You have to install EncryptStick onto your main PC, but it runs as a portable program on any other computer. If you already have a drive you want to use, consider installing ENC Security Systems’ EncryptStick. Install specialized software on your drive The DataTraveler Locker+ G3 starts at about $15 for the 8GB drive, and we’ve looked at other encrypted USB drives as well. WD 5TB MyPassport Portable at Amazon for 116.90 (opens in new tab) The new My Passport has been slimmed down a bit compared to its predecessors, but packs some decent density. Find another way to backup these files-preferably one where you can can control the encryption. That means you’re trusting your sensitive files to the encryption capabilities of Dropbox and similar services, and they aren’t all that secure. But this feature uploads the files without its own encryption.

It uses Dropbox, OneDrive, or whichever cloud service you pick, which at first glance seems like a nice convenience. The software runs off the drive, and it can be used on multiple computers and operating systems.īut I strongly recommend against using this drive’s optional cloud backup feature. That drive, of course, is inaccessible without the password. But once you launch the program file on that drive and enter the password that you previously setup, another drive opens up with all the storage space you paid for.

When you plug the Locker+ in, it comes up as a 13MB, read-only drive. You can buy a flash drive with built-in encryption, such as the DataTraveler Locker+ G3.

Encrypted portable hard drive