Best free file encryption tools

Encryption helps you secure sensitive information from cyber criminals or other online threats and make access harder to them. Both Internet users and organizations can do that with the help of free encryption tools which can enhance protection by keeping valuable information hidden from malicious actors.

Encryption is essential to protect critical data, no matter if it is stored locally, on the PC, or sent over the Internet. So which are the encryption tools? Before we jump to these encryption software products available for free, we outline the importance of always using strong and unique passwords for all your online accounts.

Before you do that, make sure you apply these actionable security tips to manage passwords like an expert and make them more secure and unbreakable by cybercriminals. We carefully curated and put together some of the best free encryption software tools you can use to keep your most valuable data safe and secure.

Probably one of the most popular password manager tools out there, LastPass can be used for free with limited features, but will still secure your passwords and personal data. LastPass comes with an easy-to-use and intuitive interface and can simplify things for you.

There are extensions available for the main web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Also, you can use the mobile app available for both Android and Apple. When you create a new online account, it offers the option to save the new credentials. This tool encourages you to set a unique and hard-to-break password and discourages users to reuse it. Other password management tools you can use Sticky Password or RoboForm come with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface and can provide good password security.

To safely manage passwords, we encourage users to follow these security steps included in this guide. Use a two-factor authentication system, whenever possible.

You can either use it to encrypt a particular disk partition or the entire hard disk. BitLocker is a full-disk encryption tool built-in in the latest Windows operating systems Windows 10 , which uses AES and bit encryption to encrypt data on the drives. The Advanced Encryption Standard has been tested and improved and is now used worldwide by most security vendors due to its high level of security and optimization. Why you should choose BitLocker:. Another free encryption software tool you can use which is available for Windows, OS X and Linux operating systems.

It is an open source program which means developers and researchers can download and use the source code. Source: GHacks. VeraCrypt 1. Looking to encrypt your data stored on devices featuring macOS and Mac hardware? FileVault 2 is a free encryption software tool we recommend checking out. Yet another open-source and free encryption software you can use to secure your internal and external drive, including system partition, and even ISO images, or USB flash drives or any other storage devices.

Many users are not interested in encrypting the entire hard disk, but only specific files and documents that store sensitive information. This software tool is capable of extracting most archives and features strong AES encryption.

Source: GHack. It features AES file encryption and can efficiently encrypt one file, an entire folder or a group of files with a simple right-click. Files can be encrypted for a specific period of time or can be auto-decrypted later on when that file reaches the destination. So, how can I increase my online security without creating too many barriers that may slow down my access to the information posted online?

See below a few simple tools you can use to access online content and stay safe from data breaches at the same time. Encrypting your files is not enough. To be one step ahead of cybercriminals, you need to enhance online protection, you need to make sure no one can eavesdrop on your communication over the Internet. To make sure you always access secure web pages that use encryption mechanisms, we recommend trying a browser extension like HTTPS Everywhere , which is compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome.

Using an extension like HTTPS Everywhere, which encrypts your communication with major websites you access on a daily basis, will make your online activities more secure from multiple online threats. If you want to access the Internet anonymously, Tor browser can be a great option to encrypt your online traffic and keep your browsing activities from prying eyes. Tor Browser will block popular browser plugins such as Flash, RealPlayer, Quicktime, and others which can be manipulated into finding out your IP address.

It is recommended not to install additional add-on or plugins into Tor Browser, because it may bypass Tor and compromise your privacy and security. The special Tor browser has been designed to be used by anyone who wants to conceal any browsing activity from prying eyes. The most recent version of this browser, Tor Browser 0. Using encryption software like Tor will make it more difficult for your online activities to be traced by malicious actors.

Another way to hide your online identity is to use a VPN Virtual Private Network which can encrypt your communication and keep it safe from constant interception attempts. This private network is able to spread across the normal Internet space, using its resources to create an encrypted channel and protect your data from hackers or the prying eyes of others. It uses strong encryption mechanisms to hide your IP address, secure banking transactions, or keep yourself and your information safe when accessing Wifi networks.

A VPN software program like Cyberghost can be used when trying to connect to unsafe public networks or when needed to access content whose distribution is restricted to a certain geographical area.

CyberGhost is a popular VPN solution to ensure that your web traffic and valuable information remain encrypted. It includes a day money-back guarantee for everything else and friendly support. A VPN service provider like Cyberghost helps you keep your data protected and secure your digital assets.

