Encryption software encrypts and decrypts data in the form of files, removable media, emails messages or packets sent over computer networks. File encryption is a form of disk encryption where individual files/directories are encrypted by the file system itself. That's why this week we're looking at the five best file encryption tools you can use to encrypt your data locally so only you have the key. And allows you to select an entire folder or just a.
USB peripherals and USB Devices are around for more than a decade and nothing much has changed when it comes to the basic protocols. People still use it, reason being, USB storage devices are so minuscule and portable. But at the same time, what we don’t realize is the perils of losing our data. To deal with this, we can do two things.
Also Read: 5 Best Encryption Tools For Windows 2016
What is Encryption
If encryption sounds new to you, don’t worry its a fairly simple process. In simple terms, encryption is an act of transforming data so that no unauthorized person can access, read, or modify the data. This transformation is done by complex algorithms which use passwords or key files. Now, if the person on the other side wants to access the data, he needs to provide the password or key file. Encryption is one of the most effective ways to achieve data security. Remember the times you’ve entered a password to see the credit card or bank statement received from your bank via email? Well, that is encryption for you.
Related: How to Send Encrypted Emails in Gmail and Outlook
Do We Really Need Encryption for USB Drives?
Usually, it is not mandatory. But, if you are carrying personal or sensitive information then you should consider encrypting your USB drive. Unlike a regular hard drive, USB drives are smaller in form factor and easy to lose or forget in public places like coffee shops and airports. In the event of any mishap, you don’t have to worry about the data on your USB drive if it is encrypted. Because no one can access the data without proper authorization.
Also Read: 10 Free Portable Anti-Malware Software For Your Pen Drive
Best USB Encryption Software1. Gilisoft USB Encryption
Gilisoft has been my personal favorite when it comes to encrypting USB Drives. Apart from its metallic UI which is strikingly outlandish, the program does come bundled with effective encryption features. Gilisoft is pretty easy to use and will run automatically once the USB is detected.
Users can choose the size of the encrypted partition and that’s it, the application will automate other processes. By default, Gilisoft uses on-the-fly AES-256 algorithm to encrypt all your data. Moreover, in the event of any emergencies, Gilisoft also has a recovery option to recover your data.
Gillisoft USB Encryption is built for users with little to no knowledge of encryption. However, a hefty price of 50$ is too much to ask for a USB encryption Software. There is a free trial version available but it is restricted to 10 uses only. Moreover, the app is Windows only which makes it highly platform dependent.
Algorithm: AES-256
Pricing: 49.95$
Platform: Windows only.
Download GilliSoft USB Encryption
Related: How to Stop people from Copying data to Pen Drive
2. Kruptos 2 Go-USB Vault
While there is a slew of USB encryption software for Windows, you hardly get any for macOS. Kruptos 2 uses the same AES 256-bit encryption algorithm. You get different variants for Windows, macOS, and Android but it’s not free. You can get the trial version for 30 days and later you have to go premium by paying a one-time fee of 24.95$.
The USB encryption works for USB flash drives, memory cards & external HDD. The most notable feature is that you can drag and drop files to the software instead of browsing and selecting files. As soon as you drop the file in the app, press Encrypt and it’s done. The encryption process is fairly quick and that’s a plus point. You can also choose to have different passwords for different files or one master password for everything.
Kruptos 2 is pretty quick and easy to use but it gets sloppy while dealing with larger files. A 400MB file took 20 seconds to encrypt and 6 seconds to decrypt which is significantly slower compared to VeraCrypt. Also, you cannot encrypt an entire partition or system drive.
Algorithm: AES-256.
Price: 30-day Trial | $24.95
Platform support: Windows, macOS, and Android
Download Kruptos 2
3. USB Safeguard
USB Safeguard is a portable utility that can be used to encrypt your drives. Just like the other USB encryption software, USB Safeguard also uses the AES-256 algorithm to encrypt files, folders, and drives. The UI is fairly minimal with just the right amount of options required to encrypt drives.
The good thing about the app is that it allows you to create virtual containers to safeguard your data. Moreover, USB safeguard automatically locks the device when it is unplugged from the system. And this also works if the user stays inactive for a said period of time. It also supports encryption of HDD hard drives, SSDs, memory cards etc.
Download bluestacks for windows 10 32 bit offline installer. Although USB Safeguard is free to use, the free version allows encryption only up to 2 GB. Also, USB Safeguard is windows only.
