If you don’t secure a text file, the content is in plain text and can be viewed by anyone. However, since Windows doesn’t have a native tool to password-protect text files, you can use a free and open-source utility like 7-Zip or WinRAR. So, in this guide, we’ll show you how to encrypt and password-protect a text file on your Windows PC.
How to Password Protect a Text File with 7-Zip
There are many situations when you need to password-protect a text file. For example, sensitive company data exported from Excel spreadsheets to a text file need securing. Or, perhaps you have essential code created in a text editor you want to protect. Whatever the reason, the steps to password-protect a text file are straightforward. For this article, we’re using 7-Zip on Windows, but other third-party archiving apps include the ability to password-protect zip files. The steps will vary, but the concept is the same. Also, it’s important to note that once you create the password-protected zip file, any archiving app can manage it, i.e., WinRAR or WinZip. To password-protect a text file:
How to Open a Password-Protected Text File
The text file is protected in the archive you made for it. You can use any archiving tool to open it, but the password you created for the file must be used. To open a password-protected text file:
It’s also important to note that once you password-protect a text file, the original unprotected plain text file will still be on your computer. So, securely delete that version of the file to prevent unauthorized access.
How to Disable Password Protection on a Text File
If you need to remove password protection from the text file, you can. This will remove encryption and password protection for the file. The straightforward process lets you access it without typing in a password first. To disable text file password protection:
If you need to re-add password protection again, use the steps explained above to add encryption and a password to the file.
Lock Down Your Important Documents on Windows
You will have sensitive information in a text file in many instances. And if it isn’t secure, anyone with access to that file can open and read its content. So, it’s a best practice to encrypt the file with a password. There are other situations where you need to password-protect different file types. For example, you might want to learn to encrypt and password-protect files and folders on Windows 11. Or, check out how to password-protect Outlook PST files. Or, in addition to Office documents, you can encrypt a PDF with a password on Windows and Mac. And, to keep folders secure, check out how to lock a folder on Windows 11. Also, if you aren’t on Windows 11 yet, learn about encrypting files and folders on Windows 10 using its built-in EFS technology. Comment Name * Email *
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