patrick.net

Search for Command Prompt in the Start menu search bar, and then double click to launch it.
You now need to change the working directory to the folder that contains your files. For example, if I wanted to encrypt files in the test folder that is located on my desktop, I would use the command cd Desktop\Test.
Now type cipher /e.
Your files will now be encrypted, and Windows should show you a confirmation message to tell you that it completed the task successfully.



Launch Command Prompt through the Start menu
Change the working directory to the required folder
Decrypt files using the command cipher /d.
Command Prompt will now decrypt your files and will display a confir

Also type help to see the list of options. You can create a cert key to use to encrypt and decrypt as well.

ok......i did it and it says 1 file encrypted but when i open the file on the desktop its not encrypted

@komputodo I use GPG for this on a Mac. Maybe I had to install GPG, can't remember. Also works on Linux. Not sure about Windows.

To encrypt:

% gpg -c secret_file.txt
Enter passphrase: (makes you enter the passphrase twice to be sure you're typing it right)

Now I have an encrypted .gpg file as well as the plain text (secret_file.txt.gpg and secret_file.txt). I remove secret_file.txt at that point.

To decrypt:

% gpg secret_file.txt.gpg
gpg: AES encrypted data
Enter passphrase:

If you got the password right, then you once again have the two files, encrypted and not.

Maybe more than what you need but Keepass can save notes as well as passwords. You have to install, but it's a desktop program(NO cloud). A LUKS encrypted thumbdrive would also work.

Just one more thing, are you using Mac or Windows? If you are, and don't have Pihole, along with some stringent restrictions on the machine, you're data is never your own. Also, if you give out your real name and home address to anyone, especially someone who inputs it into a computer, you're personal data is everywhere.

Your question is vastly layered, so knowing the type of data being encrypted and the purpose would help to narrow it down more. What is known as a "threat model".

Use password protected excel sheet with strange font. Technically it's not encrypted but ppl can't get to it
Also you can write text in vb code in excel .

I'm not sure if I'm answering the question, but Pop!OS encryption of the hard drive is a default setting.

OS/hard drive encryption is pretty common now, but it's only active when the computer is off. The question here is about encrypting a file all the time except when in use.

If you are just encrypting text you can try this if it isn't big...

https://thinktt.github.io/enigmaX/ - website

https://github.com/thinktt/enigmaX - read me

NuttBoxer says

Your question is vastly layered, so knowing the type of data being encrypted and the purpose would help to narrow it down more.

I just wanted to encrypt a common windows text file that has all my bank and tdameritrade passwords and my SS number and password in case i die suddenly from the monkeypox or whatever. Then put it on a thumbdrive and delete it from my pc....she can save the thumbdrive with the encrypted file.
I did find a simple way to encrypt the file using Notepad++ with NppCrypt..the saved encrypted file looks like garbage text.

Ahh, you definitely need to look into Keepass. Offline password manager capable of extreme encryption. The only limitation is the resources on your machine. Been around for a while, open source, and stores everything in an encrypted db file. You can even create a master password file you load from a thumb drive, so impossible to keylog. It's a desktop app, no network requests ever.

I have also heard that Keepass is a good way to go.
I'm going to do this myself.

1Password might be something to look into as well. We use that where I work.

NuttBoxer says

Ahh, you definitely need to look into Keepass. Offline password manager capable of extreme encryption. The only limitation is the resources on your machine. Been around for a while, open source, and stores everything in an encrypted db file. You can even create a master password file you load from a thumb drive, so impossible to keylog. It's a desktop app, no network requests ever.

I tried it but gave up. I use a rolodex. Its old school but it works.

What does a RAID do in a desktop computer?

I believe you are asking about this: https://www.westerndigital.com/solutions/raid

komputodo says

I did find a simple way to encrypt the file using Notepad++ with NppCrypt.

I love Notepad++ it has been my most valuable developer tool. I wish it had a mode where it stores the docs internally and you could password protect the executable. Like a tab database, where you save and could load different tab sessions. As it is now, I have a couple hundred tabs open on NP++. I try to close some often but then you have to wade through an ocean of save or discard changes confirmations. Another feature I wish it had, close tabs without prompting to save. When I'm working on a project, I'll put snippets in NP++, to format, or build code until I'm ready to insert into my codebase in a class file or js in my project in VS studio or what ever I'm using. Then I leave them open because I go back to them often when I'm doing something similar at a later date.
It's saved my ass countless times to rebuild lost code. As every major important complex piece of code in the project, will be on a tab in NPPP.

Tenpoundbass says

I love Notepad++

Me too but I've been force to dev on a Mac the past 2.5 years.

clambo says

I have also heard that Keepass is a good way to go.
I'm going to do this myself.

i tried out keepass and it works for passwords but i couldn't figure out how to get it to encrypt a whole text file

You would have to copy the file into the notes section of an entry.

just_passing_through says

1Password might be something to look into as well. We use that where I work.

The only issue with 1Pasword or Lastpass is they are not offline, so the attack surface is increased. Lastpass was actually hacked in the past year. If you want the convenience of a cloud solution, I'd go with Bitwarden. Open source, and regularly plugged in the reddit security spaces.

gabbar says

What does a RAID do in a desktop computer?

RAID is for a server. The general idea is redundancy and speed for centralized data and storage.