Algorithm: AES-256
Pricing: Free | 23$ per license
Platform support: Windows only.
Download USB Safeguard
4. VeraCrypt
VeraCrypt is arguably one of the best and most popular open-source encryption tools. Moreover, it is a successor to TrueCrypt which ceased to exist a few years back. VeraCrypt is free and is available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Additionally, VeraCrypt supports AES, Twofish, and Serpent encryption ciphers.
If you want to, you can create hidden encrypted volumes within the regular hard drives and USB drives. This option is particularly useful when you want to hide the fact that you are encrypting data. Iso 9001 standards manual 2015 download. Most of all, VeraCrypt makes it very easy to encrypt and decrypt drives and files using its step by step wizard.
VeraCrypt is the ultimate freeware to encrypt USB drives. However, if you have no experience with encryption software it might be tricky to understand because of the traditional UI and options.
Algorithm: AES-256, Twofish, Serpent, Camellia etc.
Pricing: Free
Platform support: Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
Download VeraCrypt
5. AxCrypt
If you love open source applications, then AxCrypt is something you need to check out. AxCrypt is a free, open source and GNU GPL-licensed encryption tool that aims at being simple, intuitive, and efficient. The best part of this tool is its integration with the Windows shell. Thanks to that one can easily encrypt a USB drive by right-clicking and selecting the option “AxCrypt.”
Another interesting feature of this tool is the timed execution. One can lock down the file for a set period of time and set it to unlock automatically. It also has a built-in mechanism to resist brute force attacks from software. In case, you use your flash drive to transfer data from Desktop to your mobile, encryption might ruin that usage. But, AxCrypt has decryption apps for Android and iOS so that you can open encrypted files on your smartphone as well.
With all that said, it is a file encryption tool and it cannot create encrypted volumes like VeraCrypt. Also, the free program supports AES-128 which is slightly inferior to AES-256 encryption. The mobile applications and MAC encryption software is paid which makes the free variant highly platform dependent.
Algorithm: AES-128
Pricing: Free | 35$ annually
Platform: Windows and Mac. Decryption apps are available for Android and iOS.
Download AxCrypt
6. BitLocker
If you are a dedicated Windows user and don’t want to use or buy another software to encrypt your USB drives then the built-in BitLocker is just the right option. The only caveat is that it comes built-in Windows Pro version onwards. Meaning, you won’t get it if you are on the Home variant.
Using BitLocker you can encrypt entire drives and volumes/partitions with just a click or two. Depending on your settings, BitLocker users 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption. Since BitLocker is deeply integrated with the Windows operating system, it gives you better speed while encrypting and uses hardware encryption using TPM (Trusted Platform Module). Moreover, BitLocker uses three different types of authentication methods called “Transparent Operation Mode” with uses TPM to automatically decrypt files, User authentication like PIN and Password, and USB Key Mode where you have to insert a USB drive containing a special key to decrypt the encrypted files. The good thing is, you can mix and match all those authentication methods for increased security. For instance, you can use all three authentication methods at the same time.
BitLocker is built into Windows so you don’t have to pay anything extra. However, BitLocker is not available for users using Windows Home version. There is no way to get access to BitLocker on Windows Home variant. The only option you have is to upgrade to Windows Enterprise, Ultimate, Pro, Education, or Server edition and this will cost you minimum 100$.
Algorithms: AES-128, AES-256.
Pricing: Free | 100$ for Windows Home.
Platform support: Windows Only.
Upgrade to BitLocker
7. DiskCryptor
DiskCryptor is yet another popular, free, and open-source drive and volume encryption tool for Windows. What’s good about DiskCryptor is it gives you a choice between AES-256 bit, Serpent and Twofish algorithms to encrypt and decrypt USB drives. Apart from USB drives, DiskCryptor can be used to encrypt almost any external storage device like CD/DVD, external hard drives, etc.
In case you want to, the software can also auto-mount the encrypted partition or drive for quick access to your files and folders. Of course, you need to authenticate yourself before being able to access the data. Though DiskCryptor supports multiple encryption algorithms, it is very fast and the speed is comparable to non-encrypted drives. If you are someone that needs more control over how DiskCryptor works and not afraid of the command prompt then there is an optional Command-line Interface (CLI). To top it all off, Diskcryptor is very small in file size and uses very little system resources.
There is nothing to complain about DiskCryptor apart from that it is only available for Windows.
Algorithm: AES-256, Twofish and Serpent
Price: Free and open-source.
