How to: Create encrypted DMG image to protect your files

There are lots of third-party software that can help you lock your files on Mac with secure; but why do you want to do that if Mac has already prepare a native program on your Mac OS X? With a couple of steps, you can create your own password encrypted .dmg file. Usually speaking, the files generated by third-party software, you will need to use specific programs to decrypt them;  .dmg files is one of the most widely used image files on Mac OS X so that you don’t need to worry about the compatibility nor you need to install the program before you decrypt the files.

OK, let’s get started. First you will need to run your Disk Utility (Applications–>Utilities–>Disk Utility), then click on the “New Image” on the menu bar.

You will need to name the .dmg file in the “Save As” field and then choose a name for this image in the “Name” filed. In my example, I just use “Disk Image” as the name. The most important step is to choose the “Encryption” drop-down menu. You will have two options:

• 128-bit AES encryption (recommended)
• 256-bit AES encryption (more secure, but slower)

In this example, I just use 128-bit encryption.

Once you are done with the settings, go ahead and click on the “Create” button to confirm:

Now you will be prompted to enter your password. Also note that, there will be a “Password Strength” bar to indicate how strong your password is. However, I don’t recommend checking on the box that says “Remember password in my keychain”. When you are done, click “OK”:

Now you will see a .dmg file is created and open for you, just drag all the files that you want to protect inside and you are done. Try to unmount the .dmg file and open it again, you will need to key in the password in order to see the files inside.

I hope this little Mac tip is helpful for you.