One never knows when one of your files can reach someone it wasn’t intended for – perhaps through a forwarded email, a USB stick left on the desk, or maybe even an unauthorized user who has access to your computer.
If that happens, password protection is all that stands between your data and the people you don’t want to see it. This is an extra layer of security that you can add to your most sensitive files without much trouble.
How you do this will depend on the software you use to create the file in the first place. Some apps have built-in password protection features, while in other cases you’ll need to lock your files using a different method.
Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for Windows, open the file you want to password protect, then select File and Information. You should see a security option at the top of the following list: Click this button, select Password encryptionand enter your password.
Passwords can be up to 15 characters long and are case sensitive, so double check what you type. If you forget the password for a document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you won’t be able to get back into it — you’ll have to start over.
If you’re using Office on macOS, the process is slightly different: Open Review in the menu bar at the top, then click Protect password input button. (The button will be labeled slightly differently depending on the program you’re participating in.)
Google Docs, Sheets and Slides
Google Drive doesn’t have a password protection feature as such, because your files are already protected by a password: the password associated with your Google Account that you use to sign in and view your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
