Often we have to use removable media to store personal files or valuable information. For these purposes, you can buy a flash drive with a keyboard for a PIN code or a fingerprint scanner. But such a pleasure is not cheap, so it’s easier to resort to software methods for setting a password on a flash drive, which we’ll talk about later.
To set a password on a portable drive, you can use one of the following utilities:
- Rohos Mini Drive;
- USB Flash Security;
- TrueCrypt;
- Bitlocker.
Perhaps not all options are suitable for your flash drive, so it is better to try a few of them before giving up trying to complete the task.
Method 1: Rohos Mini Drive
This utility is free and easy to use. It will not password protect the entire drive, but only a certain section of it.
To use this program, do this:
By the way, with Rohos Mini Drive you can put a password on a folder and on some applications. The procedure will be exactly the same as described above, but all actions are performed with a separate folder or shortcut.
Method 2: USB Flash Security
This utility will allow you to protect all files on a flash drive with a password in a few clicks. To download the free version, on the official website you need to click the button "Download Free edition".
And to take advantage of the ability of this software to put passwords on flash drives, do the following:
Now you can again dump the files that you previously transferred to your computer onto the USB drive. When you reinsert it, it will be password protected again, and it doesn’t matter whether this program is installed on this computer or not.
Method 3: TrueCrypt
The program is very functional, perhaps it contains greatest number functions among all software samples presented in our review. If you wish, you can password protect not only a flash drive, but also an entire hard drive. But before doing anything, download it on your computer.
Using the program looks like this:
- Launch the program and click the button "Create Volume".
- Check “Encrypt non-system partition/disk” and press "Next".
- In our case it will be enough to create "Regular Volume". Click "Next".
- Select your flash drive and click "Next".
- If you select “Create and format an encrypted volume”, then all data on the media will be deleted, but the volume will be created faster. And if you choose "Encrypt partition in place", the data will be saved, but the procedure will take longer. Once you have made your choice, click "Next".
- IN "Encryption settings" It's better to leave everything as default and just click "Next". Do it.
- Make sure the specified media capacity is correct and press "Next".
- Enter and confirm the password you created. Click "Next". We also recommend that you specify a key file that can help restore data if the password is forgotten.
- Please indicate your preferred file system and press "Post".
- Confirm the action by clicking the button "Yes" in the next window.
- When the procedure is finished, press "Exit".
- Your flash drive will look like the one shown in the photo below. This also means that the procedure was completed successfully.
- There is no need to touch her. The exception is when encryption is no longer required. To access the created volume, click "Automount" in the main program window.
- Enter your password and click "OK".
- On the list hard drives can now be found new disk, which will be available if you insert a USB flash drive and run the same automount. When finished using the button, press "Unmount" and you can remove the media.
This method may seem complicated, but experts confidently say that there is nothing more reliable than it.
In the modern era computer technology It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a digital device that does not use flash memory in one form or another. However, most users still associate it with portable storage devices, known as flash drives, which have become so firmly established in our lives. The scope of their application is quite wide. Flash drives are used as portable devices, SWAP-memories, they are used to install and restore operating systems, but the most important area of application for flash drives remains the storage of personal files. But data written to a flash drive is also accessible as if it were saved to any hard drive. Therefore, to ensure maximum security, it is best to protect the media with a password so that if it is lost, no one will be able to access the user's files.
Today, there are two main methods of protecting data on portable storage devices: hardware And program. Hardware encryption is implemented by integrating a special device into the design of a flash drive that blocks the connection of the drive to a computer in one way or another, for example, a fingerprint scanner can be used to identify the owner. Hardware protection has a high degree of protection, but the flash drives that use it are quite expensive. It only makes sense to buy them in cases where you are going to keep something very secret.
The software method of protection is much more accessible. It is implemented either using the built-in tools of the operating system itself, or using third party programs, among which there are many free ones. There are three main types software protection. In the first case, the flash drive is completely encrypted, so that access to it can only be gained by entering a password; in the second case, a special encrypted container is created on the flash drive, which is also accessed using a password; in the third case, only individual files are encrypted on the flash drive. So, let's find out how to password-protect a flash drive and protect the data stored on it.
Windows encryption
This method allows you to set a password on a flash drive without third-party programs. Windows has such a great feature as BitLocker, which allows you to encrypt logical partitions and disks, including removable ones. Right-click on the flash drive and select “Enable BitLocker” from the menu.
In the window that opens, the system will ask you to select a method for unlocking the disk. Choose to use a password.