Supported platforms: Windows only.
Download DiskCryptor
8. Rohos Mini Drive
Rohos Mini Drive has a very simple, minimal app with easy to use user interface. Encrypting a USB drive is just a few clicks and good for users with minimum knowledge of computers. Just like every other software on this list, Rohos uses AES-256 bit algorithm and supports on-the-fly encryption.
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The good thing about Rohos is that it comes bundled with Rohos Disk Browser utility that allows you to read and write data to the encrypted USB drive on a guest operating system. You can also hide a folder or any other application directly on your USB drive. While encrypting a USB drive, you can create a restoration disk which allows you to recover encrypted data in case of emergencies. For added security from keyloggers, Rohos Mini Drive supports a virtual keyboard. You can use this virtual keyboard when using the USB drive on other systems. Most of all, Roho Mini Drive is also available in a portable variant. With the portable variant, you don’t need to install Rohos it, just open the exe file.
The base version is free but lacks advanced features like autorun, support for encrypting regular hard drives, etc. Also, you can only create two 4GB encrypted containers which mean that you can encrypt a total of 8 GB. To remove these limitations, you need to upgrade to the premium variant priced at 25$.
Algorithm: AES-256
Pricing: Free | 25$
Supported platforms: Windows only.
Download Rohos Mini Drive
9. Cryptainer LE
Cryptainer LE is another USB encryption software. It can encrypt almost any storage device, be it your regular hard or a removable device like USB or CD/DVD. The best thing about Cryptainer LE is that it gives you a choice between using AES-256 bit algorithm or 448-bit Blowfish algorithm to encrypt the USB drive.
Just like VeraCrypt, you can create encrypted containers and use them to quickly read and write data as you wish. These encrypted containers appear just like any other drive in the File Explorer. This gives you the ability to perform all regular activities like a copy, paste, new file/folder creation, modifying metadata, etc. Moreover, Cryptainer LE can also be installed directly on your USB drive so that no matter what system you are on, you will have access to all your encrypted files and folders. If you want to, you can even create self-extracting encrypted files and send them via email. Being a self-extracting container, the recipient doesn’t have to install Cryptainer LE in order to decrypt the file, all they need is the correct password.
The software is completely free with one caveat, each encrypted container you create is limited to 100MB in size. But you can create an unlimited number of containers. For a regular user who wants to encrypt files like photos and documents, this is pretty good. You can remove this limitation by purchasing the pro version.
Pricing: Free | 29.95$ for 2.5 GB containers (Pricing structure)
Platform support: Windows only
Download Cryptainer LE
10. Kakasoft USB Security
All the above software are pretty good at USB data protection, but almost every one of them requires you to set up and configure the software to work properly and optimally. However, if you don’t want to deal with all the hassle of setting up the software and choosing between encryption algorithms then Kakasoft USB Security is for you.
Kakasoft USB Security encrypts and password protects your data with just three clicks. Unlike other software on the list, Kakasoft USB Security installs directly on your thumb drive to encrypt and password protects all your data. Once encrypted, it will automatically prompt for the password whenever you plug-in the USB drive in any other system. It is that simple to use, nothing more nothing less.
The app is simple and intuitive to use and you get almost everything in the free variant. The only thing I can complain about is platform dependency.
Algorithm: AES-256
Price: $22.95. There is a free trial available if you want to try before purchasing the software.
Platform support: Windows only.
Download Kakasoft USB Security
Wrapping it up
In a nutshell, encrypting your drives or at least certain volumes that are very important to you is always recommended. I personally ensure that my pen drive or any other portable devices are encrypted in order to ensure that my personal data does not fall into the wrong hands.
In case you deal with smaller files, AxCrypt or Cryptainer can be a good option. If you are looking for a BitLocker alternative and something which can function cross-platform, VeraCrypt is a good reliable option. For one-off cases, you can try Gillisoft or Kruptos 2.
For any queries or issues, let me know in the comments below and I will get back to you.
Also Read: 4 Ways To Password Protect a Folder in Windows
Keeping your personal data safe doesn't have to be difficult—as long as you keep the sensitive stuff encrypted and under your control. That's why this week we're looking at the five best file encryption tools you can use to encrypt your data locally so only you have the key.
Earlier in the week we asked you for your favorite file encryption tools, and you gave us tons of great nominations, but as always, we only have room for the top five.
