SoftOrbits Folder Password Protector Giveaway: Free Full Version License Key

Windows still has no simple “set a password on this folder” option. The built-in encryption checkbox ties a folder to your Windows account rather than to a password, so anyone signed in as you walks straight in, and on Home editions that checkbox usually isn’t there at all. BitLocker goes the other way and encrypts a whole drive. If all you want is to keep a tax folder or a stack of scanned IDs away from whoever borrows your laptop, neither fits well.

That gap is exactly where SoftOrbits Folder Password Protector sits. I installed it, set it up from scratch, activated the giveaway key and went through every screen, so what follows is based on the app in front of me rather than a feature list. Where a claim comes from SoftOrbits rather than my own testing, I say so.

Giveaway at a glance

⚠️ Giveaway keys are shared by many readers and can be withdrawn without notice. If it stops working, nothing you already protected gets stuck: SoftOrbits states that opening and decrypting folders never needs a license.

How to install and activate the full version

1. Grab the installer from SoftOrbits

Use the official download link, which comes straight off the SoftOrbits server. Run it and accept the defaults. During setup you can choose to add a lock command to the File Explorer right-click menu, which I’d leave on since it saves opening the app every time.

2. Pick your master password

The first launch asks for one password, typed twice. It opens the app and it’s also the password every protected folder uses. There is no “forgot password” link and the app says plainly that there never will be, so choose something you won’t forget, ideally stored in a password manager.

3. Save the recovery key (seriously)

Next comes a long recovery key, displayed exactly once. You get Copy, Save to a file and Print buttons, and you have to tick a box confirming you’ve stored it before the app lets you continue. This key is your only way back into encrypted folders if the password slips your mind. It isn’t linked to your email or your hardware, and SoftOrbits never sees it, so they can’t send you a copy later.

My tip: print it and keep the paper with your other important documents, or save the file to a USB stick that lives somewhere else. Never keep the only copy inside a folder you’re about to encrypt. That sounds obvious until you’ve done it.

4. Open License and enter the key

Click License in the left sidebar and scroll to the key section. Type your email address in the first box, paste FPP3-HQDXY-CMSUA-FDPWJ into the second, then press Activate. The app only goes online for this step.

5. Check that it took

On my PC the badge in the top-right corner switched from “Free version” to “Full version” straight away, and the License page now shows the account it’s registered to. The sidebar counter that used to read “0 / 1 folders” disappears too. If you replace your computer later, there’s a Deactivate on this PC button that frees the key so you can use it on the new machine, and your protected folders stay exactly as they are.

Activation refused? Re-paste the key so no space sneaks in at either end, make sure you’re online, and try again. If it still fails, the shared key has most likely run out of activations. Sadly that’s out of our hands.

Lock vs encrypt: pick the right one

This is the part most folder-locker articles gloss over, and it’s the part that matters. The main window puts both options side by side and, to its credit, tells you what each one won’t do.

My rule of thumb: use Lock for everyday privacy on a shared home or office PC, and Encrypt for anything that would hurt if the laptop were stolen or sent off for repair. Hiding a folder is a separate switch, and on its own it’s thin cover, because anyone who turns on hidden items in File Explorer will see it. It’s best used alongside a lock.

What I liked, and the extras worth knowing

• Drag and drop. Drop a folder on the window or use Add folder, then Lock. There’s also Lock all / Unlock all for several at once.
• Auto relock. The app can lock everything again when you close it or after a period of inactivity.
• Uninstall-safe. Locked folders keep their names and location. If you remove the app, reinstall it and unlock, or an administrator can clear the rule from the folder’s Security tab.
• Careful encryption. According to SoftOrbits, each file is written to a temporary copy and only swapped in once it’s complete, and decrypted files are checked against a SHA-256 hash. Each encrypted file grows by just 64 bytes.
• Honest shredder. The Shredder tab overwrites and deletes files with a pass count you choose, and it warns you right on screen that on an SSD, wear levelling and TRIM can leave old copies behind. Refreshingly candid. For SSD users, encrypting from day one beats shredding later.
• Stays offline. SoftOrbits says there’s no cloud sync, analytics or ad SDK; the app only connects to activate a license or send a support report you request.
• Activity log without names. It records what happened but not the names of the documents involved.

One inconsistency I spotted: the sidebar and the developer’s site both say the free edition allows one folder with up to 30 files, but the comparison table on the License page lists 10 files per folder. On our activated install the License page shows “Unlimited” for both, so it didn’t matter during testing. Which free figure is correct is still unclear, which is worth knowing if you ever drop back to the free edition.

Who should grab this

It makes the most sense if you share a PC with family and don’t want separate Windows accounts just to keep a few folders private, if you carry a laptop between home, college or the office, or if your computer is about to go to a repair shop. People on Windows Home get the most out of it, since that edition lacks the built-in encryption option entirely.

If you’d rather compare approaches, I’ve also reviewed TKO Folder Hider, a free tool that packs files into encrypted lockers, covered the IObit Protected Folder Pro license giveaway, and the Wise Folder Hider Pro free offer. For more privacy and protection tools, browse our Windows security software hub.

FAQs

Did the key work for you? Tell us in the comments, along with your Windows version, so other readers know whether it’s still live.