Are you considering removing BitLocker drive encryption from your Windows computer? While BitLocker provides security for your data, there are several reasons why you might want to remove it. In this article, we'll explore the potential benefits of turning off BitLocker encryption on your computer and how to do it.

BitLocker is a security feature built into Windows that encrypts the contents of your computer's drive(s) to prevent data theft from lost or stolen devices. It is a practical way of ensuring that if your computer falls into the hands of someone not meant to have it, that the data will be impossible to access without the decryption key.

But it can be a double-edged sword, sort of speak, if you lose access to the decryption key. See, computer manufacturers are enabling BitLocker drive encryption on all computers they produce, and the majority of consumers are unaware that the drive in their new computer they just purchased is already encrypted.

Now, don't get me wrong. BitLocker drive encryption is great for mobile systems (laptops), as it can prevent just anybody from accessing your data. But if your system is a desktop and stays in one place all the time, BitLocker could be a problem down the road. Let me explain.

Let's say I bought a computer for myself and decided to give it to one of my children sometime later. Then the motherboard fails, and they need to get the data off of the drive. Without the BitLocker decryption key, recovering the data for them is impossible, as the recovery key is in my Microsoft account, not theirs.

Then there are the systems that came with the Home version of Windows that have BitLocker drive encryption enabled by default. The problem is that BitLocker drive encryption is a feature that is not included in the Home version of Windows, just the Professional and Enterprise versions. So, with these systems, BitLocker is not fully functional and can cause a real headache if you have to recover the data from the drive(s).

One reason you might want to remove BitLocker encryption is if you are experiencing compatibility issues with specific hardware or software. Some older or less common hardware devices may not work correctly with a BitLocker-encrypted drive, and certain software applications may not be compatible with the encryption. By removing BitLocker, you can potentially resolve these compatibility issues and ensure that your hardware and software work seamlessly with your system.

Another consideration for removing BitLocker encryption is the potential performance impact. While encryption is essential for protecting sensitive data, it can also introduce a slight performance overhead, especially on older or lower-spec machines. By removing BitLocker encryption, you may experience improved system performance, faster read and write speeds, and reduced CPU utilization, particularly on devices that struggle with the computational overhead of encryption.

Furthermore, if you are experiencing difficulties with managing BitLocker recovery keys or if multiple users are sharing a device and the complexity of managing encryption keys becomes burdensome, removing BitLocker might simplify the management of your computer system. By removing encryption, you can avoid the complexities associated with key management and recovery, especially in scenarios where multiple users have access to the same device.

Another potential reason to remove BitLocker encryption is if you have migrated to a different security solution that provides equivalent or superior data protection without the need for native BitLocker encryption. In some cases, organizations or individuals may choose to implement alternative security measures that align more closely with their specific security requirements, and removing BitLocker in favor of a different encryption solution may be a part of that transition.

It's also worth considering that some users may simply no longer require the level of data protection that BitLocker provides. Whether due to changes in usage patterns, data storage locations, or risk perceptions, some users may find that the overhead of maintaining BitLocker encryption outweighs the advantages of having it enabled, and they may opt to remove BitLocker as a result.

How to turn off BitLocker drive encryption

To remove BitLocker encryption, you will need to follow a few simple steps. Before starting, it's important to note that removing BitLocker encryption will decrypt the drive and make its contents accessible without needing a decryption key. Ensure that you have backed up any important data from the encrypted drive before proceeding.

Turn off BitLocker drive encryption using the Control Panel inside of Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on Control Panel.
5. If viewing the Control Panel by Category, left-click on System and Security, then left-click on BitLocker Drive Encryption. If viewing by Large/Small Icons, left-click on BitLocker Drive Encryption. This will open the BitLocker management interface, where you can view all the currently encrypted drives on your computer.

Turn off BitLocker drive encryption using the Control Panel inside of Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on the Windows System folder to expand it.
3. Left-click on Control Panel.
4. If viewing the Control Panel by Category, left-click on System and Security, then left-click on BitLocker Drive Encryption. If viewing by Large/Small Icons, left-click on BitLocker Drive Encryption. This will open the BitLocker management interface, where you can view all the currently encrypted drives on your computer.