Click “Next” and specify the encryption area. If the flash drive is new and has a couple of files written on it, it is better to choose to encrypt only the occupied area, this will make things go faster. If the flash drive is full of files or you want to protect all sectors, you can select the “Encrypt entire disk” mode. Just keep in mind that encryption will take longer in this mode.
In Windows 10 1511 and higher, the system will additionally ask you to select one of two encryption modes: optimal for non-removable drives and compatible for portable drives. Since the flash drive is a portable drive, we choose the second one.
Well, almost everything is ready, all that remains is to click the “Start encryption” button.
Once the encryption procedure is complete, remove the flash drive from the port, connect it again and try to open it. As soon as you do this, a window will pop up asking you to enter your password.
Protect your flash drive with VeraCrypt
There is an opinion among users that BitLocker does not provide as much effective protection as special third-party programs. If you think so too and want to find another way to put a password on a flash drive, use VeraCrypt– a powerful free program for data encryption in Windows, created on the basis of the defunct TrueCrypt project. First of all, go to the developer’s website, download the program and install it on your computer. By default, VeraCrypt uses English language, so after launch we immediately go to the settings ( Settings – Language) and change the interface language to Russian.
Now we connect the flash drive and get down to business. In the VeraCrypt “Tools” menu, select “Volume Creation Wizard”.
In the wizard window you will be asked to select a protection option. If you need to encrypt the flash drive completely, you should select the “Encrypt non-system partition/disk” option. You can also encrypt part of the flash drive by selecting “Create an encrypted file container,” which we will demonstrate now. Select the appropriate item, and then click “Next”.
In the next window, set the switch to the “Regular VeraCrypt volume” position.
Next, in the “Volume Placement” window, specify the path to the container file on the flash drive.
It is clear that we do not have it, but it should be so. We create it on the spot in the Explorer window; you can give the file any name and extension. In our example, the file is called data.db.
We leave the encryption settings at default, then specify the desired container size and come up with a password.
Now, finally, let’s begin formatting and marking the volume, having first read the “IMPORTANT” note and followed all the recommendations indicated in it.
As a result, a file will be created on the flash drive that cannot be read by any program.
To save data to it, it needs to be mounted. To do this, return to the main VeraCrypt window, select any free letter, click “File”, specify the path to the previously created container and click the “Mount” button.
The program will immediately ask for an access password.
After you enter the password and click “OK”, a virtual volume will appear in the “This Computer” section, which is essentially an encrypted area of the file system of your flash drive. You can work with it like any other partition; when the work is completed, all that remains is to unmount it by clicking the button of the same name in the main VeraCrypt window.
You can use a flash drive with an encrypted container only on computers with VeraCrypt installed. If you want to be able to work with the drive on a PC without VeraCrypt, you will need to download the program files to a flash drive using the Portable Disk Setup feature.
Other programs
If encryption using VeraCrypt seems too complicated for you, you can use less sophisticated, but at the same time less reliable programs in terms of security. There are a lot of such applications, but we will give examples of using only two. The first of them is called Rohos Mini Drive. This program for setting a password on a flash drive is simple, convenient, it supports installation directly on a removable disk, which allows you to use it on any computer. The encryption algorithm of the utility uses AES with a 256-bit key. Additionally, Rohos Mini Drive supports encrypting applications and creating disk backups.
The utility is very easy to use. Select the “Encrypt” option in the main window USB disk” and indicate the path to it, if suddenly the program does not detect the flash drive itself.
Like VeraCrypt, it creates a protected file container on a flash drive, the parameters of which can be specified in the settings. By default, the container size is 500 MB, if you need more space for secret files, click on the “Disk Options” link and set your size. In the settings, you can also select the file system and letter of the virtual volume.
After that, enter the created password and click “Create disk”.
A mounted volume will appear on the computer, which can be turned on and off via context menu utilities in the system tray.
Even simpler than Rohos Mini Drive is a portable utility USB Safeguard. It is distributed in two versions: free with support for flash drives no larger than 4 GB and paid, capable of working with removable drives up to 16 TB in size.
To protect the media with it, copy it to it executable file utilities and launch it, first copying all the files on the flash drive to another drive, since USB Safeguard will offer to format the drive. After formatting and restarting, the utility will ask you to create and enter a password, as well as a hint, just in case, if you suddenly forget it. That's all, from now on you will be asked for a password every time you connect a flash drive to your computer.
As you can see, setting a password on a flash drive is not that difficult. It is more difficult to decide on the choice of a protection tool, especially for novice users, who often make mistakes in choosing the appropriate program. So, to protect flash drives, you should not use utilities like Anvi Folder Locker, which have the ability to protect with a password, but without using encryption. But programs that use encryption are also not all equally effective. To ensure maximum protection, in addition to password and encryption, it is advisable to use key files, and this option is only provided software products VeraCrypt level.
