Choose where you'd like to back up your recovery key.(You can also use a Windows Smart Card if you'd like.) Choose a secure password for the drive encryption.Right click the drive and choose 'Turn On BitLocker' from the menu.Locate and select your USB drive in Windows Explorer. Plug your USB drive into your PC's USB port.Here's how to encrypt your USB drive via BitLocker: (If you have the Home edition, use one of the many free encryption tools available online instead.) The Pro, Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 10 and 11 include a convenient encryption tool called BitLocker. Promote Your Business with Professional USB CardsĮncrypting a Flash Drive on Windows 10/11 Now that we know why USB encryption can be so important, let's talk about how to do it. No matter what's on your drive, it's never a bad idea to give yourself improved privacy through encryption! However, encryption is a must-have if the flash drive contains things such as: If your flash drive gets lost or stolen, anyone could pop it into a USB port and view the data stored on it - unless it's encrypted, that is. The main reason to encrypt a flash drive is to prevent unauthorized users from viewing the data stored on it. Because encryption has become such a popular and important security tool, both Windows and Mac now include built-in applications to encrypt storage devices.

Many different flavors of encryption are available today - some more secure than others. If a user has the right encryption key, their device can unscramble the data into a usable format. Here, we'll talk about what they are and how to use them.Įncryption is the process of using a cryptographic algorithm to scramble your data into an unreadable form. While you can't unlock a USB drive with a thumbprint (yet), there are some simple and powerful encryption tools available to make your USB flash drive more secure. We use passwords and biometric scanners to protect our phones, our credit and debit cards, our computers and pretty much anything we'd rather not have people snooping through. Security is a critical part of living our digital lives in the 21st century.

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