How to password protect a zip file on Windows and Mac

Windows 11 can make zip, 7z and TAR files, but Microsoft says it doesn't support encrypted archives at all, and suggests apps like 7-Zip or WinRAR instead. 7-Zip is free and open source:

1. Download and install 7-Zip from 7-zip.org.
2. Select the files or folder you want to protect, right-click and choose 7-Zip > Add to archive. On Windows 11, click Show more options first.
3. Set Archive format to zip.
4. Under Encryption, enter your password twice.
5. Set Encryption method to AES-256, unless you have a reason to pick ZipCrypto (see below).
6. Click OK. The protected zip file appears next to your files.

7-Zip leaves your original files as they are. If the point is to keep them private on your computer too, delete them once you've checked that the zip opens with your password.

Use 7z if you also want to hide the file names

A password-protected zip file still shows the names of the files inside to anyone who opens it. If your recipient also has 7-Zip, choose 7z as the archive format instead. It always uses AES-256, and the Encrypt file names option hides the file list until the password is entered.

WinRAR and WinZip can password protect zip files too, but they're paid apps with a free trial. For more on zip files in general, see our guide to sending a zip file.

A zip file can be encrypted in two ways, and 7-Zip lets you pick either:

7-Zip's own help says ZipCrypto works with most zip apps, while AES-256 gives stronger encryption but is only supported by 7-Zip, WinZip and some other apps. Use AES-256 for anything you'd be upset to see leak, and ZipCrypto only when it's more important that anyone can open the file than that it stays private.

Whichever you choose, the password matters most. A long passphrase of four or five random words is far harder to guess than a short password, and still easy to type.

Finder's Compress option can't add a password, but there are two free ways to do it.

With Keka (free app)

Keka is a popular archive app for Mac. It's free from keka.io, or paid in the Mac App Store, where the money supports its developer. Open Keka, pick 7Z or ZIP as the format, type your password in the Password and Repeat fields, and drag your files onto its window.

Choose 7Z for strong protection: Keka encrypts 7z files with AES-256 and hides the file names too. Its zip files use the old Zip 2.0 encryption, the same weak method as ZipCrypto, so only choose ZIP if your recipient can't open 7z files.

With Terminal (built in)

1. Move the folder you want to protect to your Desktop.
2. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
3. Type cd ~/Desktop and press Return.
4. Type zip -er Protected.zip "Folder name", using your folder's name, and press Return.
5. Enter a password twice. Nothing appears on screen while you type, which is normal.

Protected.zip appears on your Desktop. It's quick and opens in most zip apps, but it uses the same old encryption as ZipCrypto, which the zip command's own manual calls relatively weak. Fine for keeping out a curious coworker, not for sensitive documents. The same command works in a terminal on Linux.

Sending to another Mac user? An encrypted disk image is another built-in option, covered in our guide to encrypting a file. Just don't email it: Gmail blocks .dmg files.

Websites that add a password to a zip file for you are quick, but think about how they work. Unless the site clearly says it encrypts files in your browser, you're uploading your files, unencrypted, to someone else's server so they can protect them. That defeats the point for anything private.

Use an app on your own computer instead, or a service that encrypts files in your browser before they're uploaded, like the link option below.

By email

• Send the password some other way, like a text message or a phone call. If it's in the same email, anyone who gets into that inbox gets the files too.
• Mind the size. Most email services allow 20 to 25 MB, and attachments grow by about a third when they're sent, so keep the zip under about 18 MB. Our guide to email attachment size limits has the limit for every major service.
• Gmail blocks password-protected zip files that contain another archive, like a zip inside a zip, and zip files that contain blocked file types, like .exe or .dmg files.

As an encrypted link

If the zip is too big, or your recipient can't open AES-256 files, send a link instead. With VeilShare you don't need to zip anything first:

1. Drop your files or a whole folder onto the upload box on our homepage.
2. Pick how long the link should last, 6, 24, 48 or 72 hours, and add a password.
3. Click on the upload button, copy the link and send it. Send the password another way.

Every file is encrypted with AES-256-GCM in your browser before it's uploaded, so we can't see what's inside, and the password keeps the link from opening without it. Your recipient opens it in any browser, with no app to install, and can download everything as a zip with Download all. It's free up to 3 GB, with no account needed.

• Windows: Microsoft says Windows doesn't support encrypted archives, so the safest bet is 7-Zip. Right-click the zip file, choose 7-Zip > Extract Here (under Show more options on Windows 11), and enter the password.
• Mac: double-click the zip file. If it won't open, use a free archive app like Keka, which also opens 7z files: right-click the file, choose Open With > Keka and enter the password.
• Wrong password errors: passwords are case-sensitive, so check Caps Lock, and watch out for a space copied at the end of the password.