Encrypt files and folders easily, with 128bit AES, using AxCrypt


AxCrypt is an encryption tool for Windows, efficient and easy to use. The program has commercial versions, but even the free version requires registration. Here I publish a purely free version, before the program started to require even to sign up for an account; it works on Windows 10.

AxCrypt integrates with the Windows shell, so you can right-click a file or folder to encrypt it, even configure “timed,” executable encryptions, so the file is locked down for a specific period of time and will self-decrypt later, or when its intended recipient gets it.

Files with AxCrypt can be decrypted on demand or kept decrypted while they’re in use, and then automatically re-encrypted when they’re modified or closed. AxCrypt supports 128-bit AES encryption only, offers protection against brute force cracking attempts, and is exceptionally lightweight (less than 1MB.)

It also has a ton of command line options, so you can fire up the command prompt in Windows and perform more complex actions—or multiple actions at once. It may not support the strongest or most varied encryption methods available, but if you’re looking to keep your data safe from most threats, it’s a simple tool that can lend a little security that your data are secure and convenient to access at the same time.

Personally I wish that AxCrypt was not only a file encryption tool; I’d like to use it also to create encrypted volumes or drives, but this is out of its capabilities and ambition.