Free Encryption and Signing Tools

The GolemDrive Portal includes a set of free privacy tools that run entirely in your browser. Your files are processed locally on your device and never leave your computer — nothing gets uploaded to any server. You don’t need a GolemDrive account to use these tools.

Encrypt a file

Encryption scrambles a file so that only someone with the correct passphrase can read it. Use this when you want to protect a file before sending it through email, messaging apps, or any other channel.

1. Go to /encrypt on the portal.
2. Drag and drop a file onto the upload area, or click to open a file picker and select a file.
3. The system generates a strong random passphrase for you. Copy this passphrase and save it somewhere safe. You will need it to decrypt the file later. If you lose the passphrase, the file cannot be recovered — there is no reset or recovery option.
4. Click Encrypt.
5. A progress bar shows the encryption progress as your file is processed chunk by chunk. For large files, this may take a moment.
6. When encryption is complete, click Download to save the encrypted file to your device.
7. Send the encrypted file to whoever you want. Send the passphrase separately (ideally through a different channel than the file itself).

Important: The passphrase is the only way to decrypt the file. GolemDrive does not store it and cannot recover it for you. Write it down, save it in a password manager, or store it somewhere you won’t lose it.

Decrypt a file

Decryption reverses the encryption process, turning a scrambled file back into the original.

1. Go to /decrypt on the portal.
2. Select the encrypted file by dragging it onto the upload area or clicking to browse.
3. Enter the passphrase you saved when the file was encrypted.
4. Click Decrypt.
5. A progress bar shows the decryption progress.
6. When decryption is complete, click Download to save the original file to your device.

If the passphrase is wrong, decryption will fail and you’ll see an error message. Double-check that you entered the passphrase exactly as it was given to you, including any special characters.

Sign a file

Signing a file creates a digital signature that proves the file came from you and hasn’t been tampered with. Think of it like a wax seal on a letter — if the seal is intact, the recipient knows the letter is genuine and unaltered.

1. Go to /sign on the portal.
2. Select the file you want to sign by dragging it onto the upload area or clicking to browse.
3. Choose an existing RSA key pair, or click Generate Key Pair to create a new one.
   • If you generate a new key pair, save both the private key (keep this secret) and the public key (share this with anyone who needs to verify your signatures).
4. Click Sign.
5. The tool generates a signature file. Click Download to save the .sig signature file.
6. Share the original file, the signature file, and your public key with the recipient. They’ll need all three to verify the signature.

Important: Never share your private key. The private key is what makes the signature yours. If someone else gets your private key, they can forge your signature.

Verify a signature

Verification checks whether a signed file is authentic and unmodified.

1. Go to /verify on the portal.
2. Select the original file (the file that was signed, not the signature itself).
3. Upload the signature file (.sig), or paste the signature text directly.
4. Enter or upload the signer’s public key.
5. Click Verify.
6. The result appears immediately:
   • Green “Valid” badge — the file is authentic. It was signed by the owner of that public key and has not been modified since signing.
   • Red “Invalid” badge — something is wrong. Either the file has been modified since signing, the signature doesn’t match, or the wrong public key was provided.

If verification fails, ask the sender to re-sign the file or confirm you have the correct public key.

Compress files

Compression reduces file size and can bundle multiple files into a single archive.

1. Go to /compress on the portal.
2. Select one or more files by dragging them onto the upload area or clicking to browse. You can select multiple files at once.
3. Click Compress.
4. The tool creates a compressed archive. A progress bar shows the compression progress.
5. Click Download to save the compressed archive to your device.

Compression works best on text-heavy files (documents, code, logs). Files that are already compressed (like JPEGs or MP4 videos) won’t shrink much further.

Decompress files

Decompression extracts files from a compressed archive.

1. Go to /decompress on the portal.
2. Select a compressed archive file (.zip, .tar, .gz, .tar.gz, and other common formats are supported).
3. Click Decompress.
4. The tool extracts the contents. A progress bar shows the extraction progress.
5. Click Download to save the extracted files to your device.

Privacy and security

All of these tools share the same fundamental guarantee: your files never leave your device. Everything happens in your browser using JavaScript. No file data is sent to GolemDrive’s servers or anywhere else. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet before using the tools — they will still work.

The encryption uses AES-256-GCM, which is the same standard used by banks and governments. The signing uses RSA-4096 key pairs. These are industry-standard algorithms trusted by security professionals worldwide.