How to enable BitLocker encryption on Windows (2024)

FAQs

How do I enable BitLocker on Windows? ›

BitLocker encryption is only available on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, but there is a limited form of device encryption in Windows 11 Home, too. The difference is you don't get the same management and setup options on Windows 11 Home, but the core feature is still there.

Press Win + R, type “Control Panel,” and hit Enter. Then, navigate to “System and Security” > “BitLocker Drive Encryption.” Click on “Turn on BitLocker,” choose a recovery key backup option, select your encryption preferences, and follow the prompts.

Type Control Panel in the search box, then click the Control Panel option. Set View by: to Large icons. Select BitLocker Drive Encryption. Under BitLocker Drive Encryption, if the following text is displayed, C: BitLocker on, then the hard drive is encrypted.

Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com). Windows. Click BitLocker settings. Under Drive encryption, select Enabled from the list of items.

Microsoft is making BitLocker device encryption a default feature in its next major update to Windows 11.

Press and hold the Windows button on the keyboard and R , type cmd and press Enter . Right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator." In the command prompt, type manage-bde -status and press Enter . View the status of BitLocker on the drives in the computer.

If it is and you still can't find it, you might have turned off the BitLocker Drive Encryption Service or have some software issues. Fortunately, you can fix that by enabling the BitLocker service, editing Group Policy, opening BitLocker via the Command Control, or upgrading and reinstalling your Windows.

Double-click “Require additional authentication at startup.” When the window opens, click “enabled” and then check the box for “Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM.” From here, you can begin the steps of BitLocker encryption for systems with a TPM, where you will be asked whether you want to boot from a password ...

How to unlock BitLocker? ›

To unlock their drives, users must open “This PC” (or “My Computer”, depending on the version of Windows), right-click on the encrypted drive icons with the locked yellow padlock icon, click "Unlock Drive" and provide the Password.

Click the Start button on the taskbar and then click Settings. 2. Click Privacy and Security > select Device Encryption.

Learn how to enable and disable BitLocker in Windows 10 To enable BitLocker, use the Windows "Start" menu search box and type "Manage BitLocker" and open it in the "Control Panel" and click on "Turn on BitLocker". Choose how you would like to save the recovery key, and, after saving the key file, press "Next".

Solutions: To resolve BitLocker encryption failure, verify the TPM configuration, check the hard drive for errors, and ensure that the operating system is up to date. In some cases, it may be necessary to reformat the hard drive to meet BitLocker requirements.

BitLocker encryption is often intentionally activated by or on behalf of a user with full administrative access to your device. This user could be you, another user, or an organization managing your device.

Select the C:\ (or Windows computer) drive. Right-click the drive that you selected. Click Turn on BitLocker.

To unlock their drives, users must open “This PC” (or “My Computer”, depending on the version of Windows), right-click on the encrypted drive icons with the locked yellow padlock icon, click "Unlock Drive" and provide the Password.