How to Encrypt/Decrypt Files on Windows 10?

PC is your private space, where you work, watch movies, listen to music, and generally spend a lot of time during the day and night. In other words, your computer is one of your essentials needs, without which you can function, yet that wouldn’t be that fun.

Your PC is your window into the outside world, social media, your dreams and ideas, as well as the area where you store your photos, movies, and other content that may be more or less private, which means it might need some type of protection that would keep it from unwanted views. The protection feature, such as encryption, is easy to use and successful in data protection.

Encryption is generally a very popular option for protecting your sensitive data, and that may be the right way to save your content as well.

How to Encrypt/Decrypt Files on Windows 10

If you ever wondered how it goes and what you need to do encrypt your files, the following text will be more than helpful.

How to Encrypt Files on Windows 10

Similar to many other Windows features, data encryption is also a straightforward process that consists of the following steps:

1. To encrypt a file or a folder, first you have to find it among your stored data, and once you do, right-click on it.
2. Select “Properties” from the drop-down menu,

   

   and go to the “Advanced Attributes”,

   

   located in the “General” tab.



3. Once the “Attributes” window appears, check the square next to “Encrypt contents to secure data” and press “OK”.



4. After that, again left-click on “OK”

   

   and select whether you want to encrypt just a single file, or a file and its parent folder, in the “Encryption Warning” window and press “OK” once more.



5. Once you do that, it is recommended that you back up your file encryption key, on an external drive that would let you decrypt the file in the case of emergency. The way to do that is by left-clicking the “Back up your file encryption key” pop-up window,

   

   Taskbar icon,

   

   or its listing in the “Notifications” area.



6. Once you do that, you will have a new window open where you can select whether you want to make the backup right away, later, or never. You should select the option to back up right away and left-click it.



7. After that, the “Certificate Export Window” will appear and you should press “Next”.



8. In another window, where you are asked about the encryption format, press “Next” once more

   

   and then enter “Password” that you want to use for your encryption. Type it once more in the “Confirm password” field and press “Next” again.



9. Then, specify the file name of the exported key, select where you want to save it with the “Browse” button,

   

   and press “Next” once again.



10. After that, press “Finish”

    

    and then “OK” in the “Certificate Export Wizard” and that is it. You have successfully exported your encryption key.

How to Decrypt Files on Windows 10

Once you want to decrypt your files or folder, the whole process is even simpler than encryption and requires the following:
1. First, you need to right-click the file or folder you want to decrypt and go to “Properties” in the drop-down menu.



2. After that, go to the “Advanced Attributes”,

   

   located in the “General” tab, uncheck the square next to “Encrypt contents to secure data” and press “OK”.



3. Your files will now be decrypted.