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Note: There is a trade-off between using AES-256 and ZipCrypto. AES-256 is proven much more secure than ZipCrypto, but if you select AES-256 the recipient of the zip file may have to 7-zip or another zip program to read the file contents.

zip also has more code execution vulnerabilities compared to 7Z. So the strongest format is 7Z, followed by ZIP-AES-256. Conclusion: in the case of encrypted files, there is no sane reason to still use standard zip.

Windows 10 provides an encryption feature as well, and you can follow these simple steps to use it: Right-click a file or a folder, and click “Properties.” Click “Advanced” and tick the “Encrypt contents to secure data” box. Click “OK,” “Apply,” and then “OK.”

256-bit AES is stronger than 128-bit AES, but both of them can provide significantly greater security than the standard Zip 2.0 method described below. An advantage of 128-bit AES is that it is slightly faster than 256-bit AES, that is, it takes less time to encrypt or decrypt a file.

However, the Zip 2.0 encryption format is known to be relatively weak, and cannot be expected to provide protection from individuals with access to specialized password recovery tools. Note: do not rely on Zip 2.0 encryption to provide strong data security.

▼ Zip files encrypted with passwords are at high risk of compromise. Passwords-encrypted zip files are considered in the industry to be relatively simple to crack. Unlike website logins, encrypted zip files are easy for cybercriminals to access because unlimited password attempts are allowed.

Under the Encryption method, choose “AES-256” and click “OK.” If your folder contains multiple large files, it may take a few moments for it to compress and encrypt. Congrats! You now have a password-protected compressed folder.