How to create an encrypted ZIP with NeatClick on Mac

Create the encrypted ZIP with NeatClick

1. 1

   Prepare one staging folder

   Copy only the files the recipient needs into a new folder. Review subfolders and use neutral filenames if names themselves reveal confidential information. The encrypted output will not hide those names.

2. 2

   Run the archive action

   Select the files or folder in Finder, right-click → NeatClick → Create Encrypted Archive…. Use macOS 14 or later with NeatClick’s Finder extension enabled.

3. 3

   Enter and retain the password

   Use a unique password generated and stored in your password manager. Enter it in the secure prompt. NeatClick does not save it in job history and cannot retrieve it for you later.

4. 4

   Wait for the output

   Review the job result and locate the newly created ZIP. Keep the source files until you have verified the archive and the recipient’s ability to open it.

Test extraction, not just the archive’s file listing

Seeing the files listed inside the ZIP does not mean encryption failed: filenames remain visible. The useful test is whether the file contents can be extracted with the password.

1. Open the archive with software that supports AES-encrypted ZIP files. Extract into a new, empty folder so the originals cannot disguise a failed extraction.
2. Enter the intended password and open representative extracted files. Check the expected filenames and file count.
3. Where the extraction app allows a fresh password attempt, confirm that an incorrect password cannot extract the contents. Some apps remember passwords during a session, so account for cached credentials.

Check the recipient’s software before sending

AES ZIP support varies across extractors. A recipient seeing “unsupported archive” may have a compatibility problem rather than a bad password. Confirm their app supports this type of ZIP and try a harmless sample through the same delivery route first.

Finder’s normal Compress command does not ask for a password and is not a substitute for this workflow. Some systems also reject encrypted attachments because they cannot inspect the contents; in that case, use the recipient’s approved transfer method.

Deliver the password separately

For example, send the archive through an agreed file-transfer channel and provide its password through an existing secure messaging conversation. Keeping both in the same email gives anyone who obtains that message both pieces. Confirm the recipient’s identity before sharing either.

Store the password securely for as long as you need to reopen the archive. If it is lost, create a new archive from the retained originals with a new password.

Understand what remains exposed

Encryption protects the packaged contents while locked. It does not remove information from those files, hide their filenames, encrypt your original staging folder, or protect extracted copies after someone opens them.

If the goal is simply to reduce storage size, JPEGs, videos, and existing compressed documents may shrink very little inside ZIP. Use encryption to protect files with a password. If you also need smaller files, compress them before creating the archive.

Frequently asked questions