Simply download, install and connect to ExpressVPN with a few clicks. Source: VPNMentor. When it comes to securing your most important information, encryption is not enough.

Oftentimes, in our blog articles and protection guides, we often emphasize the importance of using multiple layers of security to be one step ahead of hackers. Since there are so many online threats out there and cybercriminals keep changing their tactics , we recommend following these actionable security measures to improve your online security:. When you think about encryption, have in mind the entire picture and know how important its role is in the overall security strategy.

What about you? How do you see encryption in the bigger picture of Internet security? Are you using any type of encryption for your data at the moment? Let us know your thoughts in a comment below. Heimdal Security offers the latest in cybersecurity protection against advanced cyberattacks. End-to-end Encryption E2EE. Sorry, but this info is stuck in the nineties, or what???? All these apps use encryption that have been broken a while ago. There are MUCH better alternatives available. Please stop misinforming users with old and obsolete information, you are just putting out spam filling pages for seo purposes…….

Right on the spot Jan. Thank you for noticing these legacy solutions. Thanks for the article! There are some really useful tools listed here. Still, somehow I feel like there is missing major encryption software, like Boxcryptor. Your post is really good providing good information.. I liked it and enjoyed reading it. Keep sharing such important posts. I like LastPass; I have been using it since before anyone heard of it. It handles passwords well. However, it is not encryption software. It uses encryption but you cannot encrypt a private letter berating the idiots in Washington for safe keeping.

Inclusion in a list of encryption software is erroneous. The next time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I do know it was my option to read, but I truly thought youd have one thing interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you would repair in the event you werent too busy looking for attention. It was developed around Need info where I can acquire a copy of this Program to open old files..

Thank You. It blows Nord and other free trials right out of the water. Which shows confidence in their paid product. Which is refreshing since most folk have gotten so used to being treated like mugs with the spamming others.

Your article was awesome to read. Thank you for providing this useful post which is really helpful for me in encryption side. Thanks Again! It prints bad. Can anyone help me with an original install …? These file encryption software let you encrypt any type of file easily.

All these file encryption software are completely free and can be downloaded to Windows PC. So, go through this list of free file encryption software and see which ones you like the most. AxCrypt is a free file encryption software. It can encrypt any file as well as files in folders with password. It installs in Windows context menu. You can select AxCrypt by right clicking on any file or folder to encrypt. You can set password or create a keyfile for encrypting any file. You can also create a dependency free encrypted.

EXE file from any file. It has very simple interface and is easy to use. You can select any file from its Encrypt File tab to encrypt.

You can type your password and by pressing encrypt it will encrypt the file for you. You can use Decrypt File tab to decrypt any file. It encrypts and decrypts at fast speed.

File Secure Free is a free software to encrypt or decrypt any file with password. It uses standard AES encryption algorithm to encrypt files. File Backup, File Shredder, and Lockup are three other features of this program. It deletes the original file after encryption.

You can decrypt the files by using same password only. EncryptOnClick is a free file encryption software. It has very simple user interface. It lets you encrypt and decrypt files using password. It uses military grade bit AES encryption algorithm. It encrypts your files as well as compresses them which reduces the size of the files.

You can encrypt or decrypt all files of any folder also. Sophos Free Encryption is a free software to encrypt files and folders. You can compress encrypted files also. You can encrypt files from program interface or by right clicking on any file or folder in Windows Explorer. You can securely delete files also by using it. You can create self extracting executable encrypted files too, so you can decrypt them without the need of any other software. Rijndael File Encryption Decryption Tool is a simple program to encrypt or decrypt any type of file.

This tool is based upon Rijndael cryptography algorithm which is very strong key algorithm. It requires no installation, just download and run it. It is very small in size. You can run it from any USB or external drive also. It has two different tabs for encryption and decryption.

Encoding Decoding Free is a free file encryption and decryption program. You can encrypt or decrypt file using open command from its File menu or by dragging or dropping file to its main window. It also evaluates the strength of the password you type. It encodes or decodes in seconds. You can set various encoding rates. The encoding and decoding process is almost same in terms of steps. SmartEncryptor is a free file encryption software. It uses Blowfish or AES algorithms to encrypt files.

