Answers/The escape queries
Is 7-Zip password protection actually secure enough for personal documents?
For personal documents, yes — 7-Zip's AES-256 encryption is real, standard cryptography, and a strong passphrase is not brute-forceable in any human timeframe. The two honest concerns are that filenames are only hidden if you tick a specific box, and that most people accidentally use ZIP's much weaker legacy encryption when they think they're using AES.
What 7-Zip actually gives you
When you create a .7z archive with the 'Encrypt file names' box checked and a good password, you get AES-256-CBC encryption of the contents and the file listing. This is fine cryptography for personal documents.
When you create a .zip archive with a password, you almost always get either the weak legacy ZIP cipher or AES-256 only if your tool supports WinZip's AE-2 extension. Do not assume 'ZIP with password' means AES.
The two footguns
Forgetting to encrypt filenames — the archive contents are unreadable, but 'passport.jpg' in the file listing tells someone exactly what you have.
Using a weak password. 7-Zip's key derivation is decent but not slow. A four-word passphrase resists offline cracking; a single word does not.
When a purpose-built tool helps
7-Zip is a compression tool that happens to encrypt. A tool built to encrypt handles the defaults for you: filenames always sealed, key derivation tuned, one file that either opens with your passphrase or does not. Elba is that tool — one HTML file, AES-256-GCM, PBKDF2, no network calls.
Questions people actually ask
- Is 7-Zip enough for tax documents?
- Yes, with .7z format, the 'Encrypt file names' box checked, and a strong passphrase.
- Is a ZIP password the same thing?
- Almost never. Most ZIP tools default to the weak legacy cipher — treat a plain password-protected ZIP as obscurity, not security.
- What is the practical difference from Elba?
- 7-Zip encrypts an archive on demand; Elba treats the encrypted state as the folder's normal state, and its purpose is protection first.
Read the full guide
- Elba vs 7-Zip encryption: when a zip is enough (and when it isn't)
7-Zip's AES-256 encrypted archives are a solid free option. Here's where Elba differs, and when to reach for which.
- AES-256-GCM, explained without a maths degree
AES-256-GCM in one page — what it is, why Elba uses it, and what it does and doesn't protect against.
Take the island
Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.
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the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030
pay once · no account · nothing leavesRelated answers
- Where to keep tax records encrypted for seven years without a subscription
The retention window is long; the subscription clock is longer. A one-time-purchase pattern that will still open in 2033.
- How to hide folder names and structure, not just file contents
Encrypting file contents but leaving 'taxes-2024/audit-notice.pdf' visible is a common mistake. How to seal the metadata too.