How to Enable BitLocker on Your Windows Device

Support Article | University PC Care

BitLocker is Microsoft’s built-in encryption tool that protects your files from unauthorized access if your device is lost or stolen. Enabling BitLocker adds an extra layer of security — especially important for work, school, or business machines.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps to enable BitLocker on supported Windows devices.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure:

You’re using Windows 10 or 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (BitLocker is not available on Home editions).
Your device has a TPM chip (Trusted Platform Module), usually version 1.2 or 2.0.
You are signed in with administrator privileges.

Not sure if your system supports BitLocker? Open the Start Menu and search for:
System Information → Check if Device Encryption Support says "Meets prerequisites."

How to Turn On BitLocker

Open the Start Menu, type BitLocker, and select Manage BitLocker.
In the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, find your system drive (usually C:).
Click Turn on BitLocker next to the drive.

Choose How to Unlock Your Drive

You’ll be asked how you want to unlock the drive at startup:

TPM-only: If your PC has TPM, it will unlock automatically when you boot.
PIN or Password: Adds a PIN/password requirement at startup.
USB Key: Requires a USB flash drive to unlock the system at boot.

Choose your preferred method and click Next.

Save Your Recovery Key

You’ll be prompted to back up a BitLocker recovery key. This is essential if you ever forget your password or lose access.

Options include:

Save to your Microsoft account (recommended for most users)
Save to a USB drive
Save as a file
Print the key

Important: Do not skip this step or lose the recovery key — without it, your data may be unrecoverable.

Choose What to Encrypt

Encrypt used disk space only (faster): Good for new PCs.
Encrypt entire drive (slower): Better for devices already in use.

Click Next and choose your preferred encryption mode:

New encryption mode: For internal drives only
Compatible mode: For external drives or dual-boot setups

Start the Encryption

Click Start Encrypting to begin the process. Your system will continue to encrypt in the background — you can keep working, but performance may be temporarily affected.

Once completed, BitLocker will be active and your files will be protected.

Need Help?

If you're unsure whether BitLocker is right for you or want help setting it up, visit one of our stores or reach out to our support team.

📍 Visit us at University PC Care
📞 Call: (252) 558-1280
📧 Email: support@universitypccare.com