Encrypt Your Files in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education Using EFS

Please do not watch this video if you have Windows 10 Home, it will not apply to you! EFS is not available in Home editions of Windows! In addition, EFS is not to be confused with Bitlocker.

What is EFS, you might ask? It is the Windows built-in encryption tool used to encrypt files and folders on NTFS drives. Any individual or app that does not have the key cannot open encrypted files and folders.

Rather than encrypting your entire drive like with "Bitlocker", EFS allows you manually to encrypt individual files and directories. It works by making encrypted files available only if the user who encrypted the files is logged in. Windows creates the encryption key, which is itself encrypted and saved locally. The encryption process is easy but not very secure (it is possible, although difficult, for an attacker to hack the key.) It is also advisable to use a strong login password that other users of your PC cannot guess.