If you are working with multiple people on a single PC system, you may access the PC in two different ways. You first can share a single account on the computer, or second use individual user accounts on the system.

The first option is obviously more comfortable in the beginning as it does not require you to create an account for every user, while the second improves the security of each account and provides every user with options to customize and personalize the operating system.

If you have to work with a single user account, you may sometimes feel the need to protect folders and files within from other users. Maybe you just want to make sure that your children are not deleting important files on the computer, or you do not want someone else to see specific files, a diary for instance.

Enter Folder Security, a free program for the Windows operating system that you can use to password protect a folder. Once you have installed the program on your system you can right-click any folder in Windows and select Lock with Folder Security to password protect it.

A window pops up when you do that to set the password for the folder. Click on the next arrow in the application window.

You are taken to a folder profile page where you can configure recovery options that help you unlock the folder if you have forgotten the password. The settings are optional though. Once done, click on lock to protect the selected folder with the password.

You can then create a shortcut to re-open the folder, or click on the executable file that is created on the system to unlock the folder with your password.  This highlights that you do not have direct access to the folders and their files when you start Windows. You first need to unlock the folders individually before you can access them.

If you are really serious about protecting folders you should consider using encryption software like True Crypt instead.