If your USB drive doesn't have encryption software pre-installed, the easiest way is to use the Windows BitLocker tool. To do this, right-click on the drive partition, select “Enable BitLocker” and set a password. If this item is not in the context menu, activate the utility through “Control Panel” - “System and Security” - “BitLocker Drive Encryption”. Unfortunately, the program is not available for everyone Windows versions(Windows 7 Home Premium doesn't have it, for example), but you can use third-party software to encrypt USB drives.
CyberSafe Top Secret
The CyberSafe Top Secret program is used not only to protect USB flash drives, but also to encrypt files and folders, hard drives, emails etc. To set a password on the drive, the free version of the application is enough. Main feature method: you can open a flash drive protected in CyberSafe Top Secret only on the computer on which this program is installed. Other devices do not recognize the file system of the secure USB storage device.
1. Install the CyberSafe Top Secret application on your computer. IN side menu select “Encrypt partition”, find your flash drive in the list and click “Create”.
2. A window will open in which you need to set a password for the USB drive and define the file system. Be careful: if you change the file system of the flash drive, it will be formatted. We recommend creating backup copy disk data before encryption.
3.
You can also specify how much memory will be accessible without a password. By default, protection is applied to all partitions of the drive at once. To change this, uncheck “Use all available device size” and set the required limit.
USB Safeguard
Free version The USB Safeguard program allows you to set a password on flash drives up to 4 GB. You must run the utility directly from the drive. If your flash drive has a FAT file system, the program will offer to format it to NTFS, so be sure to back up your data before encrypting the drive.
1. Install the program from the flash drive by clicking “Next” as usual. If you are prompted to format to NTFS, agree. In the window that appears, enter a password that will protect the flash drive and a hint.
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2. The program will prompt you to specify the letter of the virtual disk, which will become a mirror of the encrypted drive. Now, when you connect a flash drive, a protected partition will appear in the list of disks, access to which will only be possible with a password.
Rohos Mini Drive
One more free program for encrypting USB drives - Rohos Mini Drive. The application selects a section on the flash drive that will be accessible on any PC after entering the password.
1. Download and install Rohos Mini Drive. In the main program window, select “Encrypt USB drive”.
2.
Set a password and configure the parameters of the protected disk: its size, file system, encryption algorithm and letter. You can encrypt all or part of the memory.
The era of laser discs is gradually becoming history, because they have been almost completely replaced by portable storage devices - flash drives and memory cards. Compared to the former, they have many more advantages than disadvantages: firstly, they are much more compact; secondly, they store much more information; the entire memory capacity can reach hundreds of gigabytes; thirdly, they are reusable, unlike the same disks on which information can be written only once; and fourthly, they are much more reliable than most storage media. Experiments were conducted during which flash drives were subjected to various tests. The result is impressive - they are almost impossible to spoil.
It is logical that many people use this storage medium as a storage for important documents and files. You can carry a flash drive with you all the time; it does not take up much space. But the most important thing is that the data on it can be reliably protected. How? Different users solve this issue in their own way: they place important documents in the archive and put a password on it, some encrypt a separate folder, and some completely protect the portable drive with a password. One of the most simple options- set an access password, without knowing which it will be completely impossible to read the information stored on it.
In this material we will look at how to put a password on a flash drive. We'll find out everything possible options: built-in Windows features, free special utilities, as well as special drive models.
Windows Standard Tools
If you use Windows 7 or older, you don't have to worry about using third-party programs at all, because you can take advantage of the excellent built-in BitLocker encryption mode. How can he help you?
- Insert the flash drive into the USB connector, then go to Windows Explorer and find your drive in the list of drives and devices.
- Right-click on it and select “Enable BitLocker.”
- The encryption wizard will open and prompt you to enter a security password. Check the appropriate box and then enter the combination. Choose strong password, at least 10 characters long, containing numbers, letters, spaces, and symbols.
- The next step will ask you to create a recovery key. It can be associated with account Microsoft, save to text file or print it out. It is needed so that you can access your files even if you forget your password.
- After this, specify the type of encryption: the entire flash drive or only the part on which the files are located. They differ only in the speed of operation.
- Depending on the size of the flash drive and the power of the computer, after a maximum of a few minutes you will see a system notification about the end of encryption. Click the “Close” button, then remove and then reinsert the drive into the computer connector.
