Press Next to continue.Select an encryption method, preferably the most secure option, AES-256 bit. To encrypt a Zip file on a Mac, download the free iZip program and then follow these steps:Ĭhoose Specify name to enter a name for the Zip file and to choose where to save it, and then select Create.Įnable Extra compression if you want to, and then press Next.Check the box next to Enable password protection, and then enter the Zip file password twice. It shouldn’t take long, but if you’re encrypting several files and/or folders, or you have a slow computer, you might be waiting several minutes or even hours. Select OK to encrypted the Zip file with a password. Make sure zip is chosen in the Archive format drop-down menu.Enter the password for the Zip file in the Encryption text boxes on the right.įor added security, feel free to change the encryption method to AES-256. By default, the new Zip archive will be created in the same folder that its contents were selected from.

Select the items you want to add to the encrypted Zip file.Right-click one of the files or folders and go to 7-Zip > Add to archive.Ĭhoose a name for the Zip file and a new location (if you want). The Zip encryption method we’ll cover for Windows involves using the free 7-Zip program, but there are plenty of other Windows freeware that work similarly, such as PeaZip. ZIP encryption works on all operating systems (Windows, Android, macOS, etc). You can encrypt files inside a ZIP archive using free tools that you can download in seconds. This is usually hard to deal with as a recipient and definitely unprofessional.Ī Zip file can be compressed too to save disk space, which is something you should think about if you’re planning on encrypting a ZIP file that has lots of items in it, or one that contains sensitive files.

The alternative is to share several emails, one after the other, with attachments strung all over the place.

You can also share Zip files online to send someone multiple files simultaneously. Zip files organize data into one single folder that acts just like a file, meaning that you can store hundreds of files and folders in one location without fear that you might accidentally delete some of the content. There are several reasons to want to use a Zip archive versus just storing the files in a folder, but what they all have in common is ease of use. A password protected, encrypted Zip file prevents this, locking down the archive so that only specific people can access its contents (or anyone who has luck with a Zip file unlocker).

Mac encrypt zip