Google Drive is not a perfect cloud storage service. To ensure your files and folders remain secure, you need to protect Google Drive folder. It is important to note that you can’t set a password directly for your folders. You must use other methods to achieve the same effect.
Your Google account is the entry point to Google Drive cloud service. If your Google account is hacked, the lack of password protection can pose a risk to all your drive files. We can add an additional layer of security to your account by creating a strong password. Next, we will restrict access to your business files. You might be bored by the drive’s bright background.
How to Password Protect Google Drive Folder
It is not possible to protect data stored in a cloud-based storage platform like Google Drive. You can protect your Google Drive folder content by password protecting it. Strong passwords are required to password-protect your folder. Use a pin or password to make it as secure as possible and share your information and data.
These are some ways to protect your Google Drive. Before you share links to your Google drive folder, you can password protect it directly or indirectly.
Protect Your Google Account
Your Google Account password is vital to account security. You can password protect your Google Drive folder by creating a strong password. Although you don’t have direct control of any folder, it can be a shield for the entire account.
To protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access, you can enable two-factor authentication. For privacy and security reasons, make sure to change your password. It is possible to do this often, so that no one can break into your account. Strong passwords that include a mixture of numbers, letters, and special characters should be used to password-protect Google Drive folders. To keep your account organized, you should also remove duplicate files from Google Drive. These steps will ensure your account folders remain safe, even if you share your password with others.
Google Drive Folder Access Management
You can password protect your Google Drive folder by deciding who should have access to which folders. You are not creating a password, but you can keep folder protection by access control. You can protect a folder within your Google Drive account by following the steps below and keeping it private.
Open Google Drive. Go to My Drive. Right-click the folder that you wish to secure and choose “View Details” from the context menu.Select View Details
Click the Manage access button in the box that opens. Click Manage Access
Click on the down-arrow next to names to remove access. To assign a role to the recipient, you can choose to be Viewer, Commenter or Editor. Select Remove Access
Select “Restricted” under General access.Select Restricted
Your folder is now private.
Protect Microsoft Office Files before you upload
You can password-protect the Google Drive folder as well as individual files. If you have Microsoft Office installed on the computer, it is easy to upload a file with a password. We will show you how to add a password to a Word document and provide additional security. This method is not applicable if there are thousands of files that need to be password protected.
Click on the File tab in a Word document.Select File Tab
Click on “Info” to open the left menu. Then, select Protect Document to the right.Select Info > Protect Document
From the drop-down menu, select “Encrypt with Password” to proceed.Select Encrypt With Password
Click “OK” to close the pop-up window.Enter Password And Click OK
You can now upload the file to Google Drive.
Google Forms Password Protection for the Shareable Link
Google Forms allows you to password protect your Google Drive folder. However, this is not the traditional method. Protect a Google Form by using a password, and then send the link to your cloud folder or file through this form. If the recipient wants to access the folder, they will need to go through the password protected Google Form. Let’s look at the steps.
Open Google Forms, and click “Blank” in the Start a new Form section. Select Blank
Select “Short answer” in the Untitled form. Type “What is your password?” in the Untitled Question textbox. Next, click on the vertical three dots menu and choose “Response validation”.Select Response Validation
Select “Regular expression” from the first drop-down menu. Next, enter your password in the Patterns field. Enter your custom error text message “Wrong Password” in the Custom Error Text field. This message will be displayed if the recipient enters the wrong password.Enter Password And Custom Error Message
Select the Settings tab. Next, click on “Edit” next to the Confirmation message.Click Edit
Copy the link from the Confirmation message box to your drive folder. Next, click on “Save” or “Send” to choose the recipients and then send the form via email.Click Save And Send Form
Only recipients will be able to open the shared folder link if they have entered the correct password.
Google Drive – Upload an encrypted folder
Although it is not possible to password-protect Google Drive folders with a dedicated folder lock you can password lock the folder on local storage and upload it. To encrypt the folder, you will need a password. The password is required by the recipients to access the folder. These are the steps.
Find the folder that you wish to share using File Explorer. Right-click the folder and choose “Properties.”Select Properties
Click the Advanced button in the General tab.Clicked Advanced Button
Click “OK” to select “Encrypt contents for data security” under Compress or Encrypt attributes.Check Encrypt Contents To Secure Data And Click OK
Click “Apply” in the Properties window. Next, click on “OK.” To back up the file encryption key and certificate, select “Backup now.” Then, enter the password to decrypt the folder.
Now, the folder with password can be uploaded to Google Drive
Upload A Password Protected Zip File To Google Drive
Uploading regular zip files to Google Drive will not allow you to password protect it. You can however specify a password to protect the zip folder by downloading and installing 7-Zip, an archive utility. After you have uploaded it, the person with access must enter the password to unzip it. Let’s see how it can be done.
Right-click the folder or file you wish to zip, and then open the 7Zip menu. Next, click “Add to archive”.Select 7-Zip > Add To Archive
Please enter your password in the password box, then reenter it and click “OK.”Enter The Password And Click OK
Now your zip folder can be uploaded to Google Drive
Encrypt folders with third-party encryption software
There are many third-party encryption programs that can encrypt your local folders in the same way as Google Drive. These encrypted folders can be then uploaded to cloud folders. These tools can help protect your files, folders and drives from unauthorised access. EaseUS LockMyFile, for example, uses an encryption method to ensure your data is protected. This tool is ideal for business users.
Register with a valid email address. Next, click Protecting File > Protect folder and select the folders that you wish to lock. You can also protect files and drives in the same manner.EaseUS LockMyFile
Other third-party software with similar features include VeraCrypt, which uses AES256-bit encryption technology, and WinRAR.
You can manage access to a folder on your Android device
This method will allow you to control access to Google Drive from your Android phone. This is the easiest method to password-protect your Google Drive folder from your mobile device. Similar to how you did it on your PC, there are no additional steps.
Open the Google Drive app from your Android device. Open the Google Drive app on your Android device.Tap On The Vertical Three-Dot Menu
Click on “Details & Activity”Tap On Details And Activity
Tap on the arrow next to Who has access.Tap On The Arrow Near Who Has Access
To set file access permissions as Viewer, Commenter or Editor, tap the “Editor” button under the name of the person. If necessary, you can also remove access.Change Permission
If you wish to restrict access to the folder, tap on the “Restricted”, under General Access.Select Restricted
Last Thoughts
No matter if you use Google Drive from your mobile device or computer, there must be a way to password protect Google Drive folder. When you share folders or files with others, they must give you a password so that they can open them. However, the password protection feature does not allow you to assign a folder password directly.
Third-party software and manual methods can be used to provide the same level of security as password protection. Keep your Google account safe to ensure that only authorized users can access the services.
