MS Office | Information Security

This document consists of a single workflow to use Microsoft Office to encrypt files.

Prerequisites: Microsoft Office must already be installed.

About this workflow: The example screenshots below were created in June, 2010, using Windows Vista and Excel 2007. You may desire to review the entire workflow before beginning. The estimated time of this workflow is 10 minutes.

The workflow starts here:

Figure 1, The File to Encrypt

Locate the icon of the file to encrypt as in Figure 1, The File to Encrypt. Double click the icon to open the file in Excel. Alternatively, start with a new file from within Excel.

Figure 2, Office Button

Click the Office Button as in Figure 2, Office Button.

Figure 3, Encrypt Menu Item

Hover the mouse pointer on Prepare and then click Encrypt Document as in Figure 3, Encrypt Menu Item.

Figure 4, Create New Password/Passphrase

Enter a new password/passphrase for this document as in Figure 4, Create New Password/Passphrase, and click OK.

Figure 5, Reenter Password/Passphrase

Reenter the new password/passphrase for the document and click OK as in Figure 5, Reenter Password/Passphrase.

Figure 6, Do Your Work

Do your work as you normally would and then close the file as in Figure 6, Do Your Work.

Figure 7, Save Your Work

Save your work as you normally would as in Figure 7, Save Your Work.

Figure 8, The Encrypted File

Notice the file icon as in Figure 8, The Encrypted File. You cannot tell by looking at this file icon that the file has been encrypted. Double click the icon to open the file to see that it is, in fact, encrypted.

Figure 9, Password/Passphrase Request

You can now tell that the file is encrypted because you are asked for the password/passphrase as in Figure 9, Password/Passphrase Request. Enter the password/passphrase and click OK.

Figure 10, Working With Encrypted Data

Work with your encrypted data as you normally would as in Figure 10, Working With Encrypted Data. When you are finished, save and close the file as you normally would. The newly saved file will also be encrypted.

Figure 11, File Naming Hint

Optional: If you have multiple encrypted files, you may wish to put a short hint in the filename that this file is encrypted, as in Figure 11, File Naming Hint, and what the password/passphrase is. The example hint is pw1, which means that this file is encrypted with Password 1. Of course you must still remember what Password 1 is.

If you made it here, then you have encrypted a file using Microsoft Office.