Would you like to create a private folder on your smartphone, perhaps protecting all the files inside it with a password? Nothing complicated, indeed. If you have a smartphone or tablet with Android , you can protect your data from unauthorized access in a very simple way.
All you have to do is follow my instructions and, if necessary, download some free apps available on the Google Play Store that I will recommend. In no time at all, you’ll be able to protect your folders, files, and apps so they can’t be opened by unauthorized people.
What do you say, let’s start immediately to see how to protect a folder on Android ? Don’t worry, I promise you that everything will be really simple and fast too. Well then, take five minutes, get comfortable and start reading the next few paragraphs. Happy reading and good luck for everything!
Index
- How to protect a folder on Android
- How to protect a folder on Android with app
- Google files
- Norton App Lock
How to protect a folder on Android
You are a guy who cares a lot about his privacy and for this reason you would be interested in understanding how to protect a folder on Android . The fact is that, although your smartphone is already protected by a PIN, password or biometric authentication, it often happens that you have to unlock it in order for it to be used by a friend or even your child.
For this reason you would prefer to protect some of the folders on your device, perhaps because they contain very important work files or simply private documents that you do not want to be visible to unauthorized people.
Well, you must know that Android offers the ability to secure access to folders to be kept private without the need to download third-party apps. To use this function, locate on your smartphone (or tablet) the app that has the task of managing files and folders, which usually takes the name of File Management (for example on HUAWEI and Xiaomi ), Archive (for example on Samsung ) or even simply File . Once located, open it by tapping on it.
From the main screen of the app, press on Internal Memory or SD Card , depending on where the folder you want to protect is located. On the next screen, locate the folder you need to protect and make a long tap on it: from the pop-up menu, choose the Rename item and place the dot before the name of the folder (for example, if the folder is called Test , it must become .Try ). Then tap the OK button to confirm the operation. As if by magic, you will immediately notice that the folder has disappeared, but don’t panic, the system just hid it.
To be able to view it again, from the main screen of the app, press on the three dots at the top right or on the menu button , depending on the app you use, and tap on the Settings item from the pop-up menu. In this section, set the activation lever for the item Show hidden files and folders to ON . Now, by going back to the location where the folder you renamed was saved, you will notice that it has magically reappeared.
As you understand, therefore, to keep your folders invisible to other people’s eyes, you must NOT activate the display of hidden files and folders when you lend your smartphone or tablet to other people (knowing that in any case some more savvy users could activate the function by itself and still access your hidden folders).
How do you say? You no longer care about protecting a particular folder and would like to return it to its original state for this? Quiet, it’s really very simple. All you have to do is follow exactly the same instructions I gave you previously, but this time you have to rename the folder by removing the dot (.) That you previously placed in front of the name. Easy, right?
How to protect a folder on Android with app
Have you tried to use the standard method to protect a folder that I showed you in the previous chapter , but you still think it is unsafe by your standards, so you are wondering how to protect a folder on Android with an app ?
If you need to protect a particular folder in a more advanced way, my suggestion is to use third-party solutions, which are equipped with tools that may be suitable for the purpose. Here are some suggestions in this regard.
Google files
The first solution that I propose to protect a folder on Android involves the use of Google’s file manager, Google’s Files , available on the Play Store but already present “as standard” on many Android devices. On devices without Google services, it can be found by turning to alternative stores .
Once the app is installed (if necessary), open it by tapping on its icon and then press the Browse item in the bottom bar. In this section, scroll down and tap on the Security folder item . Now you have to decide whether to set a PIN or Pattern (choose the one you prefer) and, on the next screen, enter twice the PIN or pattern you will use to protect the Security Folder . Finally, tap the OK button to finish the procedure.
Once the Security folder has been configured , go back to the Browse tab and tap on the Internal memory or SD card item , depending on where the folder you want to protect is located. Once you have identified the folder in question, tap on it to enter it. Unfortunately, it is not possible to directly move an entire folder to the Security Folder, so you have to act on individual files.
Then, tap on the three dots next to the first file you want to protect and, from the pop-up menu, tap on the Move to Security Folder item : then confirm the operation by entering the PIN or the sequence set previously and do tap on the Next button . The file will be moved to the Security Folder immediately and will now be protected by the PIN or Pattern you set. Now repeat the operation for all the files you want to protect and these will also be hidden in any other file manager installed on the device.
To access the files you have protected, all you have to do is open the Google Files app , tap on the Browse item and then on the Security folder item : to access, enter the PIN or sequence and in a few seconds you will have access to the files again. your files.
How do you say? Would you like to restore the original placement of a file now present in the security folder? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you how to do it right away. From the Browse tab of the app, tap on the Security folder item , enter the PIN or unlock pattern and tap the Next button . Now locate the file you want to restore, tap on the three dots on the side and tap on the item Move out of the Security folder . The file will be restored to its original location.
Finally, I wanted to point out that when you have to uninstall the Google Files app from your smartphone, all the files in the Security Folder will be removed from the smartphone / tablet.
Norton App Lock
Another solution that I propose works in a slightly different way, since it will block access to certain apps, for example the File Manager or the Gallery. The app in question is Norton App Lock , available on the Play Store and on alternative stores for devices without the Play Store: to install it, search for it in the store of your device, press on its icon (or connect directly to one of the download links that I provided you just now, to do first) and press the Install button .
Now that you have installed the app, open it by tapping on its icon and, on the start screen, tap on the Accept and start item . Then, press the OK button and then the Configure item to start configuring the app. The app will open the Accessibility settings , so tap on the Other services item and set the toggle of the Norton App Lock Service item to ON .
The app will then ask you to draw an unlock pattern , which you will use whenever you want to protect a folder. Alternatively, you can also use a passcode (recommended), by tapping on the item Switch to passcode at the top right: enter the lock pattern or passcode twice and you’re done. If your smartphone is equipped with a fingerprint reader , unlocking through it will be activated automatically.
Well, now the app will ask you to connect a Google account in order to retrieve the passcode if you forget it, then tap on the item Choose the Google account , select your Google account from the menu that appears and first tap on the OK button and then on the Continue item . Perfect, the setup is done, now you just have to enable protection for the apps you want.
If, as in your case, you want to protect folders, you could opt to block the file management app on your smartphone, which could be called File Manager, File or Archive . To do this, locate the aforementioned app in the list on Norton App Lock and tap the lock icon next to its name. Once selected, the lock will close and turn green.
If you change your mind and decide to unlock an app, all you have to do is enter Norton App Lock, enter the unlock password and disable the lock by tapping the lock icon for that particular app: the lock will turn gray and open . More info here .
