Blog · Guide · October 7, 2026

How to encrypt files on Windows 10 (free)

Windows 10 can encrypt a file with a few clicks — but only on some editions, and only in a way that has catches worth knowing. Here's the quick answer, then each method step by step, so you can pick the one that fits your PC.

The quick answer

• Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education: right-click the file → Properties → Advanced → “Encrypt contents to secure data” (EFS). Back up the encryption key when Windows asks.
• Windows 10 Home: that option is greyed out. Use a password-protected 7-Zip archive, or a file-encryption app such as Clavis Encrypt.
• Any edition, to protect a lost or stolen laptop: turn on Device encryption or BitLocker as well, if your PC has them.

First: which edition of Windows 10 do you have?

Open Settings → System → About and look at Edition under Windows specifications. It says Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise or Education. Most laptops sold to consumers run Home.

Option 1: EFS (Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, Education)

1. Right-click the file or folder → Properties.
2. On the General tab, click Advanced…
3. Tick Encrypt contents to secure data → OK → Apply. For a folder, choose to apply it to the folder, subfolders and files.
4. When Windows offers to back up your file encryption key, do it, and keep the backup somewhere other than this PC.

• Good: built in, free, and invisible once it's on — you open files normally.
• Catch: it's tied to your Windows account. Anyone who signs in as you can open the files, and if the account or PC breaks and you never backed up the key, the files are gone. Files lose their encryption when copied to a USB stick, email or most cloud folders.

Option 2: a password-protected 7-Zip archive (any edition)

Install the free 7-Zip, select the files → 7-Zip → Add to archive, choose 7z, set a password and tick Encrypt file names. It uses AES-256.

• Good: free, strong, works on Windows 10 Home, and the archive stays encrypted wherever you copy it.
• Catch: you extract the archive to use a file, and the extracted copies are easy to forget. A lost password can't be recovered.

Option 3: an encryption app (any edition)

Clavis Encrypt encrypts files where they are, on Windows 10 Home and Pro alike. It installs without administrator rights and gives you a recovery key in case you forget your password.

1. Download Clavis Encrypt and run the installer.
2. Create your vault with a strong password and write down or print the recovery key it shows you.
3. In File Explorer, right-click a file → Clavis → Encrypt. On Windows 10 the Clavis entry is right in the menu. You can also drag files onto the Clavis window.

The file becomes a .enc file with a random name, sealed with AES-256-GCM, and it stays encrypted when you copy it to a USB stick, email it or put it in OneDrive. Double-click it to open it again. Clavis Free encrypts files one at a time; Clavis Pro encrypts whole folders at once.

Also protect the whole drive

File encryption protects specific files everywhere they go. Drive encryption protects everything on the PC if it's lost or stolen while switched off. They work well together.

• Device encryption (many newer PCs, including Home): Settings → Update & Security → Device encryption. If you don't see it, your hardware doesn't support it.
• BitLocker (Pro, Enterprise, Education): Control Panel → BitLocker Drive Encryption → Turn on BitLocker. Save the recovery key somewhere off the PC.

More on the difference: BitLocker vs Device encryption.

Why it matters more on Windows 10 now

Microsoft ended free security updates for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. A PC that no longer gets security fixes is easier to break into, so the files on it deserve an extra layer. Encrypting your most private files means that even if something does get in, those files are unreadable without your password.

Which should you use?

Using Windows 11, or a Home edition? See how to encrypt files on Windows 11 Home. Want to lock a whole folder? See how to encrypt a folder on Windows.

Questions