Google Cloud

How to Encrypt Password Protect Files & Folders on Google Drive?

How to Encrypt Password Protect Files & Folders on Google Drive?

If you are looking to encrypt password protect files & folders on Google Drive then check the options listed below.

Google Drive is a free cloud service that is renowned for its reliability and popularity among users. There’s no doubt that Google devotes its full efforts to serve the requirements of its customers. It serves customers with superior services such as Email, Cloud, search engines, etc. Google Drive is acclaimed to present the most secure methods to store your files online. But, a feature is absent to password protect your files free of cost. With password protection, the file can only be accessed by those who you intend to.

Let’s look at the various ways to password protect files on Google Drive:

Manual method:

  1. First of all, log in to your Google Drive account through your credentials.
  2. Search the files which you want to password protect and share them with people.
  3. Right-click on the file and choose ‘Share.’
  4. You need to click on ‘Get shareable link‘ present on the uppermost right side from the Share window.
  5. At this point, check the editing level and change it to ‘Anyone with the link can view‘ or some other option.
  6. Now click on ‘Copy Link‘ and then ‘Done.’
  7. From the left-side pane, click on ‘New’ and openGoogle Forms.’
  8. From the Google Forms, mention a title to the project. Give any name.
  9. Below the title, instead of the ‘Untitled Question‘ title, you can write ‘Please enter the password to proceed.’ Next, select ‘Short answer‘ from the available drop-down list of options next to it. This will help you to describe the property of looking for text.
  10. Now choose the ‘Required‘ option since we are making it password-only access.
  11. Click on the 3 vertical dots menu button. After that, click on ‘Response Validation‘ to enable the password properties.
  12. Now you need to choose the password type. For that, you can alter the password type to be a number or text along with its characteristics like less than, greater than, etc., for the password incorporating numbers. For the password including text, the options are ‘contains,’ ‘doesn’t contain,’ etc.
  13. You can now set the password inside the ‘Text‘ field and message for an incorrect password. This message needs to be made in ‘Custom error text.’
  14. The present example is of a password including text and then set it up. The password set is ‘Gigxp,’ and the error text set is ‘Incorrect password. Please try again.
  15. Click on the ‘gear‘ icon leading you to the Settings and then click on the ‘Presentation‘ tab.
  16. Below the ‘Confirmation message,’ there is the freedom to place the link of the particular file, which you need to share with the person once the password verification is done. Next, click on ‘Save.’
  17. Click on the ‘Send‘ button present at the upper right of the screen.
  18. Type the email address and make a custom message to the person you want to send the file, followed by tapping on ‘Send.’
  19. When you click on the ‘Send‘ button, the email will reach the recipient that asks him/her to carry out the action.
  20. After the recipient clicks on ‘FILL OUT FORM,’ it will redirect to the screen prompting Password.
  21. If the recipient types in a wrong password, he/she will receive the custom error text already set.
  22. If the recipient types in a correct password, then he/she can access the file from the link, which is already set to be shown after successful verification of a password.

Password protection before uploading the files:

With the implementation of the security precautions, it is guaranteed that your friends or family or anyone cannot access Google Docs that you have stored online. However, it does not protect your file if something goes incorrect by Google.

If Google’s servers get hacked in an unlikely situation, or if you do not rely on Google to secure your documents from the employees, there is a need for an additional layer of encryption. This suggests that you will compromise with the online editing abilities of Google.

The most fabulous and secure cloud storage allows you to control or at least allows handling of the encryption. When you need to store sensitive documents in your Google Drive, it is easy to encrypt a document on a PC and then upload it through the Backup and Sync desktop program from Google.

You cannot edit such files in Google Docs; however, you can download them on other PCs. Next, decrypt them, and edit the desktop program you prefer. The trade-off is worth it for a few of your sensitive documents.

Encryption of files with Word:

For encryption of individual documents before uploading, there are various ways. If Microsoft Office is already installed on your PC, the integrated encryption feature is probably the most straightforward alternative.

Follow the below steps:

  • Step-1: First, open the document in question and follow the below path:

File > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password.

  • Step-2: Choose a password for the particular file and don’t forget it. In case you forget it, the file will get lost permanently.
  • Step-3: Upload that file to Google Drive.

Google cannot read the file; however, you can download it and then open it on your PC through installed Microsoft Office. It is important to note that it will not work in some other office suites such as LibreOffice.

Encryption of files with Boxcrypt:

If there is a need to encrypt the Microsoft Office documents or if you don’t possess a copy of Microsoft Office, then Boxcryptor is a versatile option. It is identical to Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud storage services. However, rather than using its own cloud service, it then connects to the cloud-syncing programs already installed on the PC.

  • Step-1: Install Boxcryptor and enable Google Drive in Boxcryptor’s settings.
  • Step-2: Access Boxcryptor from the sidebar of Windows Explorer.
  • Step-3: Right-click on whichever files you wish to secure, and follow the below path:
  • Step-4: Boxcryptor > Encrypt option and see the checkbox transform green.

After it is done, you will notice the files in Google Drive. However, they will not be accessible unless there is Boxcryptor installed and you are logged in.

Note: Boxcryptor is free to use when syncing one cloud storage service amongst two PCs. However, if you wish to use several services or multiple devices, you have to access a paid plan charging $48 per year.

Encryption of files with Veracrypt:

To encrypt files on Google Drive on a complimentary basis, you can easily use it irrespective of cloud storage service and device through Veracrypt. It is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS and makes an encrypted container. This container can store any files you need and then place them anywhere for safe storage.

For beginners, it is not an incredibly user-friendly program. However, it can accomplish the task free of cost. Install the program, make a new encrypted file container inside your Google Drive folder. Now mount that file from the main window of Veracrypt.

It will show up how it was on the external hard drive, so you can drag your sensitive files and unmount the volume. Now the encrypted container will be stored safely in your Google account. Ensure Veracrypt is installed on any PC you use to access the documents within the particular container.

Unfortunately, Google still has not implemented a simple password protection feature to Google Docs. However, as of now, you least gain access to some different options.

Concluding Note:

For safe access to your Google Drive files, you can use any of the discussed methods. They guarantee high data security for storage and further processing.

Disclaimer: The Questions and Answers provided on https://www.gigxp.com are for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose.

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