Encryption Buddy - Protect Files on Your Mac
- Permission Denied In Mojave
- How do I upgrade from the free trial?
- I paid for Encryption Buddy, but can't get the download...
- Are Encryption Buddy Updates Free?
- How do I know if your file / folder Encryption Software will work on my Mac?
- Will Encryption Buddy store my password?
- What kind of password can I choose?
- What are the steps to password protect my files / folders?
- Help! I lost my password!
Why is Permission Denied In Mojave?
Mojave has increased security, so the first time you startup one of our apps on Mojave, you will need to grant it permissions to system events. If you did not do that on the first startup, please follow these steps:
How do I upgrade from the free trial?
Getting the registered version of Encryption Buddy is easy. Just click on the "buy now" button and pay using PayPal. You will receive a download link by email. Download the file and run the installer. You will want to install the paid, registered version of the app over the free trial if you had been using the free version. If you have been using the free trial, don't worry: All of your preferences, and password hints, etc. will still appear once you install the registered version.
I paid for Encryption Buddy, but can't get the download...
You will receive a link to download the Encryption Buddy app automatically by email. If you don't see the email, please check your junk mail. If you ever have any need, you can contact us, and we can email a link to you manually. Please keep in mind that this process will not be instant. We will absolutely respond to your email in less than 24 hours (Usually we respond within minutes, however).
What about updates? Are they free?
We really appreciate our registered users and loyal customers, and early adopters. All of the Encryption Buddy updates are free for life, so even if the price goes up, you will not be affected. Be sure to check the Version History to see if you have the latest version. Thanks for being a loyal customer! If you ever have a feature request, we encourage you to contact us. We can't promise to implement every suggestion, but we have added dozens of features to our other apps over the years - most of those ideas have come from our customers.
How do I know if your File / Folder Encryption Software will work on my Mac?
Please download the Free Trial software to find out if you can use the Encryption Buddy app to password protect files and folders on your Mac. The supported operating systems are listed in the left hand column on this page..
Will Encryption Buddy store my password?
While you are using Encryption Buddy, it will keep your password in memory.
This is convenient if you are encrypting multiple files. When you close the app, all passwords entered will be released. Also, if you prefer to enter your password every time, simply navigate to the preferences menu, and select the Clear password field after every encryption/decryption.What kind of password can I choose?
Encryption Buddy allows you to use any characters in your password! This is a new feature since version 1.0.5
What are the steps to password protect my files and folders?
Start the application running by double clicking the icon.
Once the app is running, drag a file, folder (or multiple files & folders) into the top of the window. 
You can also manually add files by pressing the command key and 1 (⌘1). Once a file has been dragged into the "Drag Files to Encrypt Here" box, a new window will open, prompting you for a password, password hint, and a few preference settings (which are retained even when you exit the application). After you click the "Encrypt My Files!" button, a new file with the same name (but an ".eb" extension) will appear on your desktop. This is an Encryption Buddy file, and it can only be decrypted by someone with the Encryption Buddy program and the appropriate password. The password hint is stored within the file in plain text - so be sure not to make your password hint too obvious!Eventually, you will want to decrypt your Encryption Buddy Files. To do this, double-click an Encryption Buddy file, and drag it into the "Drag Files to Decrypt Here" portion of the main window. You will be prompted to enter the password, and given the password hint (if you had supplied one). You can decrypt batches of files assuming that you had given them all the same password.
Help! I lost my password!
Prevention is the key in maintaining access to your encrypted files and folders. The best way to prevent the loss of a password is to use a password hint, and use the Encryption Buddy Feature that requires you to type you password twice. If you are not using these features, you are taking on a big risk - especially if you have also elected to have Encryption Buddy delete your original files. We have given you, the user, a great deal of flexibility and options for using the program. These options make the application more convenient for you, but as you increase convenience, you increase risk. You are responsible for determining how much risk you want to take with your precious files. There is no "master password" with Encryption Buddy. Therefore, if your password is gone, there is no way to retrieve it other than guessing. Password guessing computer programs do exist, but in order to try all of the possible password combinations, it could take billions of years - even with the use of a super computer. If your password contains only dictionary words, it may be possible to retrieve the password more quickly. The bottom line is that we encourage you to save your password - write it down in a safe place, and use the password hint and force yourself to type the password twice.
On a dozen occasions, we have received calls / emails from customers saying that Encryption Buddy lost their password. We worked long and hard with each individual customer - carefully investigating the workings of our application to ascertain if some sort of error could have been created by the program itself. In all but one of those cases, the customer called us back later and informed us that they "remembered that it was a different password; thanks for the help." Doh! As you might imagine, the probability of a human forgetting a password is infinitely higher than the computer mistaking the password. Even if you remember the password correctly, if you made a typo when entering it originally, you will not be able to decrypt your file. The lesson from this is: please be careful with your passwords!
Having read all that, please consider that there are still some possible solutions. The easiest solution is to check your Time Machine backups for the original, unencrypted file. It is possible that the original file got backed up before you encrypted it. Another solution would be to check your trash for the original file (do note that this would only work if you are deleting the original file manually - if you are having Encryption Buddy delete your original file, it will not be in the trash). Also, Encryption Buddy does not "zero out" the space where the original file was written to disk. This means that it is possible (though diminishingly likely as time passes) to use file recovery software to recover your original file. Notice how all of these solutions involve recovering the original file. If you do not have the password, you simply cannot decrypt your file, and neither can we.
Page Last modified: February 24, 2019
Buy Encryption Buddy ↓
Download a Free Trial 
Supported OSs:
Big Sur (11.0) end-of-lifeCatalina (10.15) 64-bit
Mojave (10.14)
High Sierra (10.13)
Sierra (10.12)
El Capitan (10.11)
Yosemite (10.10)
Mavericks (10.9)
Mountain Lion (10.8)
Lion (10.7)
Snow Leopard (10.6)
Leopard (10.5)
Tiger (10.4)
Mac Password Protection App:
The Encryption Buddy software is available for immediate download after purchase. Once you have completed your transaction on PayPal's website, return to GOTOES.ORG to obtain the Encryption Buddy software. A link is also sent by email. If you do not get the email, check your junk mail filter!
The Encryption Buddy program is compatible with Mac OS X up to Big Sur. Our free trials are full featured. The only limitations are the number of items you can process.