Bitlocker is a new feature added by Microsoft to Windows 7/8 to encrypt hard drives, thereby increasing data security.
USB drives are compact devices used to store data and are convenient for users who need easy portability. However, because of their small size, USB drives are also easy to lose, and if someone finds them, they can access the data contained within. Therefore, in this article, Ttaimienphi will guide you on how to encrypt your USB drive using Bitlocker to secure the data on it.
How to encrypt a USB drive using BitLocker
Step 1 : Plug in the USB drive and enable Bitlocker Drive Encryption in Windows 7/8.
After plugging in the USB drive, click the Start icon, type Bitlocker Drive Encryption , and press Enter.
Step 2 : Proceed with USB encryption.
The Bitlocker window will appear, listing all of your computer's drives. Click on " Turn on Bitlocker" next to the name of your USB drive.
The program will then ask for the method to unlock the drive after encryption. There are two methods: password encryption and SmartCard encryption. Although SmartCard encryption is stronger than password encryption, in this lesson we will use password encryption because it is the easier method.
Step 3 : Click on the " Use a password to unlock the drive" box and enter the password in both the "Type your password" and "Retype your password" fields (both passwords must be the same), then press Next.
Step 4 : The program will ask you where to save the password recovery key in case you forget your password. Click on "Save the recovery key to a file" to save the key to a folder on your computer, then click Next.
Step 5 : Finally, click Start Encryption to begin the encryption process.
Above, we have guided you on how to encrypt your USB drive using the BitLocker function available in Windows, thereby ensuring that all data stored on your USB drive is absolutely secure. Alternatively, you can use USB protection software available in TipsMake; using these utilities will simplify the process.