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For the purposes of our roundup, we're focusing on desktop file encryption tools - the ones you use on your own computer to encrypt your own private data, not cloud services that promise to encrypt your data, or business services that say they offer encryption. The goal here is to find the best tools you can use to lock down your sensitive files—whether they're photos, financial documents, personal backups, or anything else—and keep them locked down so only you have the key. For those unfamiliar with the topic, we have a great guide on how encryption works, and how you can use it to keep your own data safe.
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With that out of the way, here are your top five, in no particular order:
Folder Encryption Software For WindowsVeraCrypt (Windows/OS X/Linux)
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VeraCrypt is a fork of and a successor to TrueCrypt, which ceased development last year (more on them later.) The development team claims they've addressed some of the issues that were raised during TrueCrypt's initial security audit, and like the original, it's free, with versions available for Windows, OS X, and Linux. If you're looking for a file encryption tool that works like and reminds you of TrueCrypt but isn't exactly TrueCrypt, this is it. VeraCrypt supports AES (the most commonly used), TwoFish, and Serpent encryption ciphers, supports the creation of hidden, encrypted volumes within other volumes. Its code is available to review, although it's not strictly open source (because so much of its codebase came from TrueCrypt.) The tool is also under constant development, with regular security updates and an independent audit in the planning stages (according to the developers.)
Those of you who nominated VeraCrypt praised it for being an on-the-fly encryption tool, as in your files are only decrypted when they're needed and they're encrypted at rest at all other times, and most notably for being the spiritual (if not almost literal) successor to TrueCrypt. Many of you praised them for being a strong tool that's simple to use and to the point, even if it's lacking a good-looking interface or tons of bells and whistles. You also noted that VeraCrypt may not support TrueCrypt files and containers, but can convert them to its own format, which makes moving to it easy. You can read more in its nomination thread here.
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AxCrypt (Windows)
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AxCrypt is a free, open source, GNU GPL-licensed encryption tool for Windows that prides itself on being simple, efficient, and easy to use. It integrates nicely with the Windows shell, so you can right-click a file to encrypt it, or even configure 'timed,' executable encryptions, so the file is locked down for a specific period of time and will self-decrypt later, or when its intended recipient gets it. Files with AxCrypt can be decrypted on demand or kept decrypted while they're in use, and then automatically re-encrypted when they're modified or closed. It's fast, too, and allows you to select an entire folder or just a large group of files and encrypt them all with a single click. It's entirely a file encryption tool however, meaning creating encrypted volumes or drives is out of its capabilities. It supports 128-bit AES encryption only, offers protection against brute force cracking attempts, and is exceptionally lightweight (less than 1MB.)
Those of you who nominated AxCrypt noted that it's really easy to use and easy to integrate into your workflow, thanks to its shell support. If you're eager for more options, it also has a ton of command line options, so you can fire up the command prompt in Windows and perform more complex actions—or multiple actions at once. It may not support the strongest or most varied encryption methods available, but if you're looking to keep your data safe from most threats, it's a simple tool that can lend a little security that your data—like files stored in the cloud on Dropbox or iCloud, for example—are secure and convenient to access at the same time. You can read more in this nomination thread here and here.
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BitLocker (Windows)
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BitLocker is a full-disk encryption tool built in to Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Ultimate and Enterprise), and into Windows 8 (Pro and Enterprise), as well as Windows Server (2008 and later). It supports AES (128 and 256-bit) encryption, and while it's primarily used for whole-disk encryption, it also supports encrypting other volumes or a virtual drive that can be opened and accessed like any other drive on your computer. It supports multiple authentication mechanisms, including traditional password and PINs, a USB 'key,' and the more controversial Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology (that uses hardware to integrate keys into devices) that makes encryption and decryption transparent to the user but also comes with a host of its own issues. Either way, BitLocker's integration with Windows (specifically Windows 8 Pro) makes it accessible to many people, and a viable disk encryption tool for individuals looking to protect their data if their laptop or hard drives are lost or stolen, in case their computers are compromised, or a business looking to secure data in the field.
Of course, it goes without saying that BitLocker was a contentious nomination. More than a few of you touted BitLocker's accessibility and ease of use, and many of you even praised its encryption for being strong and difficult to crack. Many of you noted that you switched to BitLocker after the developers of TrueCrypt suggested it. Others, however, brought up the assertion made from privacy advocates that BitLocker is compromised and has backdoors in place for government security agencies (from multiple countries) to decrypt your data. While Microsoft has officially said this isn't true and maintains there's no backdoor in BitLocker (while simultaneously maintaining the code as closed source—but available to review by its partners, which include those agencies), the assertion is enough to make more than a few of you shy away. You can read more about the criticism and controversy at the Wikipedia link above, or in the nomination thread here.
