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Windows 2000 - Convenient encryption and decryption commands in the context menu

November 28, 2013
Updated: December 6, 2021
Quick overview:

Windows 2000 offers, if the hard disk in the NTFS file system offers a very special feature: The Encrypting File System (EFS), which allows you to optimally protect your data from unauthorized access and make it visible only to you. Another user working on your PC cannot access it. If you have installed WinXP on a FAT32 partition, this function is unfortunately not available to you. Unfortunately, you can only encrypt individual files or folders in a very complicated way (right-click on the desired file > Properties > Advanced > Encrypt content to protect data > OK > OK).

It would be easier if you could just right-click on a file to select the Encrypt/Decrypt option. Here I have the right thing:

1. Click one after the other on Start > Execute > regedit type in . Now confirm with ENTER. A Windows registry Program that is very similar to Windows Explorer in terms of handling. You can navigate through the so-called keys as you would through folders.

2. Go to one after the other HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced and click on a free area in the right-hand pane with the right mouse button. Now select New > DWORD value and give it the name EncryptionContextMenu.

3. Double-click on this newly created value and enter it instead of the 0 one 1 inside.

NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.

Founded Windows Tweaks as a teenager in the 90s. His helpful PC tricks made it Germany's most visited Windows site (at the time Sandro looked like this). He then went on to write elsewhere, for example for PC-Praxis, Computer Bild and PCWorld in the USA. Microsoft also poached him from us. Now Sandro is back, finally sharing his tweaks here again. For a stress-free digital everyday life. You can reach Sandro via e-mail.

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