This question appears to be different from similar questions asked because I HAVE the password. I really don't want to download extra safe-cracker's-anonymous software to hack into it. The file just never gives me the option of entering it. I have the zip file, I double-click on it, it gives me an error message. I right-click on it but no options there either. How do I open it such that it gives me a chance to unlock it?
how to open an encrypted zip file on mac
Enter a space and then drag and drop the archive you want to unzip into the Terminal window. This will complete the path to the file. Press Enter. The unzip command will ask for the archive password. It will then expand the file and save the contents.
The zip file format is not a nice, standardized format. You could have a weird zip file that is technically not bad, but isn't supported by the built-in software on Mac OS X. In some cases, when zip files won't open, I've had success opening them with The Unarchiver, which is available both in the App Store and outside it:
Of course, encrypting zip files on Mac can be pretty confusing if you've never done it before. Are you struggling to password-protect your zip file on your Mac? Here's everything you need to know about encrypting zip files on a Mac.
Zipping offers a quick and easy way to compress files and folders down to a much smaller size without losing any quality. It's a fairly simple process; all you have to do is select the files you want to bundle and right-click. But you may have a group of files that you want to zip and encrypt for business or financial reasons, which is where things get a bit complicated.
An encrypted zip file is simply a compressed file that's also password protected. You want to encrypt a zip file if you don't want just anyone to open it. Encrypting a zip file locks down the archive so that only people with the password can view its contents. While zipping and unzipping files is incredibly easy, creating an encrypted zip file takes a little more effort.
When it comes to encrypting compressed files on MacOS, there are two ways to go about it. You can encrypt compressed files on your Mac without an additional program or application, but there's a caveat. You have to enter the commands manually into your computer via Terminal.
Using Terminal can be pretty intimidating, especially if you have not used the app before. No need to worry though, here's a step-by-step guide on how to use Terminal to password-protect compressed files on your Mac.
Terminal is a great tool for compressing and password-protecting files and folders on MacOS. However, Terminal is a bit convoluted, especially for first-time users. Using a third-party app such as WinZip is a much better option for most users in terms of ease of use and capability.
We often compress or ZIP files on Mac to save space, but we should also take more care in what we're storing. Chances are you're compressing files that hold sensitive information. Zipping files is a great method for making the data inside more difficult to access, but that compression doesn't prevent prying eyes from taking a look.
There's a simple way to zip and password protect folders and files via Terminal. It takes some unique commands, but it's the most straightforward method to password protect ZIP file and folders on Mac. Here's how it's done:
That's all it takes! You'll now see a compressed file on your desktop. Double-clicking the file or folder to open it will prompt you for the password you typed into Terminal, so be sure to keep your passwords in a safe location.
Terminal is a great option for zipping and encrypting one file or folder, but it's not great for multiple compressions. You can enter multiple filenames or folder names after the 'zip -er' command, but an errant keystroke or mistyped filename will render the process useless.
BetterZip works via a structure it appropriately calls archives, which are projects for compressing and encrypting backups of your files and folders. You can add as many files or folders to an archive as you like, and choose where you'd like your archive saved after it's compressed.
Where BetterZip stands apart is it allows you the option to edit files within an archive. If the app detects you actually made any changes to a document, it offers you the option to update (re-compress) your archive. You can also search within archives.
When it comes to encryption, BetterZip is also better than the alternatives for compressed files. When you create passwords for zipped files archived in BetterZip, it saves those passwords for you in its password manager. When you attempt to open an encrypted file or folder in betterZip, it will attempt to use the saved passwords in its password manager. This helps you create secure passwords others can't possibly guess, but also helps make it easy to edit or view files as you won't have to remember passwords or deal with external password managers.
Archiver has a really clean drag and drop interface that allows you to drag any file or folder onto its app window, then press a single button to create a zipped archive of your documents. It also supports compressing multiple files or folders, and will compress them individually in a batch process.
There are a few key ways to open a password protected file on your Mac. If you know the password and just need to view a file, double-clicking it and entering the password will open the file up and uncompress it.
Double-clicking a folder or file and Terminal are both destructive to your compression, meaning the encrypted file is unzipped after you open it. BetterZip doesn't disturb your folder or file's compression. The app allows you to view and edit files within a zipped folder or zipped files themselves. So long as you use BetterZip, you can perform many functions without disturbing the compression, and the app has a 'save' feature if you do edit documents.
Zipping and encrypting files or folders on your Mac is important. It's one of the best way to safeguard important documents you won't need to access often, and sensitive personal information that can be tucked away on an external drive. Photos, tax documents, personal files, and other such items are perfect candidates for encryption on Mac.
Archiver and BetterZip are two great apps that do a sensational job of encrypting and compressing files in a wide array of formats. Power users may find BetterZip's ease of use for accessing zipped files very attractive, while others may appreciate Archiver's drag and drop interface and simplicity.
Either way, we think these apps are far better options than Terminal, which is fussy and linear. One wrong keystroke in Terminal can cause issues, so it's better to have a visual interface via an app when dealing with sensitive files or folders.
If you use a Mac computer in your small business, you probably have sensitive information and store private data in files and folders on your computer. This data must be organized and protected so the damages are minimal in case an attacker obtains it.
The easiest way to organize and protect your data on a Mac is to create encrypted ZIP files. You don't need any costly third party tools because you can use the Mac OS X Archive Utility to create and encrypt archives.
Type "zip -e archive_name target_folder" in the Terminal. The -e parameter instructs Mac OS X to create an encrypted ZIP file. The archive_name parameter is the name you want your archive to have and the target_folder parameter is the folder or file you want to archive. Here is an example that will archive a Sample folder on your desktop and create an encrypted Archive.zip archive on your desktop: zip -e /Desktop/Archive.zip /Desktop/Sample/. The Archive Utility window pops up, prompting you to enter a password.
SecureZIP for Mac from PKWARE, Inc., lets you create ZIP archives and open them, even if they are encrypted or digitally signed. When a file is encrypted, you must have an appropriate credential (either a passphrase or digital certificate) to open it.
The public key can be distributed to anybody who may want to use it to encrypt data and share this data specifically for the certificate's owner. Share your public key so that others can authenticate your digital signature. The private key, on the other hand, is never shared. Your digital signature is authenticated by your private key. If someone sends you data encrypted with your public key, the private key associated with that public key must be present for you to view that encrypted data.
The advantage of certificate-based encryption is that you can encrypt for just the people you want to see your files, provided those people have a digital certificate with a public and private key. Only these people, whose certificates you use to encrypt, can decrypt the files.
The Mac Keychain Access application manages certificates and their keys for you. When a recipient runs SecureZIP to extract files encrypted using the recipient's certificate, SecureZIP finds and applies the certificate's private key to decrypt the files.
When you have placed SecureZIP in the Dock, you can use the Preferences dialog box to associate a variety of archive types with SecureZIP, define a default location for extracted files and enable encryption and signing for enhanced security.
If you have another application that can open archives on your system, you may clear any box to disassociate that file type from SecureZIP. Use your preferred application to associate an archive type with that application.
When you first install SecureZIP, newly extracted (that is, unzipped) files are placed in the same directory as the original archive. If another file with the same name is located in that same directory in Finder, the newly-extracted file is added as a copy of the original file. 2ff7e9595c
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