Zip Lock

Zip Lock is a small-sized and portable software application that you can use to seamlessly lock and unlock files in just a few clicks by specifying a password. It offers a simple solution to help you prevent unauthorized PC users from viewing and editing your personal data.

Since there is no installation pack involved, you can drop the program files in any part of the hard disk and just click the executable to launch Zip Lock. There's also the possibility to store it on a removable flash drive, in order to directly launch it on any PC with minimum effort. What's more, unlike most installers, it doesn't modify Windows registry settings.

Made from a standard-looking window with a minimalistic structure, the interface invites you to get started by entering a password, which must have anything between 5 and 256 characters.

As soon as you enter at least five characters, Zip Lock displays a button that enables you to select the file you want to unlock using the file browser. Unfortunately, drag and drop is unsupported.

The program automatically creates a locked version using the specified key without actually removing the original file, so make sure you don't leave it lying around on the computer unsecured.

The new file is generated in the same location as the source. It has the same name as the original item (including its extension), the ZLB format, and no associated application for opening it.

In order to unlock the file, you have to follow the same steps: after entering the correct password, simply select the ZLB file to unlock. Once again, Zip Lock doesn't delete the source, so the file is unlocked and generated alongside its ZLB counterpart.

As expected, the utility locked and unlocked files very fast in our tests, during which it remained light on system resources usage. No error dialogs popped up, and it didn't hang or crash.

However, it doesn't have any advanced settings available, nor does it offer support for locking and unlocking multiple files in bulk. We must also keep in mind that the tool hasn't been updated for a pretty long time. Otherwise, Zip Lock gets the job done and can be used with ease by anyone, including those with no previous experience in password protection software.