Not all Windows programs have the ability to encrypt your saved data files with a password. Some, such as the Microsoft Office apps, do. But a quick Google search for password cracking apps will show you that these passwords are not always as secure as they could be.

Safepad is a simple Windows notepad replacement. But its major strength is that it supports (indeed requires) encryption. When you save a file, you're asked for a password. Without that password, you can't subsequently reopen that file.

The password travels with the file. So you can safely email a copy of the file to, say, a friend or colleague and then telephone them to tell them the password. If anyone intercepts your email and gets a copy of the file, it'll be of no use to them if you used a sufficiently long password.

Safepad has all sorts of uses. Record your confidential notes, perhaps, or your list of passwords for the various web sites you use. Now, all you have to remember is the password for your Safepad file. Everything else is securely encrypted inside there. So even if someone steals your PC, or cracks your Windows password, your secrets are safe.

Safepad is free, and it's a tiny 1 MB download which is malware-free according to VirusTotal and Web of Trust. It's portable too.  Read More