You don't need to spend a dime to secure your documents and other important data. Use trusted free apps to lock everything down and send it securely to anyone.
Use free compression software
If you want to keep your files private, start with compression software. WinRAR and 7-Zip offer fast, powerful options for creating password-protected archives. Many people swear by these tools because they're quick and easy to use.
WinRAR offers simple controls and powerful security features. After installation, right-click any file or folder, select Add to archive , then set a password and enable “encrypt file names”. Doing this will hide both the contents and the file list, ensuring that no one can see what's inside unless they know the password.
7-Zip gives you powerful protection in a lightweight, 100% free and open source package. To lock files, install 7-Zip, right-click the file you want to protect and select Add to archive . Set a password and select "encrypt filename".
Additionally, 7-Zip allows you to create self-extracting encrypted files. That way, the recipient only needs the password to open the file — no need to install any special software.
Send password protected documents with Office suite
When you're preparing contracts, budgets, or business presentations, Microsoft Office and LibreOffice have built-in password protection. You control who can access your sensitive information by following simple steps in programs you already know.
Microsoft Office
To lock a Microsoft Office document, open your file and click File > Info > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password . Enter a password and confirm it. Office will then encrypt your entire document using AES encryption. No one will be able to open it without the password, period.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice, a free suite popular with students and professionals, offers a nearly identical approach. When you save your document, select the Save with Password option . LibreOffice will then prompt you to enter a strong password , which will be applied to the entire document using advanced encryption. Although free, LibreOffice's built-in security is on par or superior to many other paid solutions.
Share encrypted PGP files with Kleopatra
If you need more security, such as when sending confidential images or private documents, upgrade to PGP encryption and password protection with Kleopatra . This free tool is based on the key system that businesses and government organizations trust to keep data secure.
Download Kleopatra in Gpg4win, then launch it and start by generating a “key pair” as instructed when you first open the application. Store your private key securely and give the public key to anyone you want to receive the protected file. If you need to send an encrypted photo or document, right-click on it, select the Sign and Encrypt option from Kleopatra and select the recipient’s public key. Kleopatra will create a locked file that only the recipient can open with their private key, which will happen automatically if they open the file on a computer with Kleopatra installed.
If you are sending a file, ask the contact to provide you with their public key.
Error code 0xc0000098 in Windows causes a blue screen error on startup. The ACPI.sys driver is often to blame, especially on unsupported versions of Windows 11 like 23H2 or 22H2 or Windows 10.
In some cases, sometimes you start your computer in Safe Mode and the computer freezes. So how to fix the error in this case, please refer to the article below of WebTech360.
Snipping Tool is a powerful photo and video capture tool on Windows. However, this tool sometimes has some errors, such as constantly displaying on the screen.
Every network has a router to access the Internet, but not everyone knows how to make the router work better. In this article, we will introduce some router tips to help speed up the wireless connection in the network.
If the results seem slower than expected, don't be too quick to blame your ISP - mistakes when performing the test can skew your numbers.
In the article below, we will introduce and guide you to learn about the concept of QoS - Quality of Service on router devices.
Windows has a built-in Credential Manager, but it's not what you think it is—and certainly not a replacement for a password manager.
Microsoft charges for its official codecs and doesn't include them in Windows 10. However, you can get them for free without pulling out your credit card and spending $0.99.
While having trouble accessing files and folders can be frustrating, don't panic—with a few simple tweaks, you can regain access to your system.
After creating a USB boot to install Windows, users should check the USB boot's performance to see if it was created successfully or not.
Although Windows Storage Sense efficiently deletes temporary files, some types of data are permanent and continue to accumulate.
You can turn off Windows 11 background apps to optimize performance, save battery and reduce RAM consumption.
When a computer, mobile device, or printer tries to connect to a Microsoft Windows computer over a network, for example, the error message network path was not found — Error 0x80070035 may appear.
We can block Internet access for any application or software on the computer, while other programs can still access the network. The following article will guide readers on how to disable Internet access for software and applications on Windows.
Instead of paying $30 for a year of security updates, keep Windows 10 safe until 2030 with this simple solution.
Error code 0xc0000098 in Windows causes a blue screen error on startup. The ACPI.sys driver is often to blame, especially on unsupported versions of Windows 11 like 23H2 or 22H2 or Windows 10.
In some cases, sometimes you start your computer in Safe Mode and the computer freezes. So how to fix the error in this case, please refer to the article below of WebTech360.
Snipping Tool is a powerful photo and video capture tool on Windows. However, this tool sometimes has some errors, such as constantly displaying on the screen.
Every network has a router to access the Internet, but not everyone knows how to make the router work better. In this article, we will introduce some router tips to help speed up the wireless connection in the network.
If the results seem slower than expected, don't be too quick to blame your ISP - mistakes when performing the test can skew your numbers.
In the article below, we will introduce and guide you to learn about the concept of QoS - Quality of Service on router devices.
Windows has a built-in Credential Manager, but it's not what you think it is—and certainly not a replacement for a password manager.
Microsoft charges for its official codecs and doesn't include them in Windows 10. However, you can get them for free without pulling out your credit card and spending $0.99.
While having trouble accessing files and folders can be frustrating, don't panic—with a few simple tweaks, you can regain access to your system.
After creating a USB boot to install Windows, users should check the USB boot's performance to see if it was created successfully or not.
Although Windows Storage Sense efficiently deletes temporary files, some types of data are permanent and continue to accumulate.
You can turn off Windows 11 background apps to optimize performance, save battery and reduce RAM consumption.
When a computer, mobile device, or printer tries to connect to a Microsoft Windows computer over a network, for example, the error message network path was not found — Error 0x80070035 may appear.
We can block Internet access for any application or software on the computer, while other programs can still access the network. The following article will guide readers on how to disable Internet access for software and applications on Windows.
Instead of paying $30 for a year of security updates, keep Windows 10 safe until 2030 with this simple solution.
