Bitlocker

I recall having, on a previous laptop, bitlocker where I had to use an usb to be able to access or use the computer. I would like to have the same setup on my current pc and laptop but as both are running Windows 11 Home bitlocker is not available.

As a result I've been looking for a free alternative if anyone can make a recommendation. The reason I want this now is: 1. I have a home inventory programme which contains a lot of information but is not password protected. 2. I use OneDrive and the local drive in file explorer is not password protected unlike the online folders. Despite making numerous inquiries regarding this I've come to the conclusion that there is no way of hiding these folders and if the PC or laptop fell into the wrong hands all my files and folders would be accessible.

Any good advice would be appreciated.

Well, you can make it so that the folders don't come to your local PC. Go into Settings of OneDrive, cllck on Account on the left, then click on Choose folders. You can uncheck a folder and thus Windows will not display it within Explorer, and if the files happen to be local on your PC at the time, they will be removed. The only real issue here is that if somebody gets your computer, and can get your logon, they can just change the settings back and recheck the box and have access again to the files. Of course, if they have your logon, they can access via the cloud as well..but perhaps a 2 factor authentication will stop them if you have that enabled.

Take a look at the Personal Vault option within OneDrive. It may or may not usable for what you would like to do. You can effectively create an encrypted area and anything you place in there gets encrypted. You can have onedrive auto lock it after a certain period of time. Mine happens to be set for 20 minutes.


so for me, I have 2 factor enabled for the personal vault. So, when i try to open it, it sends a push notification to Microsoft Authenticator on my phone which I have to approve and then the vault is unlocked. Once I am done with the files in the vault, I can right click on OneDrive and relock the personal vault...or i can wait for 20 minutes of inactivity like shown above and it will auto lock for me.

Thanks for your reply.
ĺI have been using OneDrive for several years, and I have enjoyed using it. However, since my retirement and having more opportunities to travel, I've had this nagging concern about potential burglary. I assumed that because all my files and folders were in the cloud, everything was secure. Unfortunately, I soon realised that even though I had unlinked OneDrive and signed out, when I attempted to sign back in, the sign-in page already had my email address pre-filled. Clicking to continue opened up the local folder, which was a mirror image of the online storage.

I've searched and asked for a solution to this issue for some time, but it appears there isn't one. What seems to me like a security problem turns out to be by design. As a result, I have already transitioned to an alternative online storage solution, but I would still want to find a way to use OneDrive again. BitLocker was suggested as a possible solution.

As you mentioned, it's just a matter of going into the settings to link the online files to the local folder, which would be possible after it automatically signs in. I would have expected there to be a way to change the sign-in process from automatic to manual sign-in.

As regards the vault, I am aware of this but the version of OneDrive that I have is limited to the amount of files that I can store in it.

Bitlocker is possible on Windows 10 home, but differs in functionality to Bitlocker on Pro. On Pro, you may use USB sticks as protector - not on home. There is a hack around that: boot Win10 pro somewhere, connect the hard drive with home, unlock it using your recovery key and add a usb protector to it.

Dave, any feedback?

Veracrypt is free, and works quite well. It encrypts your entire drive just like Bitlocker, and requires a password to unlock the drive. If your computer is stolen, it will be useless to anyone else.

Hi and thanks for all your replies. I did look at Veracrypt but it didn't look that easy to setup, so I decided to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro in the end as it seemed like the easiest option for me. Managed to get it from PC Keyes for £25.

I've used only premium high-end laptops for the past 20+ years as my lifestyle is mobile. For that reason, I always order my laptops to have Windows Pro in order to use BitLocker encryption. I won't leave home without it! My portable SSD backup drives also use BitLocker encryption.

I'm glad you found a solution. I too use Bitlocker on my desktops, and Veracrypt on my laptop. Another great piece of privacy software I've used for many years, on and off, is Folderlock 7.