To remove BitLocker encryption from a specific drive, locate the encrypted drive in the BitLocker management interface and click on the Turn off BitLocker option next to it.

You may be prompted to provide administrator credentials to continue with the process.

After clicking Turn off BitLocker, Windows will begin decrypting the drive.

This process may take some time, depending on the size of the drive and the amount of data stored on it. To avoid data loss or corruption, it is important to ensure that your computer remains powered on and connected to a reliable power source during the decryption process.

Turn off BitLocker drive encryption using PowerShell inside of Windows

If, for some reason, you do not find the BitLocker management interface inside of the Control Panel, you can always try using the PowerShell. Here's how to open PowerShell with administrator privileges.

Open PowerShell with Administrator privileges in Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Right-click on Windows PowerShell.
5. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Open PowerShell with Administrator privileges in Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button.
2. Scroll down the program list and then left-click on the Windows PowerShell folder to expand.
3. Right-click on Windows PowerShell.
4. On the context menu that appears, hover your cursor over More and then left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Now that you have PowerShell open, you can either turn off BitLocker encryption on a single drive or all drives. To disable BitLocker on the C: drive, type or copy and paste the following at the PowerShell prompt.

Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "C:"

BitLocker should immediately start decrypting the C: drive. To disable BitLocker on all volumes is a two-step process. First, you have to get the information for all of the BitLocker volumes and store it in a variable. Type or copy and paste the following at the PowerShell prompt to create and store that variable.

$BLV = Get-BitLockerVolume

Now that you have the BitLocker information stored in a variable, type or copy and paste the following at the PowerShell prompt.

Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint $BLV

BitLocker should proceed to decrypt all of the volumes on your computer with BitLocker encryption.

Once the decryption process is complete, the drive(s) will no longer be encrypted with BitLocker. You can verify this by checking the BitLocker management interface,

where the drive(s) should now appear as not encrypted.

Ultimately, the decision to remove BitLocker encryption from your Windows computer should be made based on a careful assessment of your specific needs, potential compatibility issues, performance considerations, and the overall security requirements of your system. While BitLocker offers valuable data protection features, it's essential to consider the broader implications and potential benefits of removing the encryption in certain scenarios. By weighing the pros and cons of BitLocker encryption, you can decide whether removing it aligns with your particular needs and circumstances.

Are you running out of free space on your computer's drive? You've uninstalled unused programs and cleaned it up, but still cannot free up any more room? Doing computer repair, I've seen this often and have personally run out of space more times than I care to remember. Here's how to upgrade the drive in your computer.

Changing out a drive may sound scary, but it's not. If your existing drive is healthy and you have a good backup of the data on it, you should be good to go. The procedure is the same for desktop computers and laptops, with slight differences due to the form factor (physical size).

Before proceeding to clone your existing drive, it is highly recommended that you turn off any drive encryption, such as BitLocker. Once you have successfully cloned your drive, you can turn back on the drive encryption.

How to turn off BitLocker drive encryption

Three different drives side-by-side

There are two (2) types of drives, SSD (Solid State Drive) and HDD (Hard Disk Drive), two (2) different types of drive interfaces, SATA (7 pin connection cable) and PCI-Express (59-66 notched pins), and three (3) different form factors (physical size) of drives; 3.5" and 2.5" (the dimension relates to the width of the drive) and M.2 (width 22 MM / length varies between 16 - 110 MM). SSDs and HDDs come in 3.5" and 2.5" sizes; SSDs come in the 2.5" and M.2 form factor. Laptops use the 2.5" / M.2 form factor, and desktop computers can use either size.

If you plan on using a 2.5" drive in a desktop computer, you may have to use 2.5" to 3.5" adapter brackets. Also, if you are installing a 2.5" SSD into a laptop, check the physical dimensions first. Some SSDs are taller (thicker) than standard 2.5" HDDs and may not fit into a laptop. And if you are planning on using an M.2 drive that has a heatsink in a laptop, check to make sure that you have enough space (height), as most laptops do not have room for the additional height (thickness) to accommodate an M.2 drive with a heatsink attached.

