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How to encrypt a file on mac for password protection?
Any Mac user here? I found out it is more quick to get a reply in here and more user friend than the official apple community. I need to encrypt a sensitive file on my Mac (running macOS Sequoia), b...
If you prefer a simple password-protected ZIP file, you can encrypt a file on mac using Archive Utility (ZIP with Password.) Here is how to do it:
1. Select the file(s) or folder you want to encrypt.
2. Right-click and choose Compress [filename] (or use File > Compress in Finder).
3. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
4. Run the following command to password protect a file on mac:
zip -er encrypted.zip /path/to/files_to_encrypt-e enables encryption.
-r includes subdirectories (if applicable).
5. Enter and verify a password when prompted.
6. The encrypted ZIP file (encrypted.zip) will be created in the current directory.
⚠️ Note: ZIP encryption is weaker than AES-256 (used by Disk Utility). Use this for convenience, not high-security needs.