Password security is critical for you today. Whether you share your computer with others or not, password protecting your files and folders is essential for maintaining your privacy. Do you want to add extra security to a folder in Windows 11/Windows 10 by password protecting it? Yes, but you don’t want to use third-party software to password protect a folder. That is not at all a problem.
Without using any software, Windows 11/Windows 10 provides three options for password protecting files or folders. Are you eager to learn how to password protect a folder on Windows 10 without using any software? Let’s go over this guide together.
Password Protect a Folder Without Software via a .bat File
A Batch file, also known as a.bat file, is a DOS file that allows users to run commands using the Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe). This file contains several plain text line commands for performing various operations such as running maintenance utilities or launching a program.
Windows users use these files to make it easier to run repetitive tasks. So, using Notepad or Wordpad, you can create BAT files to add series commands to password protect your files without using software.
It may appear to be a daunting task right now. So, let’s take a look at how to password protect folders on Windows 11, Windows 10 using.bat files:
Step 1: Launch a plain text editor on your computer. For this tutorial, we’ll be using Notepad.
Step 2: Now, all you have to do is copy the command lines listed below and paste them into Notepad. Just one thing, type your password here where it says password:
cls
@ECHO OFF
title Folder Locker
if EXIST “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” goto UNLOCK
if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER
:CONFIRM
echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)
set/p “cho=>”
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK
if %cho%==y goto LOCK
if %cho%==n goto END
if %cho%==N goto END
echo Invalid choice.
pause
goto CONFIRM
:LOCK
ren Locker “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
attrib +h +s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
echo Folder locked
goto End
:UNLOCK
echo Enter password to Unlock folder
set/p “pass=>”
if NOT %pass%==YOUR PASSWORD HERE goto FAIL
attrib -h -s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”
ren “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” Locker
echo Folder Unlocked successfully
goto End
:FAIL
echo Invalid password
pause
goto end
:MDLOCKER
md Locker
echo Locker created successfully
pause
goto End
:End
Step 3: Next, save the document as a.bat file in the location where you want to keep the Folder Locker.
Step 4: Locate and open the Folder Locker. This will open a new Notepad file for you. Simply enter the path to the folder you want to password protect and press the Y key to confirm.
Checkout this video for live demonstration of this method:
That’s all.
