Put the diary in an obscure part of your room to ensure privacy.

You can write things like “private” or “don’t read” on the page preceding an entry to really get the point across.

Keep a reference sheet separate from your diary if you need to keep track of your shorthand. This way, when you go back and read your previous write-ups, you won’t be confused about what you meant to say.

It’s possible to find this type of diary in stores, but looking for one online would be your best bet.

Safes are a great idea if you are living in a college dorm and want to keep your journal private.

If you have a Windows computer, select the files you want to hide, right-click on them and choose “Properties”. Then, click the “General” tab and select the checkbox next to “Hidden” in the “Attributes” section. Click “Apply” to finish the process. On a Mac, use a quick Terminal command to hide the folders. Press “Command” and the space bar and type “Terminal” into the search bar. Double-click the first search result and type the name of the file followed by “hidden /path/to/file-or-folder/”. [6] X Research source

Many of these journaling apps are free, but you can pay for them to get extra features. For a small monthly fee, you can fully encrypt your diary and even keep multiple journals at once!

Another alternative is to download blogging software instead of just setting up an account online. This way, your diary will still be protected, and you can access it even if you’re offline.

While it is entirely possible to just keep your entries on your personal computer, using an app, blogging platform, or Dropbox gives you access to your diary at all times. You never know when inspiration will strike, so try and keep your journal accessible at all times.

To encrypt files on Windows, right-click on the file or folder and hit “Properties”. On the General tab, click the advanced button. Select the box that says “Encrypt contents to secure data”, then click OK. For a Mac, put your diary file in a folder, then go to Finder>Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility. In the menu bar, click Files>New Image>New Image from Folder. Then choose the name of the disk, and where to save it to. Then, select either option under encryption, and insert the password you want to use. To keep your diary secure, delete the original folder, which removes the unencrypted copy. If you go this route, write down your journal entries in a paper diary. If your files get corrupted at any point, it can be extremely difficult for you to retrieve your encrypted work.