It has two tabs, one is encrypt and other is decrypt. You can add files by dragging and dropping to its main window also. You can decrypt the encrypted file by double clicking on its icon or by browsing for file to decrypt through Decrypt tab. ABI-Coder is a free file encryption software. You can encrypt or decrypt any file using your key or password.

You can create self decrypting files also and anyone can decrypt these files with password without having installed ABI-Coder on their machines. Advanced File Encryption Pro is a free and easy to use encryption software for encrypting any file. It uses up to bit symmetric key encryption to protect your files with password. You can password protect your confidential information with it.

You can double click or drag and drop files to its main window to encrypt. It also has various advanced settings for encrypting your files. You can set compression settings also. It has an option to delete the original files after encryption in the Advanced Settings tab. Crypt4Free is a free software to encrypt and decrypt any computer file.

It has Windows Explorer like interface. You can encrypt any file with password. It also has a text encryption tool for sending emails in encrypted text form. It has a password generator tool for creating strong password. It also has the ability to zip and unzip the files. Omziff is a free encryption software. You can encrypt and decrypt any type of file with it. You can also generate random passwords with the help of it. It offers simple shredding of files. It comes as a single executable and requires no installation.

You can split and rejoin files too. Cryptkeeper is a free encryption software. It has various tools. It has file hashing, Rawdata tool, file encryption and text encryption tool.

You can encrypt any file with its file encrypter tool with password. You can encrypt text by using various encryption algorithms provided.

It has a password manager to manage your passwords. It also has a file hashing tool. It uses the Blowfish algorithm to encrypt any file or text strings. Blowfish algorithm is a strong encryption algorithm and uses a password key. You can encrypt any type of file with password easily. You can encrypt and decrypt any text string using the same password. It also provides standard Base64 encoding and decoding function. SEncrypt is a free encryption software.

You can apply password to encrypting files. It also has a text encryption with password option. You can encrypt or decrypt any text using password easily. Encrypted files have. SEF extension. It has a tabbed interface and is easy to use.

With SEncrypt you can delete files permanently too. AS-File Crypt is a free file encryption software. It knows which file is encrypted or is to encrypt. Zero Footprint Crypt is a free file encryption and decryption tool. It lets you encrypt files with password choosing from six encryption algorithms.

It has an option to delete the original file after encryption. It also has an option to decrypt the file to memory or to file for secure decryption. Files decrypted to memory will never be written to the hard drive. You can create self decrypting files also. File Encryptor is small and fast tool for encrypting and decrypting files or folders. You have to type the password before encrypting or decrypting.

You can drag and drop files or folders to its red bordered area. It will then encrypt or decrypt files or folders for you. It is very easy to use tool. PixelCryptor is a free files or folders encryption software. There are some other hidden security features, too.

Not only is there encryption, but you can also set a decoy password, hacker deterrents, log unauthorized login attempts, back up all your passwords and get notified on potential brute-force attacks. The basic app is free to download, with a pro version available for a one-time fee which opens up more advanced and useful security features. The software has been designed specifically for individuals and small teams within businesses. It provides strong security, with files protected by either bit or bit AES encryption, which should thwart any intruders.

There are also cloud storage capabilities thrown into the mix — the software will automatically protect files saved on services such as Google Drive and Dropbox. AxCrypt is fully multilingual, and it can work with languages such as Dutch, French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Swedish, Russian and Portuguese — with more support planned for the future. There is a free version but it's very limited and perhaps best thought of as a way to trial the software and help become used to the interface and basic functions.

VeraCrypt is one of the most popular security tools, providing you with enterprise-grade encryption for important data. The system is quite easy to use, and all it really does is add encrypted passwords to your data and partitions.

All you have to do is give the tool a few details about your data, such as volume size, location and specified hashing algorithms — and then the program does its thing.

The basic version of the software is completely free, as well. Read our full VeraCrypt review. Secure IT from Cypherix is a file encryption program that also compresses your files. This means that it may take a little longer than some other programs, but it does mean your files are potentially more manageable after. Secure IT offers file and folder encryption, compression and file shredding all in one with command line processing and secure emails.

It runs on all versions of Windows bit as well as bit. Concealer is a file encryption program specifically for Apple Mac computers. Rather than encrypt all files on your harddrive, instead it provides an encrypted area for you to drag files into - which means you need to ensure you delete the original copy so as to avoid having both encrypted and non-encrypted versions on your harddrive.

You can also choose your preferred encryption strength as or bit.