How to encrypt and secure your files on Google Drive

Google Drive is currently one of the best consumer cloud platforms on the web, which means that we, the user, must demand a higher level of security and privacy from the search giant. We can’t trust Google to do it 100%, and that has a lot to do with the need for corporate user data.

Secure your files on Google Drive

So the question now is, how can we use Google Drive, but at the same time keep our files as secure as possible? Well, the answer is simple, really. We must take advantage of third-party tools to secure our files before uploading them to the platform.

Yes, we know that Google protects your files during the download process, but it also decrypts them for the purpose of scanning files, and then encrypts everything. In addition, we must emphasize that the user never controls the encryption keys, and this is never a good thing from our point of view.

1. Boxcryptor
2. Cryptomator
3. RClone with Crypt
4. Microsoft Word
5. VeraCrypt

We will now discuss this in more detail.

1]Boxcryptor

We love what Boxcryptor has to offer because of its ease of use. When you install Boxcryptor, the tool installs a virtual drive on your computer, and from there it adds cloud providers such as Google Drive to the drive. You see, the service is basically an extra layer of security on top of what’s already offered.

It will encrypt each cloud file on the drive and all those that you download in the future. The good news is that the tool offers AES-256 encryption security with RSA-4096, and that’s good.

Visit the official site. They also have a free plan.

2]Cryptomator

This is probably our favorite because it is free and also open source. The source code has been analyzed several times and the results have shown that there are no backdoors. In addition, you do not need to register to use it.

We like the fact that Cryptomator uses something called transparent encryption. When used, the user has no idea that the files are encrypted as they continue to function normally. Not only that, but there is the addition of the Cryptomator Vault which is saved on Google Drive.

While the safe lives on Google Drive, the user has a virtual hard drive to play with their files. The tool also encrypts each file added to the vault individually. Now, although the program is free on the desktop, people who want to use it on mobile have to pay a small fee.

Visit the official site.

3]RClone with Crypt

Do you prefer to use a command line based program instead of those with a solid graphical user interface? Well champion, you’ve come to the right place with Rclone. It will sync files and directories from Google Drive.

The best aspect of this tool, however, is the encryption function. It will encrypt the files on your computer before uploading them to Google Drive. To better understand how to do this, please watch the video below.

Visit the official site.

4]Microsoft Word

One of the best options to use is Microsoft Word. Before uploading documents to Google Drive, you can first decide to use the tool to encrypt the document. Now, encryption is not a deep thing, but rather a password lock.

Perform the task by going to File> Information> Protect Document> Encrypt with Password. After that, upload the document to Google Drive and that’s it.

5]VeraCrypt

Another free option on the list is none other than VeraCrypt. The program is not only free, but also open-source, and it works with almost all cloud service providers, including Google Drive.

With this tool, the user can create an encrypted container and then download the container to a cloud service of their choice. We should also note that VeraCrypt is not user-friendly, but once you fully understand how things work, things should go smoothly after that.

Note that to continue accessing the container in Google Drive, you must have VeraCrypt installed on your computer at all times.

Download from official site.

Read more: Downloading Google Drive files is slow, blocked, or doesn’t work.