The big names in the market offer users an ever-growing amount of space to store all their data under the comfort and security of the cloud… but once they are there, the truth is that we lose a little control over them, right? One way to avoid it is encrypt the files before they are uploaded to each service. Today we'll present five free tools that do this job perfectly, and that don't just work with the cloud.
If you want to encrypt data, there are generally two paths: encrypting the entire drive, or focusing on individual folders and files. So why not get the best of both worlds? All those gigabytes from free services, and strong encryption before the upload. Today we'll suggest five options:
BoxCryptor
The idea of BoxCryptor is to create a special folder inside a service like Dropbox and place all your files there. This makes it a bit more complicated to use, since you need a username and a password to access the content, even if it's stored locally. Still, its file encryption is excellent, and it comes highly recommended.
AxCrypt
One of the details users have most appreciated about AxCrypt is its integration with the context menu. With just two clicks, any file becomes encrypted immediately. Another very interesting feature is scheduled encryption, which protects files for a while and then returns them to normal. Now, AxCrypt doesn't work unless you create an account, but aside from that, we find no limits.
Encrypto
Encrypto can be defined with just three words: easy to use. Once installed, all you have to do to encrypt files is drag them onto its interface. Each file will ask for a password, and you can also add a hint to help you remember it. Encrypted files are saved under the ".crypto" extension, and if necessary, they can be shared with a couple of clicks.
EncFS MP
Apparently, EncFS MP shares many technical aspects with BoxCryptor (or is it the other way around?), but I must admit it's much easier to use. Its Spartan interface doesn't remove its intuitiveness, and once its folder is created, moving encrypted files presents no difficulty.
7-Zip
To close this list, we simply cannot ignore 7-Zip. We all know it as an excellent compressor, but we shouldn't lose sight of the AES-256 encryption support that compressed files can receive. It's also very useful for encrypting multiple files: just put them in a .7z file, assign a strong password, and check the box to protect their names.
Am I forgetting something? Do you think another program deserves a place here? Don't hesitate to mention it in the comments. And if the cloud doesn't fully convince you as a backup medium, nothing prevents you from storing encrypted files on a USB drive or an external disk. Good luck!