- Pay attention to how the flash drive is displayed in the list of disks - there will be an image of a lock on it. Double-click on the disk and then enter your password. Until you enter it, you will not be able to view any information about the drive at all.
Using special utilities
If you use more old Windows XP, or you are simply not satisfied with the standard BitLocker encryption program, use one of the free programs presented below. Their essence is simple - to encrypt the contents of either an entire flash drive or separate file, or folders. Let's get to know the best utilities for encryption.
Rohos Mini Drive
The most popular encryption program external drives or any data on your computer's hard drive. The work is based on the creation of a protected partition, encrypted with the incredibly reliable AES algorithm with a 256-bit key. The program is completely free, but will have some limitations. For example, the maximum partition size is 8 GB. In most cases, this is completely enough, but if it’s not enough for you, purchase the paid version. How to use this software product?
- Go to the developer's website using this link http://www.rohos.ru/products/rohos-mini-drive/ to download installation file. The page will present three utilities; you need to download the first one from the list.
- Next, you will need to install the utility on your computer’s hard drive, then insert the USB flash drive and run it.
- There are 4 buttons available in the program menu: “Encrypt USB drive”, “Encrypt application”, “Customize options” and “Create a backup copy”. Click "Encrypt USB Drive".
- In the window that opens, you need to enter your password, and you can also change the drive letter, file system, and size of the encrypted partition. Come up with a reliable combination, but one that you won’t quickly forget.
- After some time, the system will display virtual disk, and in the root of the memory card you can see two files: Rohos Mini.exe and Rohos Mini Drive (Portable).exe. They are necessary in order to be able to access the encrypted partition on any computer.
- Now, to put the information on the encrypted partition, copy the desired files to the virtual drive that appears in Explorer as “Hidden Drive.”
Everything is implemented very conveniently, since the files will be accessible only if the encrypted partition is connected and the access password is entered. From the main menu of the program, you can disable and enable the section as needed, and if you no longer need it, delete it altogether. For quick access to the utility, go to the system tray and click on the icon in the form of a yellow rectangle with a padlock.
USB Safeguard
Light and very simple program to set a password on a flash drive or memory card. It is distributed in two versions: free and paid. The free version will work with storage media with a maximum capacity of 4 gigabytes, while the paid version supports any drive with a capacity of up to 16 terabytes. How to put a password on a flash drive using the utility? Follow these steps:
- Go to the official website http://www.usbsafeguard.com/download.html and download the installation file for the free or paid version.
- Copy the installation file to the root of the flash drive or memory card and run it by double clicking the mouse.
- First of all, the program will offer to format the drive in NTFS format. Please remember that this will delete all data. If the flash drive is already formatted in NTFS, check the Don’t format box.
- After formatting is completed, click Finish and also agree to the terms license agreement by clicking the I agree button.
- In the next step, you need to enter a created password of at least 6 characters and confirm it.
- To access the encrypted drive, run the USBSafeguard.exe file located in the root of the flash drive, enter the password you created earlier, and click the Open button.
In the future, you will only be able to read encrypted files after entering the password. You can burn files by going to virtual disk Z in Explorer.
Hardware protection from the manufacturer
There are drive models with a built-in protection system. Such accessories are not cheap, but if you regularly need to store secret information, you can spend the money once. Their special feature is the presence of a numeric keypad for entering the unlock code, which will need to be set upon the very first use. This option allows you to very reliably protect secret information, because it is encrypted in real time using the built-in processor, and due to the absence of special software, the chance of keyboard interception or hacking is negated.
Conclusions
IN modern world The issue of information security is very important. Therefore, if you need to store encrypted information on a flash drive, use one of the options described above. But which method might be the most suitable?
BitLocker. The simplest one, because it does not require installation or downloading special utilities. One of the disadvantages is that it only supports Windows, so you are unlikely to be able to view encrypted information on other operating systems. In addition, the function is implemented only on maximum versions of Windows.
Third party programs. A good option in the absence of BitLocker, but you may be faced with the need to purchase a paid version of the program, since free ones may have a number of limitations. Like the previous option, there may be a problem accessing files on computers with operating system, other than Windows.
Hardware protection from the manufacturer. The most expensive, but at the same time the most reliable option, suitable even for employees of large companies with access to secret data. It can only be hacked by physical force on the owner of the device.
Which option did you choose for yourself? Tell us about it in the comments.
The question of how to put a password on a flash drive has become quite relevant in connection with the advent of portable, portable sources of information.
USB drives have firmly entered modern life, replacing floppy disks and rewritable CDs and DVDs. They are distinguished by reliability, durability, the ability to store a sufficiently large volume of a wide variety of information, mobility, and small size. The latter factor may contribute to the loss of a USB drive with subsequent unauthorized use of the information stored on it by third parties.
