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Tech Tips / Windows XP / Security

Right-click to encrypt

By default, you can encrypt files in three ways. One way is to use the Cipher.exe command-line utility.

This command lets you encrypt files, see the encryption status, and create a new EFS recovery agent key and certificate.

Another way is to use Windows Explorer. Right-click a file or folder that you want to encrypt and select Properties. In the dialog box, click the Advanced button. You can now encrypt the file or folder by selecting the Encrypt Contents To Secure Data check box.

But there's also another more hidden way to encrypt and decrypt files. You can encrypt and decrypt files simply by right-clicking the file and selecting Encrypt/Decrypt from the shortcut menu.

You can enable EFS options on the Windows Explorer shortcut menu by editing the registry. Follow these steps:

1. Type regedit.exe in the Run dialog box.
2. Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
   CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced subkey.
3. Point to New on the Edit menu, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Enter EncryptionContextMenu for the value name, and enter 1 for the value data.

Note: Please remember that editing the registry is potentially dangerous. Always have a verified backup before you begin.