Windows 10: Encrypted a Folder - Not able to access it and also decrypt it.

Hi all,I am using Windows 10 Pro. Recently I had to protect a folder containing sub-folders so I encrypted it through properties and settings security. But after encryption I am neither able to access it nor able to decrypt it.I tried all methods given on internet and various support forums to resolve this but not able to do so.I have tried following things:1. Decrypting2. Running a command in Command prompt for decrypting3. Changing the ownership of folder Even after these I am not able to decrypt. Please help me in accessing and decrypt the folder. It contains ome important files and backup

:)

 

Windows 10 Encryption/Decryption of Folders/Files 'Certificate'

Hi,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

To understand the issue better, I suggest you to answer the below question.

• Were you able to Encrypt the data?
• Did you get any error message?
• What exact issue are you facing with Encryption and Decryption?

Note: The first time you encrypt a folder or file, an encryption certificate is automatically created. You should back up your encryption certificate.
If your certificate and key are lost or damaged and you don't have a backup,
you won't be able to use the files that you have encrypted.

Keep us posted to help you better.

 

Folder encryption/decryption

Could you help me with the problem? I have encrypted a folder then copied this folder to my portable hard disk without decrypting it. I am currently staying in another country and don’t have any access to the first computer.
I desperately need to decrypt the file but cannot do it on this computer.

 

Cannot decrypt folder but files and sub-folders contained do decrypt

Hi Paola,

Thank you for your interest in this problem.

• Which encryption software did you use to encrypt the files?
  
  All of the encryption done was using EFS in Windows 10 Pro.
  
• How did you encrypt the files?
  
  The files were encrypted by selecting a folder in File Explorer then right clicking to choose Properties, pressing the Advanced button to the Advanced Attributes screen then checking the box: "Encrypt contents to secure data." Then pressing “OK”
  back to Properties, “OK” again to the Confirm Attribute Changes, select "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files," and OK once more. The encryption then proceeds and all subfolders and files are encrypted. The files were then decrypted by much
  the same process but rather unselecting the "Encrypt contents to secure data" box. This decrypted all the contained files, but the folder and all subfolders remained encrypted. After this the contained files could not again be encrypted by encrypting the
  folder because the "Encrypt contents to secure data" box for the folder was already checked.
  
• How are you able to verify that the files inside the encrypted folders were already decrypted?
  
  By selecting a file and again choosing Properties / Advanced to observe whether the box: "Encrypt contents to secure data" was or was not checked.