How to enable file encryption in windows 7

To do that we have to go to the properties of the file, and click on the Advanced button on the General tab. This will open the Advanced Attributes window. When we click OK, the system will prompt us to encrypt the whole folder. Since we are encrypting a specific file, the parent folder will remain unencrypted, so any files that we put in the folder will remain unencrypted.

The recommended practice is to encrypt folders, and not files. When we encrypt folder, and file that we create in that folder will automatically be encrypted. For this demo we will only encrypt the file, and not the folder. Notice that the Details button is grayed out. It will become available when we encrypt our file.

When we click OK, the color of our file will change to green, indicating that our file is now encrypted. Also, we will get a prompt to back up our encryption key. Keep in mind that when we are not in a domain environment, our computer will locally generate certificates for EFS encryption. We will log on as a different user and try to open Verson CV file. As we can see, the access to the file is denied to other users. So, each user can encrypt their own files, and other users wont be able to open them, despite all NTFS permissions.

EFS certificates for each user are created when the user first encrypts some file. In local environment, each certificate is stored locally within the users profile. This means that if we copy our encrypted file to another computer, we wont be able to open them since there is no EFS key for our user on the other computer.

In order to be able to open our encrypted files on other local computers, we have to export our private keys and import them on other computers. When we do that, we will see the list of users who can access the file. Notice that here we have an Add button.

With this we can add more users to the list of users who can access our files. When we click the Add button, we will be presented with the list of user certificates. We have to select the certificate of the user to which we want to allow access. So, we can share an encrypted file with multiple users, as long as we have access to their certificates. Encrypting files means to secure your data utilizing different encryption algorithm.

This is getting very popular today among the computer users. Encryption is done to secure personal data and important files so that no one can break through into your personal files without your permission and password. The operating system of windows also offers this feature, it has a driver EFS —encryption file system. This driver encrypts the file and make them transparent to attackers who can gain access to your system without your permission.

EFS function is to provide symmetric key. There are several ways by which you can protect your important files and folders. Today in this world of great technology it is very important to have security for data. It is a very big issue. We are living in the techno world where people are advancing day by day. This is both advantageous and disadvantageous as well. There are people out there who are taking wrong advantages of the technology.

Therefore it is extremely important to take essential steps to protect data from the scammers. Need more help? Expand your skills. Get new features first. Was this information helpful? Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help. Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow.