LostInTechnology

How To Lock Folders and Files with My Lockbox

Posted on 28. Oct, 2009 by Will Mueller in How To, Software, Windows

Have you ever needed to keep a certain folder out of view and safe from prying eyes? Maybe financial documents, birthday presents for family members on a public computer, etc? Enter My Lockbox; a free, easy to use, security application for Windows that allows anyone the ability to very simply lock a folder (and its contents) from anyone on your computer or network for good. No exceptions. Let me explain.

My Lockbox not only hides the locked folder from view, but goes the extra yard and safely encrypts all the data so the folder literally no longer exists in its previous path. Furthermore, by doing this, My Lockbox safely keeps folders from ever even being discovered accidentally and suspiciously.

Getting Started

Start by downloading My Lockbox (Windows Only). Now, installing My Lockbox is relatively easy, except for one essential part:

Simply enter a well encrypted, well devised password and enter a hint that does not give away the password (of course). The rest of the installation is quite standard; accept the agreement, select an install location, then double-click the “My Lockbox” icon on the desktop.

(Note: For some good password generators, check out this article on LostInTechnology.)

What you should see is something similar to the following:

Locking a File

Obviously, enter your highly secure password and My Lockbox should load with a successful dashboard. To begin by locking a folder, browse for a folder on your computer, and click “Lock.” The status message on the left of the window should change from “Unlocked” to “Locked.”

Furthermore, if one were to look for the folder in the original directory, e.g. C:\Users\will\Downloads\Documents, no folder labeled secret_folder will appear or be accessible to anyone using the computer. (Note: To unlock, simply load My Lockbox and click “Unlock.”) The following is what My Lockbox should display after locking a folder:

My Lockbox can be set up to load with a hotkey, which is, by default, Ctrl+Shift+P. This can allow for even more secrecy by not showing any icon on your taskbar, quick launch bar, or open whatsoever.

If you would like to make absolutely sure no one learns about your locked folder, you can delete the My Lockbox icon from the desktop and access the application from the C:\Program Files\My Lockbox\ directory, or even install My Lockbox on your flash drive.

(Note: There is also an optional upgrade for My Lockbox (for $29.95) which allows users the ability to hide and lock an unlimited number of folders and files unlike the free option which allows only for the locking of one folder.)

(By) Will Mueller spends far too much time on the computer. Check out his website at willm.me.

(Image Credit: tijszwinkels.)

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Tags: files, folders, How To, lock, lockbox