Answers/The problem queries
How to password-protect a folder on a laptop you might lose
For a laptop you might lose, the first thing is drive-level encryption — FileVault on Mac, BitLocker on Windows Pro, LUKS on Linux — enabled with a strong login password. That alone makes the disk unreadable to a thief. Layer on top: a folder-level seal for the files that matter most, so even a machine you left unlocked at a café is not exposing them.
Belt (drive) and braces (folder)
Drive encryption protects a powered-off, stolen laptop. Folder encryption protects an unattended, unlocked laptop. Both threats are real and both fixes are cheap.
The folder layer
Keep the sensitive folder sealed at rest. Unseal only when working in it, and re-seal before stepping away. Elba does the sealing without an install: one HTML file, browser-based, AES-256-GCM.
Questions people actually ask
- Is drive encryption enough on its own?
- For the stolen-laptop scenario, mostly yes. For 'I left it unlocked', no — that is the folder-encryption job.
- What if I forget my folder passphrase?
- The contents are gone. No backdoor. Choose a passphrase you can remember, and keep a written backup somewhere physical if the stakes are high.
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.
- €49MMXXVI· now ·
- €39MMXXVII2027
- €29MMXXVIII2028
- €19MMXXIX2029
- FreeMMXXX2030
the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030
pay once · no account · nothing leavesRelated answers
- How to store recovery codes and seed phrases offline without a hardware wallet
A hardware wallet is best for large sums. For everything else, an encrypted folder on a laptop plus a paper backup is the honest tier.
- How to keep a private folder on a computer your family also uses
Separate user accounts help, but not enough. How to have a folder that is unreadable to anyone else using the machine, including you if unlocked.