(Stepwise Guide) How to Turn Off BitLocker on Windows 11 in 2 ways

What do you know about BitLocker Windows 11

Windows 11 BitLocker is a built-in encryption feature designed to protect the data on your computer's hard drive or other storage devices. It can safeguard your files and prevent unauthorized access to your data in case your device gets lost or stolen. With BitLocker, you can encrypt entire drives or specific folders and files, making them inaccessible without the correct encryption key or password.

However, the BitLocker function is not available on all editions of Windows 11. As so far, this feature is only supported in Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise Editions. The Home Edition users may not be accessible to this feature.

Although this feature indeed does good for your privacy and data safety, it is not so convenient if you need to resize or clone the BitLocker drive due to the strict encryption. When you want to do that, you should turn it off first and then adopt relevant measures. But don't worry, now, we will provide the methods for Windows 11 turn off BitLocker and then share a tip on how to directly resize the partition without turning it off.

2 ways on how to turn off BitLocker Windows 11

This part will provide step-by-step instructions on how to turn off BitLocker in Windows 11 using two different methods. However, if you disable it for resizing purposes, it is advisable to click here to go directly to the specific part for high-efficiency purposes.

Way 1. Turn off Windows 11 BitLocker in Settings

The Settings menu provides a user-friendly interface that allows individuals to manage various aspects of their device, including security features like BitLocker.  To turn off or disable BitLocker in Windows 11, you can follow the instructions below.

Step 1. Open the "Settings" menu and type "encryption" in the search box. Then, click on the "Manage BitLocker" option.

Step 2. In the resulting window, locate and click on the button that says "Turn off BitLocker."

Step 3. Confirm the action and enter the password to move to the next step,

Step 4. Select "Turn off BitLocker". At this point, the drive will be unlocked and accessible.

Way 2. Use CMD to turn off Windows 11 BitLocker

Command Prompt is a common way for people to turn off BitLocker Windows 11. However, it's worth noting that using this method requires a basic understanding of command-line syntax and appropriate command execution. Incorrect usage of commands can potentially lead to unintended consequences or data loss.

Step 1. Click the Search icon on the taskbar, and type "cmd". Choose the "Command Prompt" app to open it.

Step 2. Right-click on the Command Prompt app and select "Run as administrator". If prompted for confirmation or a password, provide the necessary credentials.

Step 3. Type “manage-bde -unlock d: -password” and then press Enter key.

By following these steps, you can use the Command Prompt to Windows 11 turn off BitLocker for a specific drive. Make sure to run CMD as an administrator and provide the correct drive letter to ensure successful execution.

How to resize the BitLocker partition without disabling

In fact, here is an quite easy way to answer “How to turn off BitLocker Windows 11” for adjusting like resizing or cloning. All you need is a powerful tool, that is AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard.

It is a free disk and partition manager software that is compatible with Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7 computers. With the "Resize/Move Partition" function offered by this powerful tool, users can effortlessly unlock the BitLocker partition with just a few clicks. This enables them to easily adjust the partition size or create new partitions on their disks, overcoming the limitations of other methods.

1. Shrink BitLocker partition

Step 1. Right-click on the partition encrypted with BitLocker and choose "Resize/Move Partition."

Step 2. Adjust the partition size by dragging the bar, then click "OK" and "Yes" in the popup window to proceed.

Step 3. Confirm the operation by clicking "Apply" and "Proceed."

Step 4. Wait for the task to complete.

After you shrink the BitLocker partition, you can use the unallocated space from the BitLocker partition to create a new partition or extend C drive.

2. Extend BitLocker partition

To extend the BitLocker partition, there must be adjacent unallocated space either before or after the encrypted partition. Or you can also use the "Resize/Move Partition" function to achieve this goal.

Step 1. Select a neighboring partition of the BitLocker partition and choose "Resize/Move Partition."

Step 2. Create unallocated space by adjusting the size.

Step 3. After creating unallocated space, select the BitLocker partition and choose "Resize/Move Partition" again.

Step 4. Extend the partition size by dragging the bar, and clicking "Yes".

Step 5. Confirm the operation by clicking "Apply" and "Proceed".

Notice:

Once the operation is completed, the BitLocker partition will be extended. If you upgrade to the Professional Edition, you can also clone the encrypted drive for backup purposes. And you can directly turn on/off or disable BitLocker in Windows 11 by running the BitLocker feature provided by the multifunctional software. 

To sum up

In summary, there are 2 ways on how to turn off BitLocker Windows 11 in this post. However, if you search for information on that for adjusting purposes, you can directly choose AOMEI Partition Assistant to make changes effortlessly.

If you upgrade to the Professional Edition, you can enjoy more advanced features such as allocating free space to extend storage space, moving installed apps to another drive, migrating OS to SSD for performance enhancement, and so on. Furthermore, Windows Server 2003, 2008 (R2), 2012 (R2), 2016, 2019, 2022, and SBS 2003, 2008, and 2011 can choose the Server Edition to enjoy the benefits.