Secure Your Text Files with Passwords on Windows

Protect Your Text Files in Windows with 7-Zip

If you have a text file containing sensitive information, it's important to keep it secure. Though Windows doesn't offer an option for password-protecting text files, you can use a free and open-source tool called 7-Zip to safeguard your files. Here's how:

First, download and install 7-Zip on your computer. Once you've done that, restart your PC. Next, locate your text file and right-click on it. From the drop-down menu, select "7-Zip" and then "Add to Archive."

In the "Add to Archive" window, you'll see fields for "Enter Password" and "Reenter Password." Input your chosen password in both fields. Then, click "OK."

By creating a compressed ZIP archive and adding your text file to it, you can password-protect the archive and lock your zipped text file. Later, you can use any archive viewer (including 7-Zip, WinRAR, WinZIP, etc.) to view your text file and remove password-protection if necessary.

To protect your text file, the first step is to open your preferred web browser on your Windows PC and visit the 7-Zip website. From there, download and install the free tool onto your PC. Once installed, restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

After your PC has restarted, open File Explorer and locate the text file that you want to lock. Right-click on the file and select 7-Zip > Add to Archive from the menu that appears.

In the "Add to Archive" window, navigate to the "Encryption" section. Click on the "Enter Password" field and input your desired password for file protection. Ensure that you re-enter the same password in the "Reenter Password" field.

Pro Tip: To ensure maximum security for your ZIP file, it is important to choose a strong password that you can remember.

Once you have completed these steps, simply click "OK" at the bottom of the window.

Your text file has been secured by 7-Zip through a password-protected ZIP archive, which can be found in the same folder. Access to the file can only be granted by inputting the correct password.

How to View Your Password Protected Text File

To access your locked text file, simply open your password-protected ZIP archive using any archive opener tool. All tools function in the same way and will ask for your password before opening the file. However, prior to doing so, ensure that you delete the original text file from the same folder so that it cannot be accessed by other users. To accomplish this, right-click on the file, hold down the Shift key, and select "Delete" from the menu. This will permanently remove your text file from your PC.

To access your ZIP file using 7-Zip, simply find the archive in File Explorer. Right-click on the archive, and select 7-Zip > Open Archive from the menu.

Note: If 7-Zip is already set as your default archive viewer, you can quickly open your archive by double-clicking on it.

Upon opening the 7-Zip window, your text file will be displayed. Simply double-click the file to access it.

In order to proceed, the app will prompt you to enter your password. Click on the “Enter Password” field, type in your password, and hit Enter or select “OK.”

If your password was correct, 7-Zip will open your text file. And that’s all.

How to Remove Password Protection From Your Text File

If you ever want to get rid of the password on your text file, it's a simple process. First, extract your text file from the locked ZIP archive by right-clicking the archive and selecting 7-Zip > Extract Here.

Simply enter your password into the designated “Enter Password” field and either hit the Enter key or click “OK”.

Your text file will then be extracted by 7-Zip and saved in the same folder as the archive file. If you no longer require the archive file, you can safely delete it.

And that’s how you can easily and quickly protect the data in your text files on your Windows computer. Stay safe!