There are many reasons why someone to want to password protect a folder in their Mac computers. It is definitely more beneficial to password protect an entire folder, than just a file here and there. You can add more folders within the main password protected folder and keep a large amount of data safe within this structure. Backing up a folder is definitely more convenient. You can also copy your protected folder onto a USB drive and carry it with you, without worrying about anyone opening your folder by mistake.
This article describes the methods that you can use to password protect your folders on a Mac computer.
You can password protect a folder using built-in OS X software. To do so:
This process creates an ordinary Macintosh disk image (.dmg) file. The disk image contains the entire contents of the folder, but cannot be opened unless the correct password is supplied. To open this folder, just double-click the .dmg file in the Finder tool. A password dialog box will appear. Once you supply your correct password, Finder will automatically un-encrypt your data and mount the image as a disk.
Once the image is mounted, create a folder inside the encrypted disk image. Create an Alias (not a symbolic link, but a Finder alias from the File menu) to the new folder inside the disk image. Copy this alias to your desktop and then unmount the disk image.
Double-clicking on the alias should prompt you for the password to the disk image, mount the disk image, and open a Finder window for the aliased folder. Make sure that you unmount the disk image when you leave your computer unattended.
To increase the size of your disk image, perform the following tasks:
Once you have completed all the instructions, you will be able to password protect your files and folders at any time.
If you are using the OS X Leopard operating system, use the following instructions to use your system password to lock a folder or file in your Mac:
Step 1: Right click (control+click) the file or folder you want to protect and select Get Info (Alternatively, navigate to File > Get Info, or press Command+I while the file or folder is selected).
Step 2: The Get Info window displays information about the folder or file you have chosen to protect. Click the arrow to display Sharing & Permissions.
Step 3: You will see a small lock icon on the lower right of the Sharing & Permissions window. Click the lock icon to make your changes.
Step 4: You will be prompted to enter your password. This is the system password that you provided when you set up your system for the first time. Provide your password and click OK.
Step 5: You now have given the write permission to the folder or file that whose security settings you want to modify. Change Privileges to Write Only (Drop Box).' After you have done so, click the lock again to prevent any further changes.
There may be more than one user under the Name field. You can change Privileges for all users to Write only (Drop Box), or de-select the users by clicking the subtract button on the lower left corner of the window.
Step 6: Finally, you will want to select the Locked check box located in the General tab of the Get Info box. This will prevent the file or folder from being deleted or moved.
If anyone tries to open, move, or delete this protected file or folder, they will need your system password to continue.
John Zamora - article author for different resources like Mac-How.Net. John Zamora - master in resolving many issues such as "Mac password protect folder".
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08252010
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