Here's a question: a lot of people have recently asked me, "How can I encrypt a file or folder so that I can send it to someone by email without anyone else being able to read it?" They frequently go on to say they need it to work. On any computer, whether Windows or Mac, the encryption must be strong so that no one can break into the file. Ideally, they should not have to pay for this, and it must be free for the person receiving the file. It's always a possibility. So, here's the answer! Yes, and I'll show you how to do it. Where I help you with computer, internet, and technology issues.

Today's question: using free software for Windows or Mac, how can I encrypt a file or folder so that I can send it via email? Encryption is a hot topic right now. This is due in part to the new GDP, our regulations, which are causing people to take a closer look at how they secure their data in the workplace.

However, it is also due to a growing awareness that we need to think more about how we keep our computers secure, as well as the fact that we are simply storing and sharing more confidential data than we used to.

There are a lot of companies out there that want to sell you a monthly plan so you can send files securely, and while these plans have benefits like being able to track when your files have been opened or limiting how long they're available for, you might not need them.

With all of these features, I'll show you how to password-protect a file or a single folder containing multiple files. This will produce a single file that you can attach to an email, save to Dropbox, or copy to a memory stick or disc. You can then send this file to the recipient, who will enter the password and gain access to the file's original contents.

If anyone else gets a hold of the file while it's being sent, they won't be able to open it because they won't know the password. We'll do this by installing some free software on your computer and asking the recipient to install some free software on theirs. The most important thing to get right here is the type of encryption used over the years. The big brains who work on this stuff have come up with a lot of clever ways to encrypt data, but as soon as someone declares a code uncrackable, some equally big brains start looking for ways to crack it.

Currently, aes-256 is one of the best encryption methods available everywhere, but that no one has managed to break yet. If anyone ever needs to review how you secure your data, telling them that you encrypt your files with aes-256 before sending them will reassure them that you are using strong encryption. So, how do we use aes-256 to encrypt our files?

So, I'll show you the main method in two ways. I'll demonstrate how to create something known as a zip file. However, if you have Microsoft Office, Office 365, or Office 2016, you can already encrypt individual files if they were created in Office. [, Music]: Let's open a Word document on my Windows computer. I can encrypt this file by going to file, then info, and then protecting document and encrypting with password.

Then all you have to do is come up with a password and type it in here, paying close attention to this notice. If you forget your password, there is no way to reset it, so keep a list of them somewhere safe: safe click, OK, type the password again, and click. Ok. If we close this document and try to open it again, we can only get in if we know the password; if you have a Mac and Microsoft Office, you can do the same thing. Open a Word document, then go to Tools and select Protect Document.

Make sure you're in one of the places where you can set a password here. Set a password to open this document in the first box, which is labelled. Consider a password and enter it here, then click OK, then repeat the password and click. Okay, we can now close this document, and if we open it again, we will only be able to access it if we know the password; it makes no difference whether you set up this protection on a Windows or a Mac computer. You can give it to anyone who has Windows or a Mac and they will be able to open it on their computer if you tell them one of the passwords and you can protect the files you create in  the different Office apps whether it's Word Excel or PowerPoint.

Microsoft has published a webpage that confirms that this password protection uses aes-256 encryption and specifies which previous versions of Microsoft Office can open your protected files. The link to this page is available in the video description [Music]. Before we move on to zip files, I want to emphasise the importance of the password, because you can have the world's strongest padlock and still lose it. But if you're going to take the key to it, anyone could walk right past it. Take the key and open it.

For the same reason, if you're emailing someone an encrypted file, never include the password in the email. You should always communicate the password to them in another way, either over the phone or in person. This password must be difficult to guess. You should use a password of at least eight characters, but ideally it should be longer, and it is stronger if it contains a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Finally, make sure your passwords are unique, because if you give someone a password that allows them to access the protected file, that password is only for them!

You must understand that a password will not allow them to access a protected file that you have created for other people.

Let's take a look at the most versatile method of sending encrypted files, which is using a zip file. Zip files have long been included with Windows and Mac OS, and they're an excellent way to prepare a file or folder for sending as an attachment. In fact, the original purpose of zip files had nothing to do with encryption. The zip file format was created as a way to compress data. So, if you needed to send a large document to someone, you could compress it to a much smaller size while retaining all of its content.