Privacy and Security Add BitLocker Status for Drive Context Menu in Windows 11

Brink · Nov 12, 2021

This tutorial will show you how to add BitLocker Status to the context menu of all drives in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

BitLocker Drive Encryption is a data protection feature that integrates with the operating system and addresses the threats of data theft or exposure from lost, stolen, or inappropriately decommissioned drives and computers.

You can turn on BitLocker to encrypt the operating system drive (Windows drive), fixed data drives (internal hard drives), and removable data drives (external hard drive or USB flash drive).

The BitLocker Status context menu uses the manage-bde status command to provide information about a drive on the computer; whether or not it is BitLocker-protected, including:

Size
BitLocker version
Conversion status
Percentage encrypted
Encryption method
Protection status
Lock status
Identification field
Key protectors

Knowing the current BitLocker Drive Encryption status of a drive can help you to manage BitLocker settings for the drive.

You must be signed in as an administrator to add, use, or remove the "BitLocker Status" context menu.

BitLocker Drive Encryption is only available in the Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

Contents

Option One: Add BitLocker Status Context Menu
Option Two: Remove BitLocker Status Context Menu

EXAMPLE: "BitLocker Status" context menu

When you right click on a BitLocker encrypted drive, you will need to click/tap on Show more options first, then click/tap on Turn off BitLocker.

Option One

Add BitLocker Status Context Menu

1 Click/tap on the Download button below to download the ZIP file below.

Add_BitLocker_Status_to_context_menu.zip

Download

2 Save the .zip file to your desktop.

3 Unblock the .zip file.

4 Open the .zip file, and extract (drag and drop) the Add_BitLocker_Status_to_context_menu.reg and manage-bde-status.bat files to your desktop.

(Contents of REG file for reference)

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\manage-bde-status]
@="BitLocker Status"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"MultiSelectModel"="Single"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\manage-bde-status\command]
@="PowerShell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/k, manage-bde-status.bat %1' -Verb runAs\""

(Contents of BAT file for reference)

Code:

@echo off
manage-bde -status %~d1

5 Copy/Move the manage-bde-status.bat file into the C:\Windows folder, and click/tap on Continue when prompted to approve. (see screenshot below)

6 Double click/tap on the Add_BitLocker_Status_to_context_menu.reg file to merge it.

7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

8 You can now delete any remaining files on your desktop if you like.

Option Two

Remove BitLocker Status Context Menu

This is the default setting.

1 Click/tap on the Download button below to download the REG file below.

Remove_BitLocker_Status_from_context_menu.reg

Download

(Contents of REG file for reference)

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\manage-bde-status]

2 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

3 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

4 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

5 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

6 Open the C:\Windows folder, delete the manage-bde-status.bat file, and click/tap on Continue when prompted to approve. (see screenshot below)