Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Password protect a Microsoft Word document (Windows and Mac)
• Method 2 of 4: Attach files to encrypted messages in Outlook (Windows and Mac)
• Method 3 of 4: Encrypt a document with EPS (Windows)
• Method 4 of 4: Encrypt documents with Disk Utility (Mac)

This wikiHow teaches you how to securely share important documents with others on Windows or macOS.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Password protect a Microsoft Word document (Windows and Mac)

1. Open the document in Microsoft Word. The fastest way to do this is to double-click on the file name.
2. Click on the menu File. It's in the top left corner of the window (or in the menu bar on a Mac).
3. click on Info.
4. click on Protect document.
5. click on Encrypt with password.
6. Create and confirm the password for the document. Follow the on-screen instructions to type and confirm the password that will protect your document.
7. Save the file. Click on the menu File and select Save to save the new version of your document.
8. Share the document with others. Now that the file is password protected, you can send it in several ways:
   • Attach the document to an email message in Gmail, Outlook or Mac Mail.
   • Add the file to a cloud drive such as Google Drive, iCloud Drive, or Dropbox.

Method 2 of 4: Attach files to encrypted messages in Outlook (Windows and Mac)

1. Open Outlook on your PC or Mac. This is usually in All apps from the Windows Start menu, and in the folder Programs in macOS.
2. click on new e-mail. It's the envelope icon at the top left of the window.
3. Click on the menu File. It is located in the top left corner of the screen.
   • If you are using Outlook 2010, click on the Optionsmenu and select More options.
4. click on Properties. If you are working with Outlook 2010, go to the next step.
5. click on Security settings.
6. Check the box next to "Encrypt message content and attachments".
7. click on OK. This message is now encrypted.
8. click on Shut down. Now that the encryption settings are set, you can create the message.
9. Enter a recipient, subject and message.
10. click on Attach file. It's the paperclip icon at the top of the new message. This will open your computer's file browser.
11. Select the attachment and click Open. This adds the file to the message.
12. click on To send. The message will now be sent to the recipient.

Method 3 of 4: Encrypt a document with EPS (Windows)

1. Navigate to the file you want to encrypt. An easy way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+E to open the File Explorer - then double-click the folder containing the file.
2. Right click on the file or folder. A context menu will appear.
3. click on Properties. It is the last option in the menu.
4. click on Advanced. This is located in the lower right corner of the window.
5. Check the box next to "Encrypt content to protect data". It is the last option in the window.
6. click on OK. When you have selected a folder, a confirmation message will appear.
7. Select Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files.
8. click on OK. The selected file or folder is now encrypted. To access the file or folder, you must use your Windows login credentials.
9. Send the encrypted document.
   • If you only encrypted one file, you can attach it to an email message. You cannot compress the folder and attach it to an email.
   • If you have encrypted a folder, upload it to a cloud drive such as Google Drive, iCloud Drive, or Dropbox. Once uploaded, you can use the drive's tools to share the files however you want.

Method 4 of 4: Encrypt documents with Disk Utility (Mac)

1. Add the file you want to encrypt to a folder. If you are not sure how to do this, read Creating a New Folder on a Computer.
2. Click on the menu Go. It's at the top of the screen.
3. click on Utilities. This option is located at the bottom of the menu. A new Finder window will open.
4. Double click on Disk Utility. This will open the Disk Utility.
5. Click on the menu File. It's in the menu bar in the top left corner of the screen.
6. Move the mouse over New. Another menu will expand.
7. click on File from folder.
8. Select the folder you want to encrypt and click Choose.
9. Select 128-bit or 256-bit from the "Encrypt" drop-down menu.
10. Make a password. Enter a new password for the folder in the "Password" box and then again in the "Confirm" box.
11. click on Select.
12. click on Save.
13. click on Ready. The files in the folder are now encrypted. Now you can upload the folder to a cloud drive such as Google Drive, iCloud Drive, or Dropbox. Once uploaded you can use the drive's tools to share the files however you want.