Can I Password Protect a Google Drive Folder
If you want to go along your files safe from prying eyes, encryption is your best bet—especially if you're going to store those files in the cloud, where information breaches and other security issues can expose them to the outside world.
In that location are several means to go on your cloud-bound documents protected with a password. Unfortunately, Google has nonetheless to add together a true countersign-protection feature to Google Docs. At that place are 3rd-party scripts that hope to "hack" countersign protection into the service, just it's a rather involved process that is not guaranteed (and flawed when it comes to security).
At that place are also browser extensions that merits to serve a similar purpose—though we don't recommend trusting your sensitive files to random, unknown extension developers. In that location are, notwithstanding, a few things you can do to lock downwards documents you lot've stored in Google Drive.
Keep Your Devices Secure
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Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides documents may not have an option for individual countersign protection, but they are even so protected on Google'southward servers. Unless you've shared them, other users can't run across your files without your Google Business relationship username and countersign.
To protect your docs from outsiders, make sure your business relationship is as secure every bit possible: employ a stiff password, enable two-factor hallmark, and—for best results—utilize a hardware security key like a Titan or YubiKey to protect your accounts. With these in place, information technology'south highly unlikely anyone will be able to get into your account.
If y'all're worried about someone snooping on your laptop or phone, yous'll want to protect those devices with a password or PIN if you haven't already—and encrypt the onboard storage. Your phone is likely already encrypted, but on your laptop, be sure to enable BitLocker (Windows) or FileVault (Mac) in your estimator'south settings to go along thieves out.
With these security precautions in place, you can feel pretty safe that your friends, family unit, or laptop thieves will be locked out of whatsoever Google Docs yous accept stored online. It does not, however, protect you lot if Google'due south servers get hacked or its employees get nosy.
Encrypt Documents With Word or Acrobat
The most secure cloud storage is the one y'all control—or, at the very to the lowest degree, the one in which yous control the encryption. However, until Google adds its ain password-protection characteristic, the best you can do is add an actress layer of encryption to your document before yous upload it.
If you have Microsoft Part installed on your PC, its built-in encryption characteristic is likely the easiest option. Open the document in question and head toFile > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password. Pick a password for the file and make sure you lot remember it—if you forget, that file volition be lost forever—then upload it to Google Drive. (Sadly, this won't work in other office suites like LibreOffice.)
If you have a paid Acrobat plan, you tin password protect a PDF under File > Protect Using Password, then enable a password. Otherwise, there are several free online services that tin do the trick.
Google won't be able to read the file, so say farewell to online editing, but it's probably worth the trade-off if you only have a few truly sensitive documents. If you need to view or edit the file, you'll still be able to download it and open it on any PC with Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat installed. Decrypt the file, make your edits, then encrypt information technology again and replace it in Google Drive.
Encrypt Documents With Boxcryptor
If yous need to encrypt non-Part documents, or you don't ain a copy of Microsoft Function, Boxcryptor is a more than versatile option. It's very similar to Dropbox, Google Bulldoze, and other cloud storage services, although instead of using its own cloud service, information technology hooks into the cloud-syncing programs already installed on your PC.
So you lot can install Boxcryptor, enable Google Drive in Boxcryptor'due south settings, and then admission Boxcryptor from File Explorer's sidebar. Right-click on any files you want to secure, choose Boxcryptor > Encrypt, and watch the checkbox turn green. Yous'll nonetheless meet the files in Google Drive, only they won't exist accessible unless you have Boxcryptor installed and logged in.
(Note that Boxcryptor is gratuitous for syncing one deject storage service betwixt ii PCs, only if you want to use multiple services—or more devices—you lot'll need a paid plan for $48 per yr.)
Encrypt Documents with Veracrypt
If you want something completely free that you tin utilise with whatever cloud storage service and any device, Veracrypt is incredibly powerful. It's bachelor for Windows, macOS, and Linux and can create an encrypted container in which you tin can stash any files yous want—and so put anywhere for safe keeping.
Information technology's not the well-nigh convenient program for beginners, only it'll practice the trick at no cost. Simply install the programme, create a new encrypted file container within your Google Drive binder, and mount that file from Veracrypt's main window.
It will announced as if information technology were an external hard drive—yous can then drag your sensitive files there, unmount the volume, and the encrypted container will be safely stored in your Google account. Merely know that you'll demand Veracrypt installed on whatsoever PC you employ to admission the documents within that container.
Information technology's unfortunate that Google still hasn't added a elementary password-protect feature to Google Docs, just for now, at least you have a few different options.
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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/encrypt-a-document-stored-on-google-drive
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