Encrypt USB stick with Windows board means
Under Windows you can also encrypt USB sticks with board means. We'll show you how.
Can my Windows version encrypt USB sticks?
Windows has its own function for encrypting USB sticks. However, this is only included in the more expensive versions of Windows 7 and 8:
- Under Windows 7 you need the version "Ultimate" or "Enterprise", under Windows 8 "Pro" or "Enterprise".
- If this is the case, your system has the "BitLocker To Go" tool. In the next paragraph, we will explain how you can use it to encrypt USB sticks.
- If you do not have any of the Windows versions mentioned, you can perform the encryption using external software. We show you how this works in this practical tip.
Encrypt USB stick with Windows board means
Before you start the actual process, you have to format your USB stick in one of the formats NTFS, FAT, FAT32 or exFAT. FAT is recommended for USB sticks, since this standard also supports older systems such as Windows Vista and XP. You will find instructions on formatting in this practical tip.
- Once the USB stick is formatted, you can start. First copy the desired data to the USB stick.
- Then open the Control Panel and enter "BitLocker" in the search above.
- If you select the "BitLocker Drive Encryption" category, you will get an overview of all drives and data carriers.
- At the bottom of the list you should find the USB stick. Click on the blue link "Activate BitLocker" (see picture).
- Then tick the option "Use password to unlock the drive" and a password.
- In the next step you will be offered to print the recovery key. You should do that and keep it safe. If you forget your password, you can still use the key to access the removable disk.
- When you click the "Start encryption" button, the process starts. Depending on how much data is on the USB stick, this can take a few seconds to several minutes.
- If you insert the USB stick into a computer in the future, a password will always be requested.
- Note: So that you can decrypt the encrypted USB sticks again under Windows XP and Vista, you need the BitLocker-To-Go reading tool.
In another practical tip, we will show you how to encrypt your entire hard drive with TrueCrypt.