Tutorial · free for Windows 10 and 11

Zip a folder with a password, and extract archives

Windows can zip a folder, but it can’t lock it with a password. S Converter makes an AES-256 encrypted ZIP in two clicks, and unpacks almost any archive too.

Make a password-protected ZIP

  1. Right-click a folder (or select it and press Ctrl + Alt + C).
  2. Choose Compress to ZIP with password…. On the wheel, it’s Locked ZIP on the Presets page.
  3. Type the password, then type it again to confirm.
  4. The locked ZIP appears next to the folder.

Extract an archive

  1. Right-click a ZIP, 7Z, RAR, TAR.GZ, ISO or CAB file.
  2. Choose Extract here or Extract to folder.
  3. If it’s locked, the wheel asks for the password.

Other formats

Folders can also become 7Z (the smallest), TAR.GZ (the usual archive on Linux and Mac) or RAR when WinRAR is installed. The presets Fast ZIP, Smallest ZIP and Ultra 7Z trade speed against size. Extract here is smart: if everything is inside one folder, you get that folder, not a folder inside a folder.

Good to know

Strong encryption

ZIPs are locked with AES-256 and open in S Converter, 7-Zip or WinRAR.

Any language

ZIPs keep file names in Sinhala, Chinese, emoji and every other language intact.

Nothing to install

ZIP, 7Z and TAR.GZ work out of the box on Windows 10 and 11.

Questions

Can I open the locked ZIP on another computer?

Yes, with S Converter, 7-Zip or WinRAR. Windows’ own Explorer can’t open AES-encrypted ZIPs.

Can I make a locked 7Z?

Yes, with 7-Zip installed (it’s free from 7-zip.org). A locked 7Z hides the file names too.

I forgot the password. Can S Converter open it?

No. That’s the point of encryption: without the password nobody can open it, so keep it somewhere safe.

Keep learning

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