How to Password Protect a File or Folder in Mac OS X Leopard

If your Apple computer is used by multiple people or you have personal information that you don't want other eyes to see, it may be beneficial to password protect or lock that file so that it can't be deleted, moved or opened by other people. This is easy to do thanks to a standard option that Apple has provided in their OS X Leopard operating system.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Apple Computer
• OS X Leopard

1. Get Info in the menu

   Right click (control+click) the file or folder you want to protect and select Get Info. This can also be done by clicking File > Get Info or by pressing Command+I while the file or folder is selected.

2. Get Info window

   A box will pop up with information about the folder or file selected. You can disregard everything except for the bottom where it says "Sharing & Permissions." Click the arrow to show this information.

3. Lock icon

   You will see a small lock icon on the lower right of this window and you will need to click that to make changes.

4. Password prompt

   A dialogue box will pop up and prompt you to enter your password. This is your system password you setup when you initially booted up your computer for the first time. Enter this password and click 'OK.'

5. Write only (Drop Box) in the menu

   You now have given yourself the ability to change who is able to access or move this particular file or folder on your computer. Change Privileges to 'Write only (Drop Box).' After you have done so, click the lock again to prevent any further changes.

   *There may be more than one user under 'Name.' You can change all their Privileges to 'Write only (Drop Box)' or select them and press the subtract button on the lower left of the window.

6. Locked check box

   Finally, you will want to check the 'Locked' check box located under the General area in the Get Info box. This will prevent the file or folder from being able to be deleted or moved.

7. Now, any time anyone tries to open, move, or delete this protected file or folder, they will need your system password to continue.

Tips & Warnings

• To unlock a file or folder, just follow these instructions backwards.

• If anyone using your computer knows your system password, they will be able to unlock this file or folder provided they know these steps.