Easy File Locker

Easy File Locker is a free tool for password-protecting files and folders. With it, others can't open, read, modify, copy, or delete your data without your password. Of course, neither can you, so be sure to take the usual (secure) password precautions. This tool is available in separate downloads for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, but the installation wizard won't let you install the wrong version. We tried it in 32-bit Vista and Windows 7 as well as 64-bit Windows 7, with success all around.

Easy File Locker has a very simple interface, just a menu bar and toolbar above the main window, which displayed our protected files as we added them. The toolbar basically duplicates the menu commands, such as Add File, Add Folder, and controls to change passwords, toggle the system's protected status on or off, and other functions. Adding files or folders is easy: browse to or enter a destination, select check boxes for making the file or folder Accessible, Writeable, Deletable, and Visible, and click OK or Cancel. All the attributes are selected by default, except for Visible. It's easy to see the program in action: pick a file, hide it, and then look for it. You won't see it. Toggle off the protection, and the file is visible again. When we tried to delete a file with delete protection activated, our system repeatedly demanded administrator privileges to delete the file. Toggle off, try again, file gone; that counts as "easy" in our book.

Easy File Locker doesn't add encryption algorithms or keys or any of the extras found in fancier file security software, free or not. All that stuff is available, if you need it. Try Easy File Locker if you'd rather have a simple, easy-to-use tool that can hide important, personal, or private data from prying eyes as well as protect it from various forms of mischief without requiring night classes to learn how to use it.