ExeLock is a freeware that can be used to password protect applications in Windows. Once an application has been protected, it cannot be launched without entering the correct password. In addition to password protecting the programs, it can also add various other restrictions on any application. For example, it can limit the number of times an application can be executed, the time or date after which that program cannot be used and more.
ExeLock is a portable program and does not require installation. We can launch it and it is ready to protect any of the Windows applications. We can drag-n-drop any EXE file on its window. It must be mentioned that it cannot protect all types of EXE files. Only 32-bit native portable executable (PE) programs can be protected using ExeLock.
Once an EXE file has been selected, we can set the protection password and click on the Lock button to protect it. it will create a backup of the original file by renaming it and appending .BAK to the filename. The protected or locked EXE can be run on any Windows PC running any Windows version from XP to 10.
If we click on the Options in the ExeLock window, we get access to other locking options. We can set the number of times that program can be run on a PC, the date after which the program will stop working, and the time after which the program cannot be run.
While ExeLock is a practical solution for many users who desire to have password protection for some of the applications installed, it is not digitally signed using an authenticode certificate. This means that the password protected programs might be blocked by some of the antivirus products on modern Windows computers. The way it injects the protection code in the original EXE files is also seen as suspicious by some security software.
You can download ExeLock from https://www.kakasoft.com/exelockinfo.htm.