How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

BitLocker encryption in Windows 10 is a simple solution for users to encrypt their data and safeguard it. Without any hassle, this software provides a safe environment for all of your information. Hence, users have grown to rely on Windows BitLocker to keep their data safe. But some users have reported issues too, namely an incompatibility between a disc encrypted on Windows 7 and afterward utilized in a Windows 10 system. In some cases, you might need to disable BitLocker, to be certain that your personal data is kept safe and secure during such transfer or re-installation. For those who do not know how to disable BitLocker in Windows 10, here is a step-by-step instruction guide to help you.

How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

When you disable BitLocker on Windows 10, all of the files will be decrypted, and your data will no longer be protected. So, disable it only if you are sure of it.

Note: BitLocker is not available, by default, in PCs running Windows 10 Home version. It is available on Windows 7,8,10 Enterprise & Professional versions.

Method 1: Through Control Panel

Disabling BitLocker is straightforward, and the procedure is nearly the same on Windows 10 as in other versions through Control Panel.

1. Press Windows key and type manage bitlocker. Then, press Enter.

Search for Manage BitLocker in the Windows search Bar. How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

2. This will bring up the BitLocker window, where you can see all of the partitions. Click on Turn off BitLocker to disable it.

Note: You can also choose to Suspend protection temporarily.

3. Click on Decrypt drive and enter the Passkey, when prompted.

4. Once the process is complete, you will get the option to Turn on BitLocker for the respective drives, as shown.

Choose whether to suspend or disable BitLocker.

Hereon, BitLocker for the selected disc will be permanently deactivated.

Method 2: Through Settings App

Here’s how to disable BitLocker by turning off device encryption through Windows settings:

1. Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings.

Go the start menu and Click on Settings

2. Next, click on System, as shown.

Click on the System option. How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

3. Click on About from the left pane.

Select About from the left pane.

4. In the right pane, select the Device encryption section and click on Turn off.

5. Finally, in the confirmation dialog box, click on Turn off again.

BitLocker should now be deactivated on your computer.

Also Read:  25 Best Encryption Software For Windows

Method 3: Use Local Group Policy Editor

If the above methods did not work for you, then disable BitLocker by changing the group policy, as follows:

1. Press the Windows key and type group policy. Then, click on Edit group policy option, as shown.

Search for Edit Group Policy in the Windows Search Bar and open it.

2. Click on Computer Configuration in the left pane.

3. Click on Administrative Templates > Windows Components.

4. Then, click on BitLocker Drive Encryption.

5. Now, click on Fixed Data Drives.

6. Double-click on the Deny write access to fixed drives not protected by BitLocker, as depicted below.

Double click on the Deny write access to fixed drives not protected by BitLocker.

7. In the new window, select Not Configured or Disabled. Then, click on Apply > OK to save changes.

In the new window, click on Not Configured or Disabled. How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

8. Finally, restart your Windows 10 PC to implement the decryption.

Method 4: Through Command Prompt

This is the simplest and quickest approach to disable BitLocker in Windows 10.

1. Press Windows key and type command prompt. Then, click on Run as administrator.

Launch Command Prompt. How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

2. Type the command: manage-bde -off X: and press Enter key to execute.

Note: Change X to the letter that corresponds to the Hard Drive partition.

Type the given command.

Note: The decryption procedure will now begin. Do not interrupt this procedure because it might take a long time.

3. Following information will be shown on the screen when the BitLocker is decrypted.

Conversion Status: Fully Decrypted

Percentage Encrypted: 0.0%

Also Read: Fix Command Prompt Appears then Disappears on Windows 10

Method 5: Through PowerShell

If you are a power user, you may use command lines to disable BitLocker as explained in this method.

Method 5A: For A Single Drive

1. Press the Windows key and type PowerShell. Then, click on Run as administrator as shown.

Search for PowerShell in the windows search box. Now, click on Run as administrator.

2. Type Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint “X:” command and hit Enter to run it.

Note: Change X to the letter that corresponds to the hard drive partition.

Type the given command and Run it.

After the procedure, the drive will be unlocked, and BitLocker will be turned off for that disc.

Method 5B. For All Drives

You may also use PowerShell to disable BitLocker for all hard disk drives on your Windows 10 PC.

1. Launch PowerShell as an administrator as shown before.

2. Type the following commands and press Enter:

$BLV = Get-BitLockerVolume
Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint $BLV

Type the following commands and press Enter

A list of encrypted volumes will be displayed and the decryption process will run.

Also Read: 7 Ways to Open Elevated Windows PowerShell in Windows 10

Method 6: Disable BitLocker Service

If you wish to disable BitLocker, do so by deactivating the service, as discussed below.

1. Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to launch the Run dialog box.

2. Here, type services.msc and click on OK.

In the Run window, type services.msc and click on OK.

3. In the Services windows, double-click on BitLocker Drive Encryption Service shown highlighted.

Double click on BitLocker Drive Encryption Service

4. Set the Startup type to Disabled from the drop-down menu.

Set the Startup type to Disabled from the drop-down menu. How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 10

5. Finally, click on Apply > OK.

BitLocker should be switched off on your device after deactivating the BitLocker service.

Also Read: 12 Apps to Protect External Hard Disk Drives With Password

Method 7: Use Another PC to Disable BitLocker

If none of the above methods worked for you, then your only option is to reinstall the encrypted hard drive on a separate computer and then try to disable BitLocker using the above-mentioned methods. This will decrypt the drive, allowing you to utilize it on your Windows 10 computer. This needs to be done extremely carefully as this may trigger a recovery process instead. Read here to learn more about this.

Pro Tip: System Requirements for BitLocker

Listed below are the system requirements needed for BitLocker encryption on Windows 10 desktop/laptop. Also, you may read our guide on How to Enable and Set Up BitLocker Encryption on Windows 10 here.

  • PC should have Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or later. If your PC does not have TPM, then a startup key on a removable device like USB should be there.
  • PC having TPM should have Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS or UEFI firmware.
  • It should support the TCG-specified Static Root of Trust Measurement.
  • It should support USB mass storage device, including reading small files on a USB flash drive in the pre-operating system environment.
  • The hard disk must be partitioned with at least two drives: Operating System Drive/ Boot Drive & Secondary/System Drive.
  • Both drives should be formatted with the FAT32 file system on computers that use UEFI-based firmware or with the NTFS file system on computers that use BIOS firmware
  • System Drive should be: Non-encrypted, approximately 350 MB in size, and provide Enhanced Storage Feature to support hardware encrypted drives.

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We hope that this guide was useful and you were able to learn how to disable BitLocker. Please let us know which method you found to be the most effective. Also, feel free to ask questions or drop suggestions in the comments section below.

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