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GNU Privacy Guard (Windows/OS X/Linux)
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GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG) is actually an open-source implementation of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). While you can install the command line version on some operating systems, most people choose from the dozens of frontends and graphical interfaces for it, including the official releases that can encrypt everything from email to ordinary files to entire volumes. All GnuPG tools support multiple encryption types and ciphers, and generally are capable of encrypting individual files one at a time, disk images and volumes, or external drives and connected media. A few of you nominated specific GnuPG front-ends in various threads, like the Windows Gpg4Win, which uses Kleopatra as a certificate manager.
Those of you who nominated GnuPG praised it for being open-source and accessible through dozens of different clients and tools, all of which can offer file encryption as well as other forms of encryption, like robust email encryption for example. The key, however, is finding a front-end or a client that does what you need it to do and works well with your workflow. The screenshot above was taken using GPGTools, an all-in-one GnuPG solution that offers keychain management as well as file, email, and disk encryption for OS X. You can read more in its nomination thread here.
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File And Folder Encryption SoftwareRead7-Zip (Windows/OS X/Linux)
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7-Zip is actually a lightweight file archiver—and our favorite archive utility for Windows. Even though it's amazing at compressing and organizing files for easy storage or sending over the internet, it's also a strong file encryption tool, and is capable of turning individual files or entire volumes into encrypted volumes that only your have the keys to. It's completely free, even for commercial use, supports 256-bit AES encryption, and while the official download is Windows only, there are unofficial builds for Linux and OS X systems as well. Most of 7-Zip's code is GNU LGPL licensed and open to review. Compressed and encrypted .7z (or .zip, if you prefer) archives are easily portable and secure, and can be encrypted with passwords and turned into executables that will self-decrypt when they get to their intended recipient. 7-Zip also integrates with the shell of the operating system you're using, making it usually a click away from use. It's also a powerful command line utility.
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Folder Encryption Software Windows 7
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Those of you who nominated it noted that it may not have the most robust user interface, but it gets the job done, and many of you have it installed anyway specifically for its robust file compression and decompression capabilities. You noted it's fast, flexible, free, and easy to use, and while it may not be the fastest file encryption tool (and it's not capable of whole volume or disk encryption), it gets the job done—especially for encrypting files you need to send to someone else and actually have them be able to access without jumping through too many hoops. Some of you noted that 7-Zip's encrypted volumes are flexible—perhaps too flexible, since new files added to an encrypted archive aren't encrypted (you'd have to extract them all and make a new archive for that), but it's otherwise a minor ding. You can read more in its nomination thread here.
Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all-out vote to determine the community favorite.
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Honorable Mentions
We have two honorable mentions this week. First and foremost is Disk Utility (OS X), which is bundled with OS X as a disk repair and management tool. Disk Utility can also encrypt drives and volumes, and since OS X can create a compressed volume just by right-clicking a file, series of files, or a folder and selecting 'Compress,' Disk Utility makes encrypting anything you want extremely easy. Plus, it's built in to OS X, so you don't need to install anything else. You can read more about it in its nomination thread here.
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Second, we should tip our hats to the venerable old TrueCrypt, our old champion, which actually earned a number of nominations in the call for contenders thread. We covered the meltdown of TrueCrypt when it happened, with the developers abruptly abandoning the project claiming that it's no longer secure, in the middle of their independent security audit. The developers suggested switching to BitLocker, and pushed out a new version that's widely considered compromised. However, the older version, 7.1a, is still widely regarded as safe, even though development on it has been abandoned, and the tool has been left without security updates since then. Even so, security analysts split on whether you should trust TrueCrypt or move on to another encryption utility. Many people stand by it even though it's a dead project, others have built their own projects on top of it (see VeraCrypt, mentioned earlier), and others keep using the last safe version. We can't recommend TrueCrypt anymore ourselves, but you can read more in its nomination thread here, and over at Steve Gibson's page dedicated to TrueCrypt here.
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Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Don't just complain about the top five, let us know what your preferred alternative is—and make your case for it—in the discussions below.
The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at [email protected]!
Free Folder Encryption Software For Windows 7
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Title photo by andrey_l (Shutterstock).
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