How to Encrypt USB Flash Drive in Windows 10 – Guide
A USB drive is a convenient way to store and/or transfer your data, although it can present a number of security risks. Unfortunately, you can encrypt a USB drive and protect your confidential files and data as they are transferred between different locations. You should note that encryption does not protect your data and files from password spying methods and password harvesting malware. It is simply a way to prevent your sensitive and confidential files and data from falling into the wrong hands or being accessed by unauthorized people through security incidents and data breaches.
Windows 10 is a convenient and portable operating system, but it comes with a security risk. BitLocker in Windows 10 makes it easy to encrypt your data, and Windows 10 version 1151 has a new and improved encryption algorithm. Ivan is passionate about all things related to Windows, and his expertise in drivers and driver troubleshooting make him an expert on this subject. ..
How to Encrypt USB Flash Drive in Windows 10
Windows will recognize your flash drive and ask you to open it. If AutoPlay comes up, select “Open folder to view files”.
On the ribbon, select the drive you want to encrypt. Then, on the ribbon, click the BitLocker > Turn on BitLocker button.
This PC can be turned on to BitLocker by right-clicking the drive and selecting Turn on BitLocker.
Regardless of how you do it, the BitLocker wizard starts up. Check Use a password to unlock the drive and enter your password twice. ..
To access the drive if you lose the encryption password, you will need to go back up a recovery key. This key is a string of characters that will allow you to access the drive if you lose the encryption password.
Now choose how much of your drive to encrypt. You can select just the used space or the entire drive. ..
New encryption mode
Windows 10 version 1511 (November Update) now includes 256-bit XTS-AES encryption mode, which provides additional integrity support with the improved algorithm. However, it is not available on older versions of Windows.
If you only want to encrypt the drive on the PC you’re encrypting it on, you’ll probably want to use the new encryption mode. However, if you need to use the drive on other PCs with older versions of Windows (which is probably the case with a flash drive or SD card), choose compatible mode, which uses the earlier 128-bit AES. Now you can start encrypting the drive. ..
When connecting the encrypted drive, you will be asked to enter the password you created for it. You can also select other options and unlock the drive automatically on this PC or enter the recovery key in case you forgot the password. You can tell if a drive is encrypted by the padlock symbol by opening “This PC”.
Final note
Encrypting a USB flash drive is an important step to protect your data. By encrypting your flash drive, you create a secure storage space that can only be accessed with the correct password. This guide will show you how to encrypt a USB flash drive in Windows 10. ..
