Win Secure: The Best Encryption Applications of the Year (153 Chars)

Encryption helps you cipher your data so that it remains inaccessible to others—unless they enter a key or decryption password. And given the rise in online scams and malware, if you’re a regular Windows user it’s best to keep your data encrypted and add another layer of security.

But having to choose from an abundance of encryption apps can be paralyzing, and more often than not it’s end in a wearied inaction. To cut down your search time, we went through a host of options and have listed down the best encryption tools for Windows.

1. 7-Zip

While 7-Zip has made its name as one of the best tools for compressing and decompressing your computer files , it does a fantastic job of encrypting them as well.

For this, it uses a 256-bit AES cipher , which you can enable for encrypting your files. When you encrypt the archive hierarchy with 7-Zip, you’ll have to enter a password before you see the filenames contained within the archive.

The app is licensed under GNU LGPL , which means you can freely use the code base even in your propriety tool. However, making changes to the code base itself will require attributions in some form or another, and you will have to share the code as well.

The app is very straightforward. So, select your files, compress them into an archive, and then put the encryption with a strong password.

Download:7-Zip (Free)

2. VeraCrypt

A lot of encryption tools borrow the closed-source encryption model of big tech companies. That means the data is, ultimately, at the whims of corporations or governments. For you, it means you’re still not as secure as you might want.

VeraCrypt is different. It has an open-source encryption algorithm, which means no company or government can force VeraCrypt to decrypt your files.

Of course, there are a slew of other tiny features that caught our attention as well:

• The app is cross-compatible and works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• You can encrypt complete partitions or storage devices such as a USB flash drive or even a hard drive.
• Encryption will be automatic and real-time.
• Provides a feature for plausible deniability: This means that you can easily deny you have the ability to decrypt files or folders, or that you have done any encryption at all. This is a handy feature that lets you off the hook if you’re being forced to decrypt your data. To know more about these features, check out the Plausible Deniability page from the official VeraCrypt website .

You can, of course, get the app for free from the downloads page of the official website. All these features make VeraCrypt one of the best encryption tools for Windows.

Download:VeraCrypt (Free)

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3. Age

Are you comfortable with a command line? Or maybe if you aren’t for now, you’re ready to get your hands dirty and learn the ins and outs of CMD ? If so, we’d recommend you give Age a go.

Age is a modern file encryption format, tool, and Go library . It offers handy features such as a simple, text-based input interface (where you can put in your commands) and modern encryption powered by an XChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption algorithm —making it a force to be reckoned with.

When it comes to password management, Age offers password-based encryption and decryption, as well as key management. So if you’re looking for an encryption tool based on a command-line interface (CLI), Age is definitely worth checking out.

Download:Age (Free)

4. Gpg4win

Explicitly designed with Windows in mind, Gpg4win should be your software of choice if you’re looking for something based on long-term, well-established standards.

The app helps you move your files and emails across different channels securely, all with the help of encryption and digital signatures.

While the application of encryption is understandable, few know how vital digital signatures are as well. Simply put, they ensure your files are not transferred half-heartedly and appear with an official electronic stamp to ensure its integrity.

So, check out the free app and see if fits your requirements of encryption and security.

Download: Gpg4win (Free)

5. BitLocker

BitLocker is a disk-enabled encryption feature from Microsoft that lets you protect your data by providing helpful information. Perhaps the only drawback is that the feature is only available in Pro/Enterprise/Education versions of Windows.

So if you’re using any of the above versions of Windows, you can use this feature and pick one of the two methods of encryption: hardware-based encryption using a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip or software-based encryption using a password or USB flash drive.

The tool is available for free for the above-mentioned Windows versions. You can check out how to use BitLocker on Windows for a more in-depth guide.

Download:BitLocker (Free)

6. Cryptomator

If you dabble in cloud computing a lot, Cryptomator should be the tool of choice for you. Regardless of what the cloud companies tell you, your data isn’t completely safe when you’re storing it on the cloud.

Take the incident with LastPass in 2022, when hackers broke into LastPass’s cloud storage and stole information about its users.

Because most cloud service providers encrypt data during transmission or keep these keys for themselves, it suffices to say that your data will be far from secure; in fact, these keys can be easily stolen, copied, or misused.

With Cryptomator, only you have the keys to decrypt the data. Cryptomator is also open-source, so the code base is openly available to everyone, and users can verify it and see that it does not have any backdoors.

It also receives periodic independent security audits from the open-source community—the details are openly published on the official Cryptomator website . So if you’re doing anything cloud-based, Cryptomator is one of the best encryption apps on Windows.

Downloads: Crytpomator (Free)

7. AxCrypt

AxCrypt is a top encryption app on Windows that helps you keep your files secure. If you’re someone who doesn’t like to or have the time to learn all about encryption , the simple user interface of AxCrypt is just what you’re looking for.

Here are a few other features of the app that caught our attention:

• Strong AES-256 encryption keeps your data secure.
• Allows key sharing.
• With the Mobile Encryption feature, you can also encrypt your Android or iOS from anywhere.
• File wipe feature to delete your unencrypted files. Because of this feature, even recovery apps can’t recover these deleted files.

All of these features make AxCrypt a nice addition to your encryption needs on Windows. The only drawback is the app doesn’t offer a free version, but you can try out the one-month trial version and then make up your mind.

Download: AxCrypt (Free trial available, paid)

The Best Encryptions Apps for Your Windows PC

Encryption, and cybersecurity in general, is no more just a passion for a select few hobbyists. With almost everything going digital, it’s of utmost importance to keep up with the best cybersecurity practices; using an encryption app is one such practice.

Make sure you go through the homepage of each app we’ve listed above for more information, then pick one and use it for a while. This will help you figure out what you need from your app much more quickly than simply reading about what apps to try.

But having to choose from an abundance of encryption apps can be paralyzing, and more often than not it’s end in a wearied inaction. To cut down your search time, we went through a host of options and have listed down the best encryption tools for Windows.

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