the Encryption section. If you wish, you can also change the encryption algorithm. In our case, We choose the AES-256 algorithm.
 

 

 
Step 7: Click the Ok button to start the zipping and encryption process. Depending on the number of files and their size, the zipping process may take some time.
 
Step 8: Once the folder is compressed, you can see the compressed file in the same location as the original folder. If you want, you can delete the original folder.
 

 
That’s All!