If you do not want to use hardware-based encryption on operating system drives or C drive for BitLocker, here is how you can disable this security feature.You can turn on or off hardware-based ...

To disable hardware-based encryption on removable drives in Windows 11/10 using Group Policy Editor, follow these steps: Press Win+R to open the Run prompt. Type gpedit.msc and hit the Enter button.

Toggle the button off beside Device encryption to disable BitLocker encryption on your Windows 11 Home PC. Click on Turn off in the Turn off device encryption prompt you see.

In the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, you will see a couple of options. If the USB drive or hard drive is new and does not have any files on it yet, go with Encrypt used disk space only .

On Windows 10, you may need to temporarily suspend BitLocker encryption to perform specific tasks, such as firmware, hardware, and Windows updates, using Control Panel, PowerShell, and Command ...

To disable BitLocker for a drive, click Turn Off BitLocker next to that encrypted drive in the BitLocker Drive Encryption applet. Turning off BitLocker decrypts that drive and its data.

BitLocker and Device Encryption are critical tools for protecting a PC’s data from thieves. Here’s everything you need to know about the encryption technologies built into Windows 10 and 11.

While in the "BitLocker Drive Encryption," it is also possible to encrypt other drives, such as secondary storage, external USB hard drives, and removable data drives, using "BitLocker To Go." ...