Folder Lock

Folder Lock is a piece of software that helps you protect your digital content from prying or overly-curious eyes with encryption and passwords. The app is small, comprehensive, and exceptionally useful.

Files and folders that need to be kept personal and private can be protected with the power of Folder Lock. Unlike free examples of this sort of software that are available online, such as My Lockbox, Folder Lock is a premium app that has advanced configuration selections that can be used to protect your documents and other files from any unwanted attention.

There are a number of methods to lock files and folders with Folder Lock. When the software is downloaded and installed, it becomes integrated with the Explorer in your Windows system. That means much of the functionality found in the app can be enjoyed directly through your Windows operating system. When you encounter a file that requires locking, you can right-click the file for a list of options. From here, you can either lock the file with a personalized password or shred it using the permanent delete function found in Folder Lock.

You can also lock files through the user interface of the app itself, and this method gives you access to many, many more locking options. For instance, you can choose to lock files, encrypt files, or both. Folder Lock also includes the ability to encrypt attachments on emails. It can be used to apply protective features to CDs, DVDs, and USB flash drives. While the name of the app might imply that its functionality is limited to locking and protecting folders, the app is actually aimed at complete digital protection through advanced encryption and password privacy.

The flexibility of Folder Lock is where the software really stands out. It can clearly lock folders, but it also has several other features that are just as useful. The software can be used to create virtual Wallets with full encryption. These Wallets don't necessarily hold currency, but instead they hold personal information related to your finances, like data or statements from your bank. You can also store more innocuous private data in these Wallets, like phone numbers, addresses, and other contact info.

After Folder Lock has finished encrypting your data, it can back up all that content to the wireless cloud. You can easily reconfigure the software to work for your specific needs, and you can even password-protect the system settings for the app.

Overall, Folder Lock is an exceptional option for protecting your data with a completely free locking app. While it's certainly true that the market has a number of similar apps that are free, many of those options lack the intuitive nature or bonus features of Folder Lock. It costs relatively little to download and try for yourself, and it's quite a useful tool to keep around.

Folder Lock integrates with Windows Explorer and also operates as a standalone program that can password protect and encrypt files and folders.

Folder Lock is a useful tool if you share a workstation or simply have sensitive information you don’t want accessed accidentally or via snooping. The program locks and encrypts all types of files and folders, and that can be useful for protecting personal documents, when sending important emails, or in the event your computer or other device is stolen or accessed without your permission.

Folder Lock is a standalone program with its own user interface, but it also integrates with Windows Explorer. The user interface is attractive and designed well for what it is, but the Web 2.0-style it uses may be a little too basic for this type of application. Fortunately, most users will simply access the locking, encryption, and shredding tools directly through operating system menus most of the time.

The program lets you lock existing folders or create a locked folder than you can then drop items into. Integration with other applications is basic at best, so using locked folders with some programs will prove problematic. Folder Lock also offers a specialized type of locked folder called a Password Wallet, which you can use to store account names, passwords, email addresses and similar information.

In addition to locking and unlocking, Folder Lock encrypts and decrypts folders and files. Everything is password protected, and you can even lock and encrypt entire drives, including USB flash drives or CDs and DVDs. There’s built-in options to protect email messages and attachments, and the receiver only need know the password in order to access those items.

Another useful feature of Folder Lock is Secure Backup, which lets you back up folders or files securely to local storage or the cloud. Moved data is automatically locked and encrypted, and that’s very convenient when backing up folders and files you don’t necessarily want locked locally.

Folder Lock includes a number of other useful tools, such as a shredder that deletes files in an unrecoverable manner and a history cleaner that deletes cookies and similar items. Perhaps the biggest issue with the program is that despite support for some compression methods, such as Zip, it lacks support for many common third-party compression tools, such as WinRAR.