How to require a password to access a file or folder

Question

I want to put a password on a file or a folder to restrict access to sensitive information. I did searches before deciding to post here, and nearly all of the answers required encryption. I don't want encryption.

Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Hi! On modern versions of Windows, there is no built-in way to “just add a password” to a folder or file without involving some form of user account control or encryption.

If you don’t want encryption, your options are limited to permissions and accounts, but they won’t give you a “pop-up password” like older third-party tools.

To truly protect “sensitive information” from other users on the same PC (or someone who gets hold of the disk), you generally need one of these:

• OS-level access control (accounts + permissions).
• Encryption (BitLocker, password-protected ZIP/Office/PDF, etc.).

A “folder password” that doesn’t encrypt the content and doesn’t rely on OS permissions can usually be bypassed by:

Booting from another OS/USB.

Reading the disk from another computer.

Accessing the drive with admin rights and resetting/ignoring that tool’s protection.

That’s why most answers you found point to encryption: it’s the only way to really protect data if someone gets physical or elevated access.