PixelCryptor

To ensure that your data remains secure and no one has unauthorized access to it, it is a very good idea to encrypt and password protect it. The PixelCryptor application, which as of May 2012 is open source, has this sort of functionality to offer. It creates an encrypted, password-protected package that contains the files you specify. The interesting thing is that, instead of traditional passwords, it uses images to encrypt and decrypt said package. To put it a bit simpler, you get to encrypt your data, but instead of a password, you can use an image to decrypt it.

You can install PixelCryptor on top of 32 or 64-bit Windows editions, from Windows 2000 to Windows 7. The recommended system requirements are not a problem for any modern PC: 1GHz processor, 512MB of Ram, 50MB of disk space, graphics card capable of 1024x768 resolution. Please note that the setup wizard that helps you install PixelCryptor will offer to install Hotspot Shield. You can opt out if you don’t want to install this application that encrypts internet traffic.

You will find but 4 large icons on PixelCryptor’s good looking interface. From left to right, these icons are: About PixelCryptor, Encode Files, Decode Files, and Help. There is nothing else on the interface – and that’s something that people who like simplicity will appreciate.

To encrypt files, click on the aforementioned and appropriately named Encode Files icon. A wizard will show up and guide you through the whole process. You will have to pick the file(s) you want to be encrypted and choose the image you want to be used as the password. PixelCryptor will create an encrypted package protected by the image you select, instead of a traditional password. To decrypt the package and gain access to the files inside, you will have to provide that image. You can decrypt the package from the application’s interface by clicking the Decode Files icon, or simply by double clicking the encrypted package.

PixelCryptor is free and, as of May 2012, open source.

If you have the tendency to forget passwords, get PixelCryptor. It will use images instead of passwords to encrypt and decrypt your data.