Type in your desired filename and select the location in the file browser Select Create an encrypted file containerĬlick Select File… in the Volume Location window Select Create Volume from the main application window. Before proceeding you will need to install the VeraCrypt software:ĭownload VeraCrypt directly from the project home page or from Sourceforge and follow the install instructions.

Proceed with caution and understand the potential data loss risks. If you lose or forget your decryption key (password) - the encrypted data is effectively lost. ** Reminder: modern encryption tools are very powerful. If you are interested in a full-disk encryption solution with your Whitman-owned/managed device - please contact the WCTS Help Desk or the Information Security Office for a discussion about the options available to you.įor personal machines – you are encouraged to seek out Microsoft's documentation on using Bitlocker drive encryption. (If you are on a Macintosh - there are native tools built into the OS that achieve the same goal – see our Macintosh page here.) The following instructions will walk you through basic setup on a Windows 10 computer. Think of this 'file' as a password protected folder that only opens when properly unlocked. This allows you to create a password-protected container file that will mount as a “drive letter” in Windows Explorer only after a decryption key is entered - without the decryption key, the data is unreadable by anyone who merely has access to the file. VeraCrypt is a cross-platform encryption tool that allows you to create ‘containers’ on your local hard drive.

(for simple file-based encryption - check the help files for a particular software product – many, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat, have built-in tools to encrypt (password-protect) documents.

Creating Encrypted Containers with VeraCrypt

Windows 10 encrypted files