To enable encryption, select the option Turn on BitLocker . The drive will begin the encryption process. This can take some time to complete, but you can continue to use your device while it progresses. Learn about BitLocker Drive Encryption in Windows and how to encrypt drives.

Learn about BitLocker Device Encryption in Windows and how to enable it.

Learn how to find your BitLocker recovery key in Windows.

BitLocker is a Windows security feature that protects your data by encrypting your drives. This encryption ensures that if someone tries to access a disk offline, they won’t be able to read any of its content.

BitLocker is a Windows security feature that protects your data by encrypting your drives. This encryption ensures that if someone tries to access a disk offline, they won’t be able to read any of its content.

When you try to run the BitLocker Drive Encryption program, you receive the following error message in a BitLocker Drive Encryption Error dialog box: Cannot run. The path specified in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) for a BitLocker Drive Encryption integrity-protected application is incorrect.

Describes the BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool that you can use to prepare the computer for BitLocker Drive Encryption. Provides an operational overview, system requirements, and command-line parameters.

Support for Windows 10 has ended on October 14, 2025. After October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance, or security fixes for Windows 10. Your PC will still work, but we recommend moving to Windows 11. Learn more.

In Windows, this can be achieved using built-in tools that allow you to encrypt files and folders, ensuring that only individuals with the correct decryption key can access the contents.

Describes an issue that occurs when BitLocker Drive Encryption is used to encrypt the operating system volumes. After the first resume from hibernation, later resumes from hibernate and the next system restart may be slower.