Cloud Hosting

Ar_TH/Shutterstock.com

Windows 10 and 11s BitLocker feature, for Professional and Enterprise editions, encrypts your drive to help keep your data secure. If you dont want this encryption for some reason, its easy to disable BitLocker and decrypt your drive. Well show you how to do that.

If youre concerned about privacy and security, know that removing BitLocker encryption makes your drive data more accessible in certain situations. For example, if you use a dual-boot PC, the other operating system can access the data stored on your drive if youve disabled BitLocker. Also, if your laptop gets stolen or you lose it, whoever has it can access the unencrypted data on your machines drive.

If your concern is with remote hackers and thieves accessing your drives data while youre connected to the internet, keep in mind that BitLocker doesnt protect against that; your data is already decrypted while youre using the machine. Its the job of your firewall, yourantivirus software, and yourself as the user to protect you from online threats. Aperson or another operating system with physical access to your device will be your main concern if you choose to proceed.

RELATED: The Best Antivirus Software of 2022

To disable BitLocker on Windows 10 or Windows 11, youll follow these steps. We used a Windows 11 PC below to demonstrate the steps, but Windows 10 is virtually the same.

To get started, open the Start menu, search for Control Panel, and select Control Panel in the search results.

When Control Panel opens, click System and Security.

On the System and Security page, choose BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Next to the drive where youve enabled BitLocker, click Turn Off BitLocker.

Select the Turn Off BitLocker option.

Windows will now start decrypting the contents of your drive, which can take quite some time, especially if your drive has a lot of content on it. In the meantime, you can continue to work with your files as usual.

Your drive is now decrypted and you can access the data on it however you want.

If youre looking for an alternative to BitLocker, consider using Veracrypt, which is a free and open-source encryption tool.

RELATED: How to Secure Sensitive Files on Your PC with VeraCrypt

See original here:
How to Disable BitLocker Encryption on Windows 10 and 11 - How-To Geek