BitLocker - Turn On or Off for OS Drive in Windows 8

How to Turn On or Off BitLocker for Windows 8 OS Drive with or without TPM
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BitLocker Drive Encryption provides protection for operating system drives, fixed data drives, and removable data drives that are lost or stolen. BitLocker does this by encrypting the contents of drives and requiring users to authenticate their credentials to be able to access the information. Encrypting the entire Windows 8 operating system drive on the hard disk encrypts all user files and system files on the OS drive, including the swap (page) files and hibernation files.

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off BitLocker to encrypt or decrypt the operating system drive in Windows 8 and 8.1 with or without a TPM.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

• For computers that boot natively with UEFI firmware, BitLocker requires at least one FAT32 partition for the system drive and one NTFS partition for the operating system drive.
• For computers with legacy BIOS firmware, BitLocker requires at least two NTFS disk partitions, one for the system drive and one for the operating system drive.
• The system drive partition must be at least 350 MB and set as the active partition. If you do not have a system partition, then BitLocker will check for and create one automatically if able step 7 in OPTION ONE below.
• To be able to automatically unlock fixed data drives, the drive that Windows 8 is installed on must also be encrypted by BitLocker.
• Any files saved to an encrypted drive will automatically be encrypted as well.
• Files remain encrypted only while they are stored on the encrypted drive. Files will be decrypted if they are copied on another drive, partition, or PC.
• Users who use BitLocker to protect the content of their personal files can also use File History as it seamlessly supports BitLocker on both source and destination drives.
• If you create a system image or backup of an unlocked encrypted drive, the files in the saved image or backup will be decrypted.
• If you share files with other people, such as through a network, the files are encrypted as long as they're stored on the same encrypted drive, and they can be accessed by authorized people or people you've given permission to.
• You will be able to unlock the encrypted Windows 8 OS drive at boot using either a password or a connected USB flash drive containing the startup key.
• If you select to use a USB flash drive to unlock the Windows 8 OS drive with at boot, then you will need to make sure that you have your BIOS or UEFI set to allow reading from a USB drives at boot. Most are by default.
• When using BitLocker with a TPM, it is recommended that BitLocker be turned on immediately after the computer has been restarted. If the computer has resumed from sleep prior to turning on BitLocker, the TPM may incorrectly measure the pre-boot components on the computer. In this situation, when the user subsequently attempts to unlock the computer, the TPM verification check will fail and the computer will enter BitLocker recovery mode and prompt the user to provide recovery information before unlocking the drive.

For more information, see: BitLocker Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

BitLocker Drive Encryption is only available in the Windows 8/8.1 Pro and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise editions.

OPTION ONE

To Turn On BitLocker for Windows 8 OS Drive with or without a TPM

1. If you have not already, you will first need to do step 2, 3, 4, or 5 below for what you want to do.


2. Use REG File to Allow BitLocker to Encrypt OS Drive without a TPM

NOTE: This does the same thing as step 4 below, but automatically with a .reg file.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below.

Enable_BitLocker_OS_Drive_No_TPM.reg



B) Save the .reg file to your desktop.

C) Double click/tap on the .reg file to merge it.

D) If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve merging.

E) Restart the PC to apply, and go to step 6 below to continue.



3. Use REG File to Require Additional Authentication at Startup with a TPM

NOTE: This does the same thing as step 5 below, but automatically with a .reg file. For example, to require USB at startup.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below.

Enable_Additional_Authentication_BitLocker_OS_Drive_with_TPM.reg



B) Save the .reg file to your desktop.

C) Double click/tap on the .reg file to merge it.

D) If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve merging.

E) Restart the PC to apply, and go to step 6 below to continue.



4. Use Group Policy to Allow BitLocker to Encrypt OS Drive without a TPM

NOTE: This does the same thing as step 2 above.

A) Press the :winkey: + R keys to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

B) If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.

C) In the left pane of Group Policy, click/tap on to expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and Operating System Drives. (see screenshot below)




D) In the right pane of Operating System Drives, double click/tap on Require additional authentification at startup to edit it. (see screenshot above)

E) Select (dot) Enabled, check the Allow Bitlocker without a compatible TPM box, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Not Configured is the default setting.




F) Close Group Policy, and go to step 6 below to continue.



5. Use Group Policy to Require Additional Authentication at Startup with a TPM

NOTE: This does the same thing as step 3 above, but allows you to have more options.

A) Press the :winkey: + R keys to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

B) If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.

C) In the left pane of Group Policy, click/tap on to expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and Operating System Drives. (see screenshot below step 4C)

D) In the right pane of Operating System Drives, double click/tap on Require additional authentification at startup to edit it. (see screenshot above)

E) Select (dot) Enabled, uncheck the Allow Bitlocker without a compatible TPM box, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Not Configured is the default setting.




F) Close Group Policy, and go to step 6 below to continue.


6. If you have not already, choose to use either an AES 128-bit or 256-bit encryption method.
NOTE: Windows 8 uses AES 128-bit encryption by default.


7. Do step 8, 9, or 10 for how you would like to start to turn on BitLocker for the OS drive.


8. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on BitLocker Drive Encryption icon. Under Operating system drive, click/tap on an arrow to expand the Windows 8 drive you want to encrypt, click/tap on the Turn on BitLocker link, and go to step 11 below. (see screenshot below)




9. In File Explorer, open Computer/This PC, right click or press and hold on the encrypted Windows 8 drive you want to encrypt, click/tap on Turn on BitLocker, and go to step 11 below. (see screenshot below step 10)

10. In File Explorer, open Computer/This PC, select (highlight) the encrypted Windows 8 drive you want to encrypt, click/tap on Manage (Drive Tools) tab, click/tap on BitLocker icon in the ribbon, click/tap Turn on BitLocker, and go to step 11 below. (see screenshot below)




11. If you did not have the required 350 MB system drive partition, then BitLocker will now create one if able. Click/tap on Next, and Restart now when prompted. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: You will not get this step if you do already ave at least a 350 MB system drive partition.






