

Plug your USB flash drive to your computer and decide on the files or folders you want to secure. Install WINRAR once the download is complete. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

To use WINRAR, you have to download it from the official website. To encrypt and password-protect the folders in your USB drive, follow the easy steps outlined below. Files encrypted with WINRAR have the extension '. WINRAR is a piece of software that allows you to compress files and also encrypt them. With the WINRAR software, you can compile the contents of your USB drive and encrypt flash drive in a password-protected folder.

Method 2: Password Protect Thumb Drive Documents.Reboot the computer and attempt to write to the drive by opening a file and saving it. Type “WriteProtect” and press “Enter” to name the new value.ĭouble-click “WriteProtect,” set the value to “0” and click “OK.” Right-click “StorageDevicePolicies,” hover your mouse over “New” and select “DWORD (32-bit) Value.” Select a location and name for the backup REG file and click “Save.”Ĭlick the “StorageDevicePolicies” subkey, located under “Control.” If you don’t have this subkey, right-click on “Control,” hover your mouse cursor over “New” and select “Key” to create it manually. You can use this backup to “roll back” the changes you made if any problems arise. Right-click on “Control” and select “Export.” This will allow you to create a backup of the key that you are about to modify. Press “Enter.”ĭouble-click “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SYSTEM | CurrentControlSet | Control.” Log off Windows and log back in using an administrator account if you are not already logged in as an administrator.Ĭlick "Start" and type “regedit” (without quotes) in the Search box. Not many drives have one, but if yours does, setting this switch to the “Off” position will enable you to save or edit files on the drive without taking any further steps. However, if you want to edit or save any of these files, proceed to the steps below.ĭisconnect the flash drive and look to see if it has a write-protect switch. You may view all of the files on the drive while it’s write-protected. Double-click the flash drive to open it in Windows Explorer.
