EXE Vault

EXE Vault is a straightforward software application that gives you the possibility to quickly lock programs on your computer. It comes in handy when you share your machine with other users who might stumble upon personal information, for example.

The tool doesn't come loaded with complex options or configuration settings, making it accessible to all types of users, even those with no previous experience in such products.

The setup procedure doesn't take long. However, you should know that it creates some desktop shortcuts unrelated to the app's functionality, which can be easily deleted.

As far as the interface is concerned, EXE Vault adopts a small window with a simple appearance and intuitive options, where you can use the built-in file browser to locate the .exe file of a program (whether it's installed or portable), add it to the list, select the file locking mode, and click a button to commit the changes immediately. This doesn't require additional steps, like restarting your computer.

When a file is locked, Windows will show an error dialog every time you attempt to launch the program in question, informing you that it has encountered compatibility issues due to the architecture type. In order to unlock a file to regain access, all you have to do is select the unlocking option and apply the modification.

The locked and unlocked files are listed in the main window, and the colors of the full paths indicate their status: red for locked, and blue for unlocked.

As we expected, it had minimal impact on the computer's performance in our tests. Although it's equipped with the bare minimum features for locking and unlocking files (e.g. no password protection), EXE Vault gets the job done.