12. Do step 13, 14, or 15 below for what you would like to use to unlock the Windows 8 drive with at startup. (see screenshots below)

NOTE: This will not be available with a TPM unless you did step 3 or 5 above.







13. To "Insert a USB flash drive" at Boot to Unlock the OS Drive

NOTE: This will not be available with a TPM unless you did step 3 or 5 above.

A) Connect a USB flash drive, and click/tap on the Insert a USB flash drive option. (see screenshot below step 12)

B) Select the USB flash drive you want to save the startup key on, click/tap on Save, and go to step 16 below. (see screenshot below)






14. To "Enter a password" at Boot to Unlock the OS Drive

NOTE: This will not be available with a TPM.

A) Click/tap on the Enter a password option. (see screenshot below step 12)

B) Enter and reenter a password at least 8 characters long, click/tap on Next, and go to step 16 below. (see screenshot below)






15. To Let BitLocker Automatically Unlock OS Drive

NOTE: This will only be available with a TPM.

A) Click/tap on the Let BitLocker automaticalyl unlock my drive option, and go to step 16 below. (see screenshot below step 12)



16. Select how you want to back up your BitLocker recovery key, and click/tap on Next when finished. (see screenshot below)

   Note

The Save to USB flash drive option will not be available if you are encrypting with a TPM. If you like, you could use the Save to a file option, and select a USB flash drive to save the file to though.

If you forget the password (step 14) or lost the USB flash drive (step 13), then you can still use this recovery key (a string of 48 random numbers) to get back into the OS drive at boot.

It's essential that you store a copy of your recovery in a safe place. If you lose it, you might permanently lose access to your files on the encrypted OS drive.

   Tip

The Save to your Microsoft account option is only available on non-domain-joined PCs.

If you saved the BitLocker recovery key to your Microsoft account, you will be able to log in to your Microsoft account online at the Microsoft's site below from any PC to view all of your saved recovery keys at anytime.

http://windows.microsoft.com/recoverykey

17. Select (dot) to encrypt entire drive, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)




18. Check the Run BitLocker system check box, and click/tap on Continue. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Running the system check is one more recommended way to make sure that BitLocker works smoothly for you, but it can take longer, and it requires your PC to restart. If you decide to run the system check, make sure you've saved your work before restarting. When your PC restarts, it will prompt you to unlock your operating system drive with the method you just chose in step 12 above.




19. You will now notice the BitLocker icon in the taskbar notification area. Click/tap on it, and on Restart now. (see screenshots below)

   Note

If you selected to enter password in step 14 above, then you will be prompted to enter the password at boot when the computer restarts.

20. If the BitLocker system check failed from step 10 above, then you will see this below. Click/tap on Close. You are now finished since BitLocker was unable to encrypt the Windows 8 OS drive.




21. If the BitLocker system check was successful from step 18 above, then after a short moment you will notice the BitLocker icon in the taskbar notification area. You can click/tap on it to see the encryption progress. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This may take a long time to finish, but you will still be able to use your PC during the encryption process. Just do not turn off the PC until it has finished encrypting.




22. When encryption of the Windows 8 OS drive has finally finished, click/tap on Close. (see screenshot below)




23. Whenever you start the Windows 8 PC, you may be required to either enter a password or connect the USB flash drive depending on what you selected in step 12 above.

OPTION TWO

To Turn Off BitLocker for Windows 8 OS Drive

1. If you have not already, you will first need to turn off auto-unlock for any encrypted fixed data drives. If you do not, then all fixed data drives that have auto-unlock turned on will also be decrypted at step 8 below.
NOTE: This does not apply to removable data drives.

2. Do step 3, 4, or 5 for how you would like to start.

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on BitLocker Drive Encryption icon, and go to step 6 below.

4. In File Explorer, open Computer/This PC, right click or press and hold on the encrypted Windows 8 drive you want to decrypt, click/tap on Manage BitLocker, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below step 5)

5. In File Explorer, open Computer/This PC, select (highlight) the encrypted Windows 8 drive you want to decrypt, click/tap on Manage (Drive Tools) tab, click/tap on BitLocker icon in the ribbon, click/tap Manage BitLocker, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)



6. Under Operating system drive, click/tap on the arrow to expand the Windows 8 OS drive you want to decrypt, and click/tap on the Turn off BitLocker link. (see screenshot below)



7. If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.

8. Click/tap on Turn off BitLocker or Decrypt all drives depending in if you turned off auto-unlock for all fixed data drives in step 1 above. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: This may take a long time to finish, but you will still be able to use your PC during the decryption process. Just do not turn off the PC until it has finished decrypting.



9. You will now notice the BitLocker icon in the taskbar notification area. You can click/tap on it to see the decryption progress. (see screenshot below)



10. When decryption of the drive has finally finished, click/tap on Close. (see screenshot below)




11. If you like, you could also do step 12 or 13 below to set the default setting to require BitLocker to only encrypt an OS drive with a TPM (step 2 and 4 in OPTION ONE) and not require additional authentification for a TPM (step 3 and 5 in OPTION ONE) if you like.

12. To Use a Reg File to Undo Step 2, 3, 4, or 5 in OPTION ONE


A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below.

Disable_BitLocker_OS_Drive_No_TPM.reg





B) Save the .reg file to your desktop.

C) Double click/tap on the .reg file to merge it.

D) If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve merging.

E) Restart the PC to apply.

13. Use Group Policy to Undo Step 2, