Hider 2 is another premium application offered by MacPaw to encrypt and securely hide sensitive files on your Mac. In fact, MacPaw developers assure that “Hider 2 is now fail-proof staying a better alternative for Mac users to protect file contents. It uses an advanced encryption tool, making it almost impossible for a third party to access data files”. You heard it, folks, it’s pretty darn secure.

When you open Hider 2 for the very first time, you create your vault. A vault is basically a secure folder that stores your important files. To access that vault/folder you must have a master password. So you need to create that password before you can start using Hider 2.

Once your vault has been created, you are presented with the main screen of the app. This is where all of the magic happens. You can add, remove, secure, and hide files here. You can also create secure notes which I will be going over in a bit. There is a primary vault which is the vault for your computer itself. If you plug in an external drive to your computer, you can create another vault for that specific device. Having a vault on an external device is even more secure.

Now it’s time to add your files to Hider 2. You can simply select files on your computer or just drag them straight into Hider 2. You can even drag in entire folders. You will notice little switches on the far right. When a switch is active or yellow, that indicates that that file is securely hidden and encrypted by AES-256 encryption. In other words, no one is getting into that file unless they know your master password. You can always hide and unhide files whenever you want. Trust me, its super easy. You can also create groups, sub-folders, tags, and rearrange your files on this screen. I am a bit unorganized so I haven’t taken the time to organize my files in Hider 2. When I’m looking for a file, I usually just search for it within the search bar in the top right corner.

 

This is what a Hider 2 folder looks like on your computer. This is where your files are securely stored. If you try to open it, it will just launch the Hider 2 app making you type in your password.

 

Now it’s time we talk about notes. Just like files, you can easily secure notes in Hider 2. The thing that’s really cool is that you can type and edit notes right inside the Hider 2 app. In fact, I no longer use the Apple Notes app that came on my computer. You can add notes that include credit card info, passwords, or any other type of information you think needs to be secure.

 

The coolest and most fun part about Hider 2 is opening and unlocking the app itself. For each character you type in of your password, the combination lock spins back and forth as if you were unlocking a vault in real life. This is just another great example of the time and thought MacPaw puts into their apps. Things like this make utility apps more fun and enjoyable to use. Keep up the good work MacPaw!

 

 

 

The last thing I would like to talk about is the Hider 2 menu. You can quickly and easily hide and unhide files from the menu. And of course, you have to type in the master password to unlock it. You can also go to the Hider 2 settings and change a few preferences. Those settings can include backing up your password via Keychain, or changing the amount of time that Hider 2 will take to automatically lock.

 

Final Thoughts

All in all, Hider 2 is an amazing and beautiful app for securely storing files on your Mac. Unlike CleanMyMac 3, I can’t exactly say this is a must have, but it is extremely handy. If you have any files or notes are your computer that store sensitive information, I would highly recommend you take a further look at Hider 2. It just adds that extra wall of protection to your Mac that you wouldn’t have otherwise. If you don’t feel like spending the $19.99 for Hider 2 right away, you can still head over to MacPaw’s website and get a 15-day free trial.

Click here to go to the purchase page for Hider 2