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What Are The Benefits of BitLocker For Windows 10/11?
Do you know the benefits of BitLocker for Windows 10 and 11? If not, you can read the post and learn to enable it. For Windows Home users, this post provides a cost-effective manner for enabling and managing it.
By Irene / Updated on September 10, 2024
What is BitLocker?
Microsoft BitLocker is a tool that uses full volume encryption to protect data on drives. What can BitLocker do in Windows 11 and 10? It can add an extra layer of security for your Windows devices. If you have any sensitive data want to secure, enabling it is a good idea.
Encryption makes data unreadable without proper authorization. Even if you share encrypted data, it remains unreadable. Only you, with the correct encryption key, can decrypt it. In another words, it is a very safe way to protect your privacy.
- BitLocker offers two methods of encryption:
- Hardware-based encryption using a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip.
- Software-based encryption using a password or USB flash drive.
BitLocker can also protect data on the installation drive, secondary storage, and removable media with "BitLocker To Go."
What are the benefits of BitLocker for Windows 10 and 11?
When it comes to the benefits of BitLocker for Windows 10 and 11, the biggest one is that it can secure your data, especially if you are storing crucial information like trade confidential information. Once your computer is stolen, the thief can’t access your data without the keyword, and common hack measures won’t work as well.
Besides, other advantages of BitLocker include its ease of use and management. You can easily turn it on or off from the Control Panel without needing additional software or hardware. BitLocker integrates with your Microsoft account, so you can recover your encryption key if you forget your password or lose your device. It also offers different encryption modes like AES-128, AES-256, and XTS-AES for various levels of security and performance.
However, these features are only available for Windows Pro and higher editions, such as Enterprise or Education versions. If you want to upgrade from Home to these versions, you will need to spend at least $99.99 for Pro and more for the higher editions. Is Windows 10 BitLocker worth it? Yes, it is. If you want to enable it in a cost-effective manner, you can move to the next section.
Enable and manage BitLocker for Windows 10 and 11
Should I enable BitLocker? If you have any important data want to protect, you should enable BitLocker. To enable it in a cost-effective manner, you can choose AOMEI Partition Assistant. Its BitLocker feature allows Windows Home users to turn on this practical utility and easily manage it. You can turn on/off, lock/unlock, back up recovery key, change password, etc., within few steps. By the way, if you are a Windows Server user, please turn to its Server edition.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Part 1. How to turn on BitLocker
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant.
Step 2. Go to the "Tools" tab and select "BitLocker".
Step 3. All drives on the system will be displayed. Please Select the drive partition you want to encrypt and click "Turn on BitLocker".
Step 4. Set a password, confirm, and click "Next" to continue.
Step 5. Select a preferred way to back up your recovery key: "Save to a file" or "Print the recovery key".
Please keep the file carefully.
Part 2. How to back up recovery key
Step 1. Access the encrypted drive and select "Back up recovery key".
Step 2. Enter your password and click "Next" to continue.
Step 3. Select "Save to a file" or "Print the recovery key".
Step 4. Click "Next" to save the recovery key in the generated TXT file.
Make sure that the file containing the recovery key is kept secure and easily accessible to BitLocker administration.
Part 3. How to change password
Step 1. Locate the drive you want to change the password. Click the "Change password" option.
Step 2. Select your preferred method: "Use password to change drive password" or "Use recovery key to change drive password".
Step 3. The confirmation "Password changed successfully" window shows that the password was changed successfully.
Part 4. How to lock/unlock the USB drive
If a drive is not locked, click the option "Lock the drive" to lock the drive directly.
To unlock a USB, refer to these steps:
Step 1. Click"Unlock the drive".
Step 2. Select a preferred way: "Use a password to unlock the drive" or "Use a recovery key to unlock the drive". Then click "Unlock".
The drive will be unlocked if the entered password/recovery key is correct.
Part 5. How to turn off BitLocker
Step 1. Find the encrypted drive and click "Turn off BitLocker".
Step 2. Time to wait for decryption to complete. Please do not terminate the program, remove the drive, or turn off the power.
Step 3. Once the decryption process is finished, click "Completed".
The BitLocker on the drive is now decrypted.
Conclusion
If you want to enjoy the benefits of BitLocker in Windows 10 and 11, you can choose AOMEI Partition Assistant, a reliable Windows disk manager. Apart from managing the BitLocker, it can also convert MBR to GPT without losing data if you want to upgrade Windows 10 to 11. For drive space extension, this powerful program offers App Mover function for you to move installed apps to another drive, and Allocate Free Space, and so on.