View of drive properties inside of Disk Management

The next thing to do is find out what you have for an existing drive using Disk Management. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu, then left-click on Disk Management. Find the disk you want to upgrade, right-click on the disk name (Disk 0, Disk 1, etc.), and select Properties. On the General tab, you will find the model number of that drive. Do a Google search for it and find the specifications (form factor, data capacity, and interface). Now, it's just a matter of getting a new drive that matches the form factor and interface you want to use. Remember that your new drive's data capacity has to be equal to or larger than your existing drive.

If your existing drive is an HDD, the first thing to do is to check the current drive for errors. Running a Checkdisk will find any errors that might prevent the successful cloning of the drive.

Running Checkdisk in Windows 11

Running Checkdisk in Windows 10

If errors are found on the existing drive, you may be unable to use the new drive's manufacturer's software. In this case, you will have to use third-party software like R-Drive that can ignore read errors.

Two ways to clone a hard drive

Drive-to-drive cloning

Drive-to-drive is the easiest to do, and a few drive manufacturers (Western Digital, Seagate, etc.) have free utilities to do this. There are also a few free disk cloning utilities out there. Check out the UBCD; it has a few. All you have to do is turn off your computer and attach the new drive internally using a SATA or PCI-e port or externally using a docking station or external USB enclosure. If your system is a desktop computer, consult the manufacturer's documentation on how to do this. If it's a laptop, you will have to attach it using either a USB adapter or inside of an external case.

A laptop drive connected to a USB adapter

If you plan on reusing your existing laptop drive, an external case might be the way to go. That way, when you're done, you can put your current drive into it, reformat it, and use it as an external drive for storage.

Once the new drive is ready, start your computer, install the manufacturer's software, and start the disk clone. If you're installing a larger drive, always remember to check and make sure that the new free space is going to partition you want to expand. Once done, just power off the computer and change the drives out. If your system is a laptop, consult the manufacturer's documentation on how to change out the drive. When you clone a drive, you copy everything, including the MFT (Master File Table). Run a Checkdisk to make sure everything copied over correctly.

Drive-to-image / image-to-drive cloning

Drive-to-image / image-to-drive is a bit harder, but it has an advantage: a full disk backup. There are a few third-party software programs that can expand your current drive partitions to fit a larger capacity drive. If the drive you want to clone has the same capacity but is just a different type, then you can always use Windows Backup.

Windows 11 Backup

Windows 10 Backup

How to create a Windows Recovery Drive (used for restoring Windows Backup images)

This two-step process requires a USB flash drive (16GB or larger) and a USB storage drive (the same capacity as your existing drive). The process is the same as drive-to-drive, but instead of cloning to the new drive, you create a file containing an image of the existing hard drive on a USB storage drive. I prefer using a portable (2.5") external drive, as they don't require any additional source of power (AC adapter).

The first step is to install the cloning software on your existing drive and use it to create an image of your existing drive to the USB storage drive. Once you have created an image of your drive to a USB storage drive, you must make the bootable USB flash drive using the cloning software. After you create the bootable USB flash drive, it's time to start cloning the drive.

Once you have created the drive image and bootable USB drive, you can shut down your computer and change out the drives. Consult the manufacturer's documentation on how to change out the drive. Then you boot your computer back up on the bootable USB drive you created, reconnect your external drive, and restore the drive from the image file.

If you're installing a larger drive, always remember to check and make sure that the new free space is going to partition you want to expand. Once done, just shut the system down, remove the boot disk, and start it back up. When you clone a drive, you copy everything, including the Master File Table, so run a Checkdisk to verify that all of the data is in good working condition.

For more information on upgrading computer drives, click on the following links.

How to clone the drive in your Windows computer

How to upgrade your computers hard disk drive to a solid state drive