Switch Bitlocker from Used Space to Full Disk encryption


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ChrisHallmark

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9:21 AM
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Windows 11 Pro
Hi,

I tried to enable Bitlocker on my laptop (Windows 11) and it took me through a process to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, which I followed without a problem. However, when I then went to enable Bitlocker it said it was already enabled (I have no idea why as it wasn't an option before I upgraded the OS) and the encryption option it had used was Used Space Only. I want to switch to Full Disk Encryption but can't find any information anywhere on how I do that.

All of the tutorials I have found cover the scenario where you are installing for the first time and you are given a choice. I can't find any option to switch from one to the other now it's installed.

Any help would be gratefully received, thanks.
Chris
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 OS Build 22631.4460

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Yoga
    CPU
    3th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1360P 2.20 GHz
    Memory
    16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)
Hello Chris, and welcome. :alien:

Unfortunately, you will need to turn off BitLocker protection on the drive, then turn on BitLocker again using full (entire drive) instead of used this time.

www.elevenforum.com

Turn Off BitLocker for Drive in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to turn off BitLocker for an encrypted drive 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...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

www.elevenforum.com

Turn On BitLocker for Operating System Drive in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to turn on BitLocker Drive Encryption for an operating system drive in 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...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
The used space option is used for initial encryption only (to speed up the initial encryption process). After that, anything written to the disk is encrypted. "Used space option" is useful for a new disk/clean OS installation as it is faster. Bitlocker is an FDE technology.

If this is a used disk that has already been encrypted, I personally wouldn't bother with re-encrypting it will full disk encryption option. See more ideas in this reddit link:

https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/1393jqr/windows_which_bitlocker_option_to_choose_full
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex Micro 5000
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-12500T
    Motherboard
    Dell 03V7GF
    Memory
    2 x 8GB DDR4 SO-DIMM 3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 770
    Sound Card
    Intel Alder Lake-S PCH - cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech)
    Internet Speed
    500/1,000 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox ESR
    Antivirus
    Windows defender. One-time free scanners: ESET, Sophos
@echo2446 already provided good info on this topic, but let me see if I can simply abbreviate this.

The only reason to use full disk encryption rather than used space only encryption is simply to encrypt any data that may have existed on the drive previously that has now been removed from the drive, to ensure that it cannot be recovered.

Any new data written to the disk will still need to be encrypted on the fly so it makes zero difference going forward.

So as a rule of thumb:

1) If this is a new drive, don't use full disk encryption. There is zero reason of any kind whatsoever to use FDE in this event.
2) If there is no data that you are concerned about possibly being recovered from the drive, there is also no reason to use FDE.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
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