How to encrypt files before uploading them to Google Drive
Google Drive encrypts your files, but with keys Google holds. To make sure only you can read them, encrypt them on your own device first. Here are four ways to do it, and what each one protects.
Why Google can read your files
Google encrypts files on the way to its servers and on its disks. That stops a stolen disk from being read, but Google keeps the keys, so Google's systems can open your files, and so can anyone who gets into your account or can legally compel Google to hand them over.
The fix is to encrypt files on your phone or PC before they are uploaded, with a key Google never sees. Google then stores data it cannot read. Google offers this itself, as client-side encryption, only on some Google Workspace plans for organisations.
Four ways to do it
| Feature | Sino | Cryptomator | 7-Zip archive | Workspace client-side encryption |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Phone and PC backups, kept up to date | A folder you work in on a computer | Sending or storing a few files once | Organisations on eligible Workspace plans |
| Automatic backup | Through Drive for desktop | |||
| File names hidden | If you tick Encrypt file names | Depends on setup | ||
| Copies on other clouds too | ||||
| On your phone | Android | Android and iPhone (full access is paid) | Workspace apps | |
| Effort | Five-minute setup | Ten-minute setup | Each time | Set up by your admin with a key service |
Option 1: Sino
Sino encrypts photos, videos and documents on your Android phone or Windows PC and backs them up to Google Drive itself, without the Drive app.
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1
Install Sino
Get it for Android or Windows from the Downloads page.
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2
Create your vault
Choose Secure My Files (on Windows, Create New Vault) and set a strong master password. It unlocks Sino on this device only and is never uploaded.
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3
Write down your 24 words
Sino shows your recovery phrase once. Write it on paper and keep it somewhere safe and private: it restores your vault on any device.
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4
Connect Google Drive
Sign in to your Google account and choose where Sino keeps its data: a hidden app folder, or a visible SinoVault folder. Only encrypted data is uploaded. Connect MEGA, S3 or Azure as well to keep a second copy.
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5
Choose what to protect
Add a backup folder such as Camera, WhatsApp or Downloads, and Sino keeps sending encrypted copies as files change. Or move files into the Local Vault to hide them from other apps.
What Google stores is encrypted data under scrambled names. Google can tell that you use Sino, roughly how much you store and when you upload, but never your file names or contents. The full walkthrough is in Get Started.
Option 2: Cryptomator
Cryptomator, which is free and open source on desktop, creates an encrypted vault inside your Google Drive folder. Install Google Drive for desktop, create a Cryptomator vault in the Drive folder, unlock it, and save files into the drive it opens. Drive for desktop uploads the encrypted vault. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, with mobile apps for Android and iPhone. See Sino vs Cryptomator for how the two differ.
Option 3: an encrypted 7-Zip archive
For a few files you rarely change, 7-Zip on Windows can pack them into a .7z archive encrypted with AES-256. Right-click the files, choose 7-Zip, then Add to archive, set a long password and tick Encrypt file names, then upload the archive to Drive. To change anything you must unpack, edit and upload it again, so this suits archives, not everyday files.
Option 4: Google Workspace client-side encryption
If your organisation uses an eligible Google Workspace plan, an admin can turn on client-side encryption with an outside key service, so Google cannot read encrypted files. It is not available for personal Google accounts. For a company that wants the same protection on storage it owns, see the Sino Control Hub.
Whichever you choose
Use a long password
Encryption is only as strong as the password that unlocks it. Use a long passphrase, not one you use anywhere else.
Keep your recovery details offline
Write down your recovery phrase or key on paper. Without it, a forgotten password means losing your files.
Turn on 2-step verification
Encryption stops Google and intruders reading your files, not deleting them. Protect your Google account itself.
Keep a second copy
An account can be locked or closed. Keep a copy on another cloud or a drive at home.
Questions
Does Google Drive encrypt my files?
Yes, while they travel and while they are stored, but with keys Google holds. That protects against someone stealing a disk from Google's data centre, not against Google itself, or anyone who gets into your account or can compel Google to hand files over. Client-side encryption, where Google cannot read files, is only available on some Google Workspace plans.
Can Google see my files if I encrypt them first?
No. Google stores encrypted data it cannot open. With Sino it also cannot see your file or folder names: it sees encrypted data under scrambled names, and roughly how much you store and when you upload.
Can I still open my files on another phone or PC?
Yes. Install Sino on the other device and restore your vault with your 24-word recovery phrase or your recovery passkey. Your files are decrypted on that device, never in the cloud.
What happens if I forget my password?
Your master password only unlocks Sino on one device. Restore with your 24 words or your passkey and set a new one. If you lose the words, the passkey and every device that can unlock your vault, nobody can open it, including us.
Is this free?
Your Google account's free 15 GB works. Sino is free on Windows and a one-time purchase on Android. Cryptomator is free on desktop, and 7-Zip is free.
Try Sino
Encrypt your files before they reach Google Drive, and keep a second copy on another cloud if you want one.