{"id":48802,"date":"2022-10-05T21:03:27","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T21:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4ba6705d-b390-471b-ac3e-b736c4b01cc0"},"modified":"2022-10-05T21:03:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T21:03:27","slug":"how-to-encrypt-a-folder-in-macos-to-keep-sensitive-data-from-prying-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/how-to-encrypt-a-folder-in-macos-to-keep-sensitive-data-from-prying-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to encrypt a folder in MacOS to keep sensitive data from prying eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jason Cipriani\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You probably have sensitive data on your MacBook or iMac. That data might live in a folder that contains various files with company secrets or your own personal information. Unencrypted, that folder can be viewed by anyone with access to your desktop or laptop. <\/p>\n

However, if you encrypt that folder, only those with the decryption password are able to access the contents within.<\/p>\n

You can achieve folder encryption with a third-party application, but there’s also a built-in tool that can do this for you. Said tool is Disk Utility, and it makes encrypting existing folders on your MacOS machine very easy.<\/p>\n

The caveat to the method I will outline is that it creates an encrypted image from the folder and leaves the original intact. On top of this, once you’ve created the encrypted image, you cannot add new items to it. Because of this, the method is really best suited for either encrypted backups or encrypting folders that will not need to be changed.<\/p>\n

Also: <\/strong>The best encryption software: Protect your data<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

How to encrypt a folder in MacOS to keep sensitive data from prying eyes <\/h2>\n

Let me show you how it’s done.<\/p>\n

Requirements<\/h2>\n

The only thing you’ll need for this is an updated version of MacOS running on either a MacBook or iMac. I’ll be demonstrating on a MacBook Pro<\/span><\/a><\/span> with an Apple Silicone M1 chip and MacOS Monterey (v 12.6). I would highly recommend you test out this process on a folder that doesn’t contain any important documents. Once you know how to successfully encrypt folders, you can then do so with those folders that do contain important information.<\/p>\n

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Click the Launchpad icon on your Dock and type Disk Utility. When the Disk Utility launcher appears, click it to open the app.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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With Disk Utility open click File > New Image > Image from Folder. When the folder picker popup appears, navigate to and select the folder you want to encrypt, and click Choose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Creating a new encrypted image from a folder in MacOS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jack Wallen\/ZDNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In the resulting popup window, do the following:<\/p>\n