Protect Folder with Password – Advanced Technique to hide data in your Computer

Data is the most precious thing we have in our devices i.e. Mobile, tablet and computer. Using Android we can easily protect our data as there are many options and apps to protect data and to maintain privacy but while using Windows Computer it is not always simple to hide / protect data with using a password because in Windows there is not option by default available to protect a folder using password.

Protect, Encrypt and hide a folder in Windows

Following method is used to protect a folder with password and then you can encrypt the same folder and hide it.

1. Open This PC and locate the folder you want to protect.
2. Cut and paste the folder to desktop and rename it as desired.
3. Right Click on this PC and Click Manage.
4. Click on Disk Management.
5. Click on Drop left arrow (located at right side of screen under Disk Management options and click on Create VHD.
6. A dialogue box will appear asking for location of folder select location in any drive excluding C: Drive and remember the location. I created .VHD in D drive with the name of My Data. You can give your desired name and select the size of VHD depending upon the data you want to store in that, I choose 1 GB.
7. In bottom you will see that a VHD is being created and right bottom corner you will be able to see the percentage, it will take time depending upon the size of VHD you selected.
8. Now you will see a drive of your entered size with black color bar which will be offline by default. All what you have to do is right click and click on Initialize Disk.
9. Now, this drive will be showing as online drive. Just right click on the drive and click on new simple volume.
10. Simply Click next, next, next then Finish. Your secret drive will be ready after automatic quick formatting.
11. Open this PC and here you can see a new empty drive. It looks like simple other drives but don’t worry we are going to make it a secret drive.
12. Right click on your drive and click on Turn on Bitlocker. (After encrypting we will hide the whole drive).
13. Click on Use password to Unlock and type your desired password.
14. Bitlocker will now prompt for the recovery key file, which can be used to access drive when forget password, save the file in desired location, later you can delete or move it.
15. Here you will see two options for encryption, choose the lower one and click on next, next and then start encrypting.
16. I have created a drive of 1 GB, so it won’t take long, after completion of encryption, click on close.
17. Go to This PC paste your folder in the new drive and right click on the drive and click on eject.
18. Now you will see that the drive has completely disappeared from This PC.
19. Go to the location where you saved the VHD file, I saved in D: Drive. When you will try to open the file, it won’t open in Windows 11, but will ask for password in Windows 10.
20. Right Click on This PC and Click again on Manage, then click on Disk Management.
21. In the right pane, click on arrow button then click on attach VHD, select VHD file you have created and then click on OK.
22. Now, you will see your drive again in This PC, but it won’t open until you enter your password.
23. After using the drive, close it and click on Eject.
24. For additional Security you can hide the VHD file and change its extension to any other extension, then no one will be able to see the file.

For more and video tutorials must check my YouTube Channel named Advanced User.