In this regard, there is a need to protect the flash drive with a password.
How to put a password on a USB flash drive to protect the files stored on it? There are many ways to protect information, here are some of them:
- Using third-party software to protect portable USB storage.
- Using built-in and optional software to protect data.
- Use of specialized secure flash drives.
Let's consider the proposed options in more detail.
Today there is a considerable amount of paid and free software for data protection. Let's focus on free programs.
Rohos Mini Drive - software to set a password on the flash drive. The developers managed to combine the small size of the program with fairly extensive functionality. The free version allows you to install data protection on flash drives with a capacity of 2 GB, or on partitions specially created by the program up to 2 GB in size. Moreover, you can use this software without administrator rights. The program is installed directly onto the flash drive. After creating a protected partition, you can view the encrypted data on any computer by running the Rohos Mini.exe program from the root directory of the USB drive.
To avoid any questions about how to remove a password from a flash drive, let us immediately clarify that it is very important to save the secret code, otherwise it will be almost impossible to restore encrypted data after it is lost. In versions > 1.10 of the Rohos Mini Drive program it is possible to create special file— a key that allows you to open protected data in case of loss of your PIN code.
Another program for protecting flash drives is USB Safeguard. In terms of functionality and encryption algorithms, it is very similar to Rohos Mini Drive. One of the differences between this software is that the locking and unlocking procedure must be repeated each time you work with files, and you can use a new secret code each time.
Setting a password on USB, in addition to the above methods, can also be done using Anvide Lock Folder. This small-sized free program for setting a password on a flash drive does not require downloading and can be launched from anywhere. The interface is clear: it allows you to install code protection on any folder, not only on external USB drives, but also to protect data on other storage media.
Using built-in and optional software
How to put a password on a flash drive without programs? A flash drive can be protected with a password without the use of third-party software. We highlight three main options:
- Document protection Microsoft Office.
- Using the capabilities of archivers.
- Usage standard means Windows.
Microsoft Office files can be protected by tools built into the software. A reliable way in this case is to install code protection on the file itself. To do this, select “Save As” from the “File” menu, and in the save dialog box, expand “Tools”, select “ General Settings" In the dialog box that appears, you can set a PIN code to protect against unauthorized viewing and editing.
Another way to password protect a flash drive without special software is to use an archiver. Archivers, such as WinRAR, are installed on almost all computers. In the case of the WinRAR archiver, we create a self-extracting password-protected archive and transfer it to external USB drive. Then the archive can be transferred in this way from a protected drive to any computer and unpacked with a password. The method is old, but very reliable and proven. The main thing is not to lose the secret code word, since in this case there is no exact answer to the question of how to remove the password from a flash drive.
How to put a password on a flash drive without using third-party software Windows users 7, 8? In this case you won't need additional programs- they already have it integrated into Windows necessary tool, namely the built-in BitLocker data encryptor.
Using BitLocker, you can get a password-protected USB drive. One of the features of this software is the ability to create a “spare” key in case the secret code is lost. Brief instructions on setting a password on a flash drive using BitLocker:
Connect a USB drive to the PC.
In the “My Computer” folder, hover the cursor over the flash drive, right-click to enter the context menu and select BitLocker there.
In the window that appears, select “Use a password to unlock the flash drive” and enter the password.
Using specialized secure flash drives
The most “radical” option for setting a password on a flash drive is to purchase a specialized USB drive. Currently, portable portable information storage devices with a built-in keyboard are available for sale, with the help of which code protection is installed. A device password-protected in this way is a very reliable storage, the data in which is protected by 256-bit AES encryption. It is almost impossible to extract them without knowing the password. The price of such a USB drive is higher compared to the cost of conventional flash drives.
It should be understood that all methods for protecting portable USB drives and the data on them were clearly not developed so that in the future this protected data could easily be read by any unauthorized third party. Therefore, to avoid any questions about how to unlock a flash drive if you forgot the password, take responsibility for creating and saving secret code, since restoring access to information is a complex matter and not always feasible.
If the information is not only confidential, but also very important, it is better to use several protected flash drives with copies necessary files. Rely on yourself first of all, since the programs offered for recovering encrypted files and restoring access are not effective in 99% of cases, it is better not to rely on them.
Thus, how to password protect a USB flash drive and which method to choose for password protection (use built-in/third-party software, purchase specialized protected USB drive(flash drive with code)), everyone must decide for themselves, depending on their capabilities and skills.
