How to Prevent Users from Turning off BitLocker

Why prevent users from turning off BitLocker?

BitLocker is a full-disk encryption feature included with Microsoft Windows versions starting from Windows Vista. It uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with 128-bit or 256-bit keys to encrypt data. It can encrypt the entire drive, ensuring that data is unreadable without the correct decryption key. While BitLocker offers significant security advantages, there are scenarios where preventing users from turning it off is crucial.

1. Data security: BitLocker ensures that all data on the encrypted drive is secure and inaccessible without proper authentication. Turning off BitLocker would expose sensitive data to potential threats.

2. Prevention of unauthorized access: If a device is lost or stolen, BitLocker prevents unauthorized access to its contents. Disabling BitLocker would make it easier for malicious actors to access sensitive information.

3. Operational continuity: Enforcing BitLocker ensures a consistent security posture across all devices in an organization. This consistency is crucial for maintaining overall security integrity.

4. User convenience: BitLocker operates in the background, providing seamless encryption without impacting user experience. Preventing users from turning it off ensures they remain protected without additional effort.

How to prevent users from turning off BitLocker in Windows 11/10

Ensuring that BitLocker remains enabled and cannot be turned off by users is critical for maintaining data security and compliance within an organization. There are several methods to achieve this task. Here’s a detailed guide on how to prevent users from turning off BitLocker:

Way 1. Using Group Policy

Windows Group Policy settings allow administrators to enforce various security measures, including BitLocker settings.

Step 1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open Group Policy Management Console.

Step 2. Go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Step 3. Select Require additional authentication at startup and enable the policy.

Step 4. Select Deny write access to fixed data drives not protected by BitLocker and enable the policy.

Step 6. Click Apply and then OK to enforce the settings.

Way 2. Using Active Directory (AD)

Ensure that BitLocker recovery information is stored in Active Directory to maintain control over encryption keys.

Step 1. In the Group Policy Management Console, navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> BitLocker Drive Encryption -> Operating System Drives.

Step 2. Choose how BitLocker-protected operating system drives can be recovered and configure it to store recovery information in AD.

Step 3. Regularly check AD to ensure that all devices are reporting their BitLocker status and recovery keys.

Way 3. Using Intune for MDM (Mobile Device Management)

For organizations using Intune, BitLocker settings can be enforced through device configuration profiles.

Step 1. Create a Device Configuration Profile: In the Intune admin center, go to Devices -> Configuration profiles -> Create profile.

Step 2. Choose Windows 10 and later as the platform and Endpoint protection as the profile type.

Step 3. Set up the BitLocker configuration to enforce encryption and prevent users from turning it off.

Step 4. Assign the profile to user or device groups to apply the settings.

Further reading: An easy way to manage BitLocker in Windows 11/10/8/7

In addition to using Windows BitLocker to encrypt your drive, a third-party BitLocker manager like AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is highly recommended. It is not only compatible with the Pro edition of Windows 11/10/8/7 but also suitable for the Home edition, which makes up for the shortcomings of built-in BitLocker.

Once you encrypt your drive with AOMEI Partition Assistant, you must type the recovery key if you want to access the drive or turn off the BitLocker. To a certain extent, be guaranteed that your data will not be affected by unauthorized use. Here is a demo version of AOMEI software, you can download it to have a free try.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Click the "Tools" main tab and select "BitLocker". Or, right-click the partition you want to encrypt and click the "BitLocker"->"Turn on BitLocker" option in the Context Menu.

Step 2. All drives on the system will be displayed, including operating system drives, fixed data drives, and removable drives. Please find the partition you would like to encrypt BitLocker and click the "Turn on BitLocker" option. (Here, we take the drive D: as an example.)

Step 3. Please set and confirm a password to encrypt the drive and click "Next".

Step 4. Select a way to back up your recovery key. You can either select "Save to a file" or "Print the recovery key". If you select "Save to a file", please choose a location on your PC to save the recovery key.

Then, please click the "Next" button to start the encryption process.

Step 5. The encryption process might take time to encrypt the drive. Before the process is finished, please do not terminate the program, remove the drive, or turn off the power.

Conclusion

BitLocker is a powerful tool for protecting data on Windows 11 devices. If you need to prevent users from turning off BitLocker, you can implement the methods discussed in this article that also covers a reliable Windows BitLocker utility called AOMEI Partition Assistant to help maintain the integrity and security of your important data.