How to password protect a zip file in Windows 11?

Here is some tricks for using the built-in tool to password protect a zip file in Windows 11.

Add password to an existing zip file

If you already have an unencrypted ZIP file, the follow the steps in below to add password to zip folder:

1. Double click to open the ZIP file.
2. Click "Home" → "Encrypt", enter the password and save.
3. Close the ZIP window to take effect.

Verify that the encryption was successful

Double-click the encrypted ZIP file. If a pop-up message "Password required to extract file" appears, the encryption was successful.

Cautions

1. Problems with file name visibility: After password protecting a zip file by Windows built-in tools, the file names in ZIP are still visible (the contents of the files need a password to be extracted). If you want to hide the file name, you need to use 7-Zip and check "Encrypt file name".

2. Forgotten password cannot be recovered: Microsoft does not provide a password recovery function, so be sure to memorize your password!