Encryption is the matter of safety, I've always said. If you want to keep movies, pictures and other files under a safe lock, choose a password protective software from our guide.

Have a private document on your desktop OS? Here's how to keep it secure on Linux, MacOS, and Windows.

Laptops, external drives, and USB sticks are especially vulnerable to data theft, but with Windows and a few tools, you can protect them using encryption.

EncryptOnClick is a portable and a simple-to-use encryption software for Windows, that lets you encrypt and password protect files and data in a click.

To lock a file up, install 7-Zip, right-click what you want to protect, and select Add to archive. Set your password and check "encrypt file names".

Here's how to use DiskCryptor, BitLocker, or TrueCrypt to encrypt sensitive documents or even entire hard drives in Windows.

Sending important documents? Learn how to password protect PDFs for extra security using easy steps with Adobe Acrobat and free online tools.

List of freeware to encrypt Notepad text files in Windows. Encrypt Notepad file and secure and protect it using Safe Pad, Secret Pad & Encrypted Notepad.

Learn to secure multiple documents by encrypting compressed files on various OSes using a password.

How to Put an Encryption on WinRAR. File compression programs, such as WinRAR, enable you to reduce the size of files, which make it easier to email or store these archives.