Password Protect Folder in Dropbox

You might want to password-protect folders in Dropbox for different reasons. Maybe you want to share a folder with someone else that contains private and confidential files. You might not want someone else using their device to access the data in an unauthorized manner. 

Or maybe you’re looking for an additional layer of security for your private data hosted on the cloud. Even though Dropbox has its own security measures, it’s always a good idea to take additional measures for added protection.

Method 1: Create Password-protected Link Share

As a matter of fact, there is no in-house functionality in Dropbox to password-protect your folders. However, you can generate password-protected links while sharing your folders with others. Password-protecting your links before sharing allows you to control who can view or edit them and set an expiration date. Whenever someone visits an expired link, they will get a link expiration error. They will no longer be able to view that folder.

Steps for Desktop:

1. Sign in to your Dropbox account.
2. Click the All Files option on the sidebar.
3. Select a folder you want to protect and click on the Share icon.
4. Click on Settings.
5. Select Link for Viewing to only allow folder viewing permission. Use Link for Editing to allow both view and edit permissions.
6. Set the Require password toggle to ON.
7. Specify a password for your folder.
8. Optionally, you can set an expiration date so that the password-protected folder will automatically become inaccessible on the date of expiration.
9. Click on the Save button to save your changes.

Steps for Android/ iPhone/ iPad:

1. Open the Dropbox app.
2. Tap the Menu icon (ellipsis) next to the folder you want to protect.
3. Tap the Folder Settings option.
4. Go to Link Settings > Control Access.
5. Toggle the Require password to ON.
6. Tap on Who can view, followed by Only people with a password.
7. Specify a password for your folder.
8. Tap on Save.

Method 2: Upload a Password-protected Zip File

Another way to password-protect your Dropbox folders is to download them, compress and password-protect using a file compression utility and then re-upload them. However, there are benefits and disadvantages of this method.

Benefits:

• Secure your confidential data against hackers, server leaks and other circumstances.
• You can not only password-protect but also encrypt the file contents to secure your data against hackers, server leaks, Man-in-the-Middle Attacks, identity thefts, ransomware attacks, etc.

Disadvantages:

• The procedure involves downloading and re-uploading your folders and their entire contents. The actual time required to perform this operation depends on the size of your folders. If your folders are larger in size, the whole operation may take a while.
• You may not be able to view your password-protected zip folders directly in Dropbox. This is because Dropbox does not support opening compressed files. You will need to download them again every time you want to view their contents. This is a major drawback of this method.

Steps for Desktop:

1. Sign in to your Dropbox account and go to All Files.
2. Hover your mouse cursor on a folder you want to download.
3. Click on the Ellipsis icon (the three dots) ahead of the folder name.
4. Select Download.
5. Download a file compression utility like WinZip, WinRAR or Free 7 Zip to compress your folders. For the purpose of this article, we’ll assume you use the free 7 Zip.
6. Right-click a folder you want to password-protect.
7. Select 7-Zip, followed by Add to Archive.
8. Specify a name for your folder, preferably the existing folder name.
9. Select your preferred archiving format- .zip, .tar, .rar.
10. Optional: If you want to encrypt your folders, select your desired Encryption Method (such as AES-256) from the drop-down box on the bottom right corner of your screen.
11. In the Enter Password field, type a password for your folders.
12. Type the same password again in the Repeat Password field.
13. Click on OK to create the archive.
14. Upload your folder on Dropbox by clicking the Upload icon > Folder, and selecting your folder.

Method 3: Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is an additional layer of security that protects your account from hackers and cyber criminals by verifying your identity. By enabling two-factor authentication, hackers cannot gain access to your Dropbox account with a mere password. 2FA requires the user to enter the code received in an sms, email or Google Authenticator app in order to establish access to the online service.

Steps for Desktop:

1. Open Dropbox and sign in to your account.
2. Click on your profile image.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click on the Security tab.
5. Toggle the Two-step verification to ON mode.
6. Click on Get Started.
7. Type your password and select text message to receive 2FA codes by sms, or mobile app to receive codes on Google Authenticator or similar apps.

Raza Ali Kazmi

Raza Ali Kazmi works as an editor and technology content writer at Sorcim Technologies (Pvt) Ltd. He loves to pen down articles on a wide array of technology related topics and has also been diligently testing software solutions on Windows & Mac platforms.