Understanding bitlocker conversion status

Got a new computer and was thinking backing up encryption key would be a good idea, but a little investigation, I guess the default is that the drive is not encrypted. But what does conversion status mean below? Control panel status shows "waiting for activation" with an option to turn on bitlocker. But that status is a little contradictory, isn't it?

Also, is it true that if it is turned on, that's when a key is generated? Does it present a key at that time to save? My PC runs only on a Local Account so it won't end up in my MS account. (unless it requires MS sign in... I wouldn't think so though).

Volume C: [OS]
[OS Volume]

Size: 364.60 GB
BitLocker Version: 2.0
Conversion Status: Used Space Only Encrypted
Percentage Encrypted: 100.0%
Encryption Method: XTS-AES 128
Protection Status: Protection Off
Lock Status: Unlocked
Identification Field: Unknown
Key Protectors:
Numerical Password

Volume W: [MYDATA]
[Data Volume]

Size: 439.45 GB
BitLocker Version: 2.0
Conversion Status: Used Space Only Encrypted
Percentage Encrypted: 100.0%
Encryption Method: XTS-AES 128
Protection Status: Protection Off
Lock Status: Unlocked
Identification Field: Unknown
Automatic Unlock: Disabled
Key Protectors: None Found

hershey4 said:

But what does conversion status mean below?

Click to expand...

It means all the space with the data is already encrypted. But since the Protection is "Off", Bitlocker stores the decryption key openly on the drive. You just need to turn the protection on (and back up the key).

echo2446 said:

It means all the space with the data is already encrypted. But since the Protection is "Off", Bitlocker stores the decryption key openly on the drive. You just need to turn the protection on (and back up the key).

Click to expand...

So if you get a nasty OS failure or malware or a disk failure that sabotage the OS so you losing system folders/files.. the data is then unreachable as its encrypted if the key was on that space that got destroyed.... In theory

So if you dont want bitlocker, it sounds as you need to first enable it and then disable it again so it decrypt the data.

The "BitLocker waiting for activation" status means your drive is partially encrypted by Windows, but no recovery key or key protector has been backed up. To fix it, either fully complete the encryption process or disable it completely to remove the warning.

If one uses Windows Home, automatic Device Encryption requires a Microsoft account to back up the recovery key.

ISince you have Windows Pro you can manually enable standard BitLocker and save the recovery key locally to a USB flash drive or a text file without linking a Microsoft account. If one does not use a Microsoft account, I strongly recommend keeping record of the key in multiple places because if it is lost, you're out of luck. Your only alternative would be a clean install.