Password Protect a Zip File on Windows 10

You can password protect a zip file on Windows 10 by following these steps:

1. Select the files you want to compress and password protect.
2. Right-click on the selected files and choose “Send to” from the context menu, then select “Compressed (zipped) folder”.
3. This will create a new zip file with the same name as the first file, but with the “.zip” extension.
4. Right-click on the new zip file and select “Properties” from the context menu.
5. In the Properties window, click on the “Advanced” button located at the bottom.
6. In the Advanced Attributes window, check the box next to “Encrypt contents to secure data” and click on the “OK” button.
7. You will then be prompted to select whether you want to encrypt the file only, or the file and its parent folder. Choose the option that best suits your needs and click on the “OK” button.
8. You will then be prompted to enter a password. Enter your desired password and confirm it by entering it again.
9. Click on the “OK” button to close the Properties window.

Your zip file is now password protected, and you will need to enter the password to access its contents. Please note that this method only works if you are using the NTFS file system, and not the older FAT32 file system.