Windows 11 24H2: Get Ready for Auto-Encrypted Drives with BitLocker, even on Home edition
Windows 11 24H2: Get Ready for Auto-Encrypted Drives, for some this is a good news and for most bad news
Have you heard about the changes coming to Windows 11 with version 24H2? One significant update is the automatic enablement of BitLocker encryption. BitLocker is a nice security feature, but it wasn't turned on by default. With 24H2, that's changing. Both Windows 11 Home and Pro users will now have automatic device encryption with BitLocker during clean installs or PC resets. Not just your main drive (C:), but other data drives connected to your system will also be encrypted by default.
This additional layer of security is great, but it highlights the importance of having a proper backup of your important files. If you run into system issues or reinstall Windows, you'll need the BitLocker recovery key to access your data. Also BitLocker encryption can have a slight impact on drive performance, especially write speeds, according to some sources it can seriously slow down your PCs’ performance by up to 45%, This happens due to Windows 11 constantly prompting encryption and decryption processes with data on your SSD while your computer carries out read and write operations.
The effect on write speeds can be more noticeable, especially on traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). Reports suggest a potential decrease of up to 50% in write speeds for HDDs. Solid state drives (SSDs) are generally less affected, but some users have experienced reductions of up to 45%.
I have made a video in this topic so watch the video down below for more information.
Solution if you don't want to use auto BitLocker encryption : use Rufus to make Windows 11 24H2 bootable USB, it gives you option to turn of auto BitLocker encryption. Rufus is a free and open-source software program designed specifically for Windows that helps you format and create bootable USB flash drives.
Click Here to download Rufus from official website
Or you can turn it off after installation.
But Make sure you save your recovery key securely during the setup process. Microsoft offers several options, including your Microsoft account, a local file, or an external drive.
For those who want to delve deeper, there are plenty of resources online to learn more about BitLocker and how it works in Windows 11 24H2.
Check out my other posts, I post useful tutorials and tech tips, maybe you will find something useful 😉.
