20 Best Encryption Software For Windows (Encrypt Hard Drive)

Nowadays, people are mostly aware of privacy protections, and the great thing is that all are taking proper steps to protect privacy. In the world of privacy protection, the data/file encryption software plays a vital role.

With proper file encryption software, one can protect their valuable data. If you are into some business, then the exposure of confidential data can result in financial losses. For a personal computer, file encryption software can be used to backup files, and password protects folders, etc.

So, if you have been searching for the best file encryption software, then this article might help you. Below, we have discussed some of the best free file encryption software to keep your data secure.

20 Best Encryption Software For Windows (Encrypt Hard Drive)

Note: We have not shared the download link of the software due to security reasons. You can search the software name on Google to get the download link.

1. AxCrypt

It is one of the best encryption software for windows 10 that is perfect for encrypting any files on your computer. AxCrypt is the leading open-source file encryption software for Windows. The encryption tool for Windows integrates seamlessly with Windows to compress, encrypt, decrypt, store, send, and work with individual files.

2. DiskCryptor

It is open-source encryption software that offers encryption of all disk partitions, including the system partition. Compared to every other encryption software, Diskcryptor offers more features and it’s fast. It can password protect hard disk drives, SDD, and USB drives.

3. VeraCrypt

It’s another best and top-rated encryption utility on the list which you can use on Windows. The great thing about VeraCrypt is that it creates a virtual encrypted disk. Apart from that, it can also encrypt a partition or the entire storage device.

4. Dekart Private Disk

If you are searching for an easy to use Encryption tool for Windows, then you need to give Dekart Private disk a try. Just like VeraCrypt, Dekart Private Disk also creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.

5. 7-Zip

It is a well-known compression tool that helps you to encrypt files. With this tool, you can compress files and then protect them with password protection. 7-Zip is lightweight, free, and very easy to use. So, 7-zip is another best encryption tool that you can use on Windows 10 computers.

6. Gpg4win

The encryption utility enables users to exchange emails and files securely with the help of encryption and digital signatures. Encryption protects the contents against an unwanted party reading it. Digital signatures make sure that it is not modified and comes from a specific sender. Gpg4win supports both relevant cryptography standards, OpenPGP and S/MIME (X.509), and is the official GnuPG distribution for Windows. You can take GPG4Win as the best encrypting file system app.

7. Windows 10 Device Encryption

It is the feature that is pre-built in Windows 10. For encrypting your drive, you need to sign in to Windows with a Microsoft Account. Your recovery key will automatically get uploaded to Microsoft’s servers. You can navigate to System > About and look for a “Device encryption.”

8. Bitlocker

This is a full-disk encryption feature included with selected editions of Windows. It is designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes. By default, it uses the AES encryption algorithm in cipher block chaining (CBC) or XTS mode with a 128-bit or 256-bit key. CBC is not used over the whole disk, only for each disk sector. You can check out our guide on how to use Bitlocker to encrypt Windows 10 drive.

9. Symantec Drive Encryption

This tool encrypts data against unauthorized access that secures your sensitive information. Some other features of Symantec drive encryption are an easy passphrase; machine recovery provides local self-recovery, one-time-use tokens, and other recovery options.

10. Rohos Mini Drive

It creates a hidden and encrypted partition on a USB flash drive. If you have many private files on the USB drive and want to keep them secret, you can protect them with a password and strong encryption with Rohos Mini Drive. The portable version allows you to work with an encrypted USB drive partition on any PC. It’s one of the most used and best encryption software for windows 10.

11. Challenger

This is a free tool that works on Windows, and it has some extraordinary features like portable encryption, encryption for cloud storage, and much more. Challenger is available in two versions for private computers, and you can choose the free version, whereas the full version offers some extended features.

12. AES Crypt

It is a file encryption software available on several operating systems that uses the industry-standard Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to easily and securely encrypt files. When using Windows, the only thing you need to do is right-click on the file, select AES Encrypt or AES Decrypt, enter a password, and AES Crypt will do the rest.

13. SecurStick

This is another media encryption tool that uses AES-256 to secure all the data stored on a USB drive or any other removable media. Well, SecurStick doesn’t need to be an administrator on your computer to use it, and it works in Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.

14. Folder Lock

Well, if you are searching for a Windows 10 tool to password protect only folders, then Folder lock might be the best pick for you. It’s a lightweight utility that lets you password protect folders, password protect USB, etc.

15. Cryptainer LE

Secure your data and ensure absolute privacy with Cypherix’s, Cryptainer LE. It uses the powerful 448-bit encryption to create multiple 100 MB encrypted drives (vaults) on your hard disk. These encrypted disk drives can be loaded and unloaded when needed.

16. CertainSafe

Well, Certainsafe is basically a deposit box that goes through multistage security that authenticates you to the website and authenticates the site to you. With Certainsafe all your files are encrypted and are split into chunks. Each of the chunks gets stored on a different server, which makes it secure from various hacking attempts.

17. CryptoForge

This software solution allows individuals and organizations to secure their sensitive data with professional encryption. You can secure files on your computer, upload encrypted files and folders to the cloud. So, cryptoforge is one of the best encryption software for windows 10 that you can use today.

18. InterCrypto

Well, InterCrypto data encryption tools can encrypt individual files and create self-decrypting versions of your files. InterCrypto can perform whole media encryption with CD Encryption Software or USB Flash Drive encryption software.

19. LaCie Private-Public

This is one of the best encryption tools which is open-source in nature. This tool comes in less than 1 MB in size, and it allows users to store private data by creating an encrypted volume. The best part about LaCie Private-Public is that it’s portable and can be run on the system even without the installation.

20. Tor Browser

Well, this is not like other software listed above; it’s a web browser that allows users to access the web anonymously. Tor, which stands for The Onion Router, directs your web traffic by encrypting the IP Addresses from where it came.

21. CryptoExpert 8

It is one of the best Windows encryption tools that you can have on your computer right now. Guess what? It offers a secure vault where you can store all your important files and folders. Not just that, but it also offers multiple backs up options like you can backup files, certificates, folders, etc. The secure vault uses the AES-256 grade encryption algorithm to secure your files.

22. FileVault 2

As the name of the tool says, FileVault 2 is another best and most unique encryption tool that you can ever have on your Windows 10 computer. The best thing is that the tool uses XTS-AES-128 encryption mode to secure your files and folders that you store under the vault. So, FileVault 2 is another best Windows encryption tool that you can have right now.

23. LastPass

Well, LastPass is a password manager tool that can help you to secure your passwords and personal data. The encryption tool is absolutely free, and it allows users to save passwords. Not just that, but LastPass also offers an extension for Google Chrome and Firefox browser that makes the password shaving and locking process much easier. So, LastPass is another great security tool that you can have right now.

How To Encrypt Hard Disk Drive Using BitLocker

Well, BitLocker is one of the best disk encryption tools which comes with the Windows operating system. You can use the default BitLocker to password protect your drive with passwords. So, let’s know how to encrypt files windows 10 with BitLocker.

Step 1. First of all, head to the Control Panel and then click on ‘BitLocker Drive Encryption’

Step 2. In the next window, you need to turn on the BitLocker. For example, if you need to encrypt the entire C drive, then select C drive and click on ‘Turn On BitLocker’

Step 3. In the next window, enter the new password and confirm it. Click on ‘Next’

Step 4. Now its time to save your key somewhere. You can choose to save the recovery key on your Microsoft account, save a file on your computer, or print the recovery key.

Step 5. Now click on ‘Start Encryption’ and wait until the process completes.

That’s it, you are done! Now, whenever you will try to access the encrypted drive, you will be prompted to enter the password.

So above are all Best Encryption Software for Windows. I had listed the top best tools that you can use to secure your files from illegal access by encrypting them with these tools. I hope you like these tools! Do share with others too. Leave a comment below if you have any related queries with this.