Notepad++ is a free handy text editor and far powerful than Windows’ built in Notepad. One of the most powerful features of Notepad++ is its support for plug-ins. It supports a vast variety of plug-ins and with each plug-in, comes a new functionality. This time on TechSnafu, I have a Notepad++ plug-in called NppCrpyt, which can easily encrypt your data (text files). NppCrpyt uses passwords to encrypt and decrypt your files. It can not only encrypt selected text but also open files in a batch operation.
How to install NppCrypt in Notepad++:
Installing NppCrypt is pretty straight forward as well. To install, follow these instructions:
- Open Notepad++ (Download and install it first if you don’t have it installed)
- Open “Plugin Manager” by clicking on Plugins >> Plugin Manager >> Show Plugin Manager.
- From the “Available” tab, search and check the “NppCrypt” plug-in.
- Click “Install” and let it restart the Notepad++.
How to encrypt files with Notepad++ using NppCrypt:
Once installed, you can encrypt any text file or selected text instantly. If you want to encrypt selected text only, then make sure to highlight the text before you proceed. However, if you want to encrypt all open files in a batch operation, then don’t highlight any text and proceed with the process.
To encrypt, go to Plugins >> NppCrypt and click on Encrypt
From the new window that emerges, choose any “cipher” algorithm of your choice. NppCrypt offers several cipher algorithms to choose from. It includes Blowfish, DES, RC2, IDEA, AES128, AES256, CAST5, DESX, RC and DES_ede3.
After choosing an appropriate cipher algorithm, enter your password. NppCrypt uses that password to decrypt the same file, so make sure to use a password that you can remember.
Click OK to encrypt the file using the specified cipher algorithm and password. Once encrypted, it should look something like this:
The process of decrypting a file is very similar to encrypting a file. This time, instead of choosing Encrypt from Plugins >> NppCrypt, choose Decrypt. Enter the same password you used to encrypt the file and viola! It’s back to normal
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