How to Password Protect Files on a Mac

This wikiHow teaches you how to create a password-protected disk image (DMG) folder on a Mac.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Creating a Folder

  1. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 1
    1
    Open
    Mac Finder
    Finder.     Click the Finder app icon, which resembles a blue face, in your Mac's Dock.
  2. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 2
    2
    Click Desktop. It's on the left side of the Finder window.
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  3. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 3
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    Click File. This option is in the upper-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  4. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 4
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    Click New Folder. It's in the File drop-down menu. Doing so will add a new folder to your Mac's desktop with the name field selected.
  5. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 5
    5
    Enter a name for your folder. Type in the name that you want to use for your folder, then press ⏎ Return.
    • The name that you use here doesn't really matter since you're going to rename the password-protected version of the folder.
  6. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 6
    6
    Add files to the folder. Once you've created your folder, you can add the files which you want to password-protect to it by doing the following:
    • Go to the files' location.
    • Select files to move to the folder by holding down ⌘ Command and clicking each file.
    • Press ⌘ Command+X to copy and cut the files.
    • Open the folder that you created.
    • Press ⌘ Command+V to paste in the files.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Adding the Password

  1. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 7
    1
    Open Disk Utility. Click Spotlight
    Mac Spotlight
    , type in disk utility, and double-click the Disk Utility result.
    • You can also find Disk Utility in the Utilities section of the Finder's Go menu item.
  2. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 8
    2
    Click File. It's in the upper-left side of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 9
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    Select New Image. This is near the top of the File drop-down menu. Selecting it will prompt a pop-out menu to appear.
  4. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 10
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    Click Image from Folder…. It's in the pop-out menu. Doing so will open a new window.
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    Select the folder that you created. Go to the Desktop folder by clicking the drop-down box at the top of the window and clicking Desktop in the drop-down menu, then click your created folder.
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    Click Open. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window.
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    Enter a title for your folder. Type whatever you want to name your protected folder into the "Save As" text box.
    • You cannot use the same title as the folder that you created or any other folder on your desktop.
    • You can also select a save location by clicking the "Where" drop-down box and then selecting a folder in the drop-down menu.
  8. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 14
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    Click the "Encryption" drop-down box. It's near the bottom of the window. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
  9. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 15
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    Click 128-bit AES encryption (recommended). You'll find this option in the drop-down box. Doing so opens the password window.[1]
  10. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 16
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    Create a password. Type your preferred password into both the "Password" text box and the "Verify" text box, then click Choose in the bottom-right corner of the password window.
  11. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 17
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    Click Save. It's a blue button at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your settings and create your password-protected folder.
  12. Image titled Password Protect Files on a Mac Step 18
    12
    Use the password-protected folder. To open the folder, double-click it, then enter the password that you set for it when prompted. The folder will open, and a drive-shaped icon will appear on your desktop.
    • You may have to restart your Mac before the folder will ask for your password.
    • You can close and re-protect the folder by moving the drive-shaped icon into the Trash and then restarting your Mac.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How I can open the utility disk and see the hidden information?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    After hitting "eject," the disk image you created goes away. To reopen it, find that .dmg file that was created, and it will request you to enter the password. Then the disk image will reappear.
  • Question
    If I later move this map to an external source, USB or other hard-drive, will the map and files still be coded?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes, they will. It works the same as a zip file. The only downside is that you can only open it on Macs. For Windows you will need additional software.
  • Question
    Why was another "operating drive" icon created on my desktop that I can't get rid of?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The only reason for this would be that the computer recognized another drive, maybe a time machine backup drive? If not, this could be an SSD or a flash drive, or an SD card that may be in your computer. If this is the system drive duplicated, this would be a partition issue. To view the drives on a Mac, go to Spotlight (the search icon in the top right corner) then search for the app titled "Disk Utility." Here you can view all the drives you have active, and also preform first aid and corrections if a drive is improperly partitioned. If this is a time machine drive, navigate to the Time Machine app to manage these preferences.
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Warnings

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjTpFjuNBt4

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 486,315 times.
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Co-authors: 15
Updated: July 28, 2022
Views: 486,315
Categories: Mac
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