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Windows 11 – BitLocker to Go

February 1, 2022

Need to protect your devices at rest? Encryption is your friend. Microsoft has provided encryption capabilities in Windows 7, Windows 10 and now Windows 11. BitLocker is included for no additional charge in the Windows operating system. Apple includes its FileVault 2 encryption for no charge in macOS. As more machines are being upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 (we recommend holding off on the free upgrade for now), knowing how to enable BitLocker on portable devices is an essential skill. Not to worry. Techviral has a post with step-by-step instructions for turning on BitLocker to Go.

BitLocker to Go will encrypt the contents of removable devices such as USB drives. Pay particular attention to step #9 to backup your recovery key. The recovery key is basically a “forgot my password” function. If you forget the BitLocker to Go password, use the recovery key to gain access to the data. We recommend storing the recovery key in a file in multiple places.

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