# How to Lock a Folder from Finder on Mac

Right-click any folder or file in Finder and choose Lock with Cloak or Hide with Cloak. Turn on the Finder menu once in Cloak's settings, then skip the app.

Updated: 2026-10-22. Source: https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-lock-a-folder-from-finder-mac/

Before 2.0, protecting a folder meant opening Cloak, going to Folders, clicking + and finding it again. If you were already looking at it in Finder, that was a detour.

Now you can do it where you are. Right-click a folder or file in Finder and choose **Lock with Cloak** or **Hide with Cloak**.

The Finder menu is new in [Cloak 2.0](https://trycloak.app/blog/whats-new-in-cloak-2-0/).

## Turn on the Finder menu

The menu is off at first. Lock with Cloak in a menu tells anyone using your Mac that Cloak is installed, so it is your choice.

1. Open Cloak and click Settings.

2. Go to **General** and turn on **Finder menu**.

## Lock or hide from Finder

1. In Finder, right-click the folder or file. Select several first if you want to do them together.

2. Go to **Services**.

3. Choose **Lock with Cloak** or **Hide with Cloak**.

4. Confirm with Touch ID.

Cloak does the rest in the background.

## Lock or hide: which one?

- **Lock with Cloak** keeps the folder where it is, with a lock on it. Open it and Cloak asks for Touch ID. Close it and it locks again.

- **Hide with Cloak** makes it vanish from Finder. It is encrypted with AES-256 and comes back exactly where it was when you unhide it in Cloak.

Lock when it is fine for people to see the folder is there. Hide when its name alone says too much. More on that in [how to password protect a folder on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-password-protect-a-folder-on-mac/).

## Related

- [How to lock a file on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-lock-a-file-on-mac/)

- [How to encrypt files on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-encrypt-files-on-mac/)

- [How to lock photos on Mac](https://trycloak.app/blog/how-to-lock-photos-on-mac/)

[Get Cloak](https://trycloak.app): a one-time purchase, with a 14-day refund.

## Questions people ask

### Why don't I see Lock with Cloak in Finder?

The Finder menu is off until you turn it on, so nobody using your Mac sees it by accident. Turn it on in Cloak's Settings, under General, then look under Services in the right-click menu.

### Does it work on files as well as folders?

Yes. Right-click a single file or a folder. You can also select several and do them in one go.

### Does it ask for Touch ID?

Yes. Locking or hiding from Finder asks for Touch ID first, then Cloak does the work in the background.

### What happens if I pick an app?

Cloak locks or hides it as an app, the same as adding it in Locked apps or Hidden apps.

---
Cloak locks, hides and encrypts apps, folders and files on your Mac. One-time purchase, no account. https://trycloak.app/