Secret Mac Documents

[flibbertigibbert]

I need help from a Macbook user.

I have some files on my laptop that I don't want other people to be able to open - Excel documents of my weight loss and finances.

Is there any way of making it so that you have to enter a password to open the documents?

I already have the laptop set so that you have to enter a password when you switch it on, but I want a password on individual documents as I let my housemate use it sometimes.

In my version of Excel (WIndows, Vista, so it may be different) there's a tab along the top called Review. Click on that and one of the options is Protect Sheet. Will that do the job?

You could give your house mates a guest account to use the laptop as. That way they won't be able to get to any of your files.

Other than that I don't think there's a way to password protect a users folders when that user is logged in. So you're left with hoping that individual programs offer a password option, such as the suggestions for office above.

I'd go with the guest account, that way you know all of your stuff is safe and sound.

Hassled - I found the 'protect sheet' option and thought I'd set up a password but it still allowed me to open the document without the password.

BadgersPaws - how would I set up a guest account?

You can in fact protect an Excel spreadsheet with a password but it's amazingly nothing like what you expect from the menus. You have to save it again (with a different name or you won't get the option) and click the "Options" button when you do so- you will then be asked if you want to enter a "password to open" which will do what you actually want- the one in the "Protect Worksheet" just stops people changing it.

To create a Guest account go to System Preferences in the Apple menu and to "Accounts"- you will see a "Guest Account" listed there which you can enable. If you don't see this you're using a slightly earlier version of Mac OS X and you can just create a new account and call it what you want, and let other people use that. You need to get your head round multiple login to use this, for which I suggest you turn on "Fast User Switching" after you've clicked on "Login Options". All the options you need to use multiple accounts are in there- rummage around and you'll figure it out in no time.

If you want to make a "proper" "Guest Account" then make sure that you're on Mac OS 10.6.2 at least. There were hideous bugs with the guest accounts in versions before that.

Personally I would just create a new user with an account name and password both set to "Guest".