How to Encrypt a Document on Google Drive

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Cloud technology has become very popular and trending, and even if you don’t know, you’re using it every single day. Consider your Google Drive. It’s a cloud platform that allows you to store your files and databases.

However, as you store your documents on Google Drive, you need to look into its security. Google Drive works on public servers, and while no one can access your drive without your username and password, it’s not very difficult for hackers to crack the same.

Imagine if any hacker gets hold of your private and confidential documents stored on Google Drive. This will put your security and privacy into complete prejudice. So, how could you prevent that from happening?

You may think of protecting your documents with a password. But that’s the catch. Google Drive doesn’t provide password protection for individual files and databases. So, how would you secure them?

A great solution is encryption. Encrypting your documents will convert them into a code that will unscramble only on authorized access. So, even if someone enters your document, it would become unreadable and do them no good.

But can you do it on Google Drive? Well, of course, you can. There are several ways to encrypt a document on Google Drive.

How to Encrypt a Document on Google Drive
How to Encrypt a Document on Google Drive

This article aims to help you understand the same. So, read on and get the complete information and knowledge on how to encrypt a document stored on Google Drive.

How to Encrypt a Document on Google Drive?

Encryption is growing as an amazing technology to maintain privacy and security. As a result, you can find several applications that allow you to encrypt your documents stored on Google Drive.

Following through are some of the best ways and applications to encrypt a document on Google Drive.

1. In-built Encryption in MS Word

Microsoft has always been careful about the security and privacy of its users. As such, it comes with built-in encryption features. You can use these features for any document you want to secure before you upload it on Google Drive.

Follow the steps explained below to encrypt your document with an in-built encryption feature in MS Word.

  • Open the document that you want to protect through encryption. Make sure that you created this document in your system and have not downloaded it from other sources.
  • Go to the Files option.
  • You’ll see a list of several options. Click on “Info.”
  • As you’ll click on the Info button, you’ll see multiple actions to perform on your files.
  • Click on the “Protect Document” option at the top of the list, and then select the “Encrypt with Password” option from the drop-down list.
  • A pop-up will appear, asking for a password for encrypting your file. Enter a strong password and then click on the “Save” button.

The file will get encrypted, and you can be assured of your privacy. Once you’re done, you can upload this document to your Google Drive, and it will still be encrypted with the password.

However, when you encrypt a document stored on Google Drive in this way, you’re restricted from editing it directly in Google Docs, as you could do with other documents.

Nonetheless, you can make offline edits and then upload the encrypted document yet again on your Google Drive.

2. Boxcryptor Encryption

Boxcryptor is an amazing tool to directly sync and encrypt your documents stored on Google Drive. Just download and install Boxcryptor on your system and enable the same for Google Drive.

Here are the steps to use Boxcryptor for encrypting your documents stored on Google Drive.

  • Install Boxcryptor in your system.
  • Open your Google Drive application.
  • Right-click on the document that you want to encrypt.
  • From the drop-down menu, click on Boxcryptor, and in the option shown further, check on the Encrypt option.

The file will get encrypted right there in your Google Drive, and you can easily access it and edit it online with full security.

3. Veracrypt Encryption

If you’re ready to use a tool that’s quite on the technical side, then Veracrypt is a good option. You can use it to encrypt any document stored on Google Drive for free. Follow the steps below to achieve seamless encryption for your documents with Veracrypt.

  • Download and Install Veracrypt on your system.
  • Create a new folder in your Google Drive for saving your encrypted files.
  • Open Veracrypt, select the new folder that you created for encryption, and then click on the “Mount” button.
  • Once the mounting is done, move your confidential documents to this folder.
  • After that, click on “Dismount Volume.”

All the documents will be encrypted and stored on your Google Drive.

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Final Words

As advanced as Google Drive is, it’s shocking that it doesn’t have many in-built privacy and security features. However, you can always find a solution if you just constantly look for it.

Hope this article has helped you understand how to encrypt a document stored on Google Drive, and you’re right on your way to enhancing the privacy and security of your confidential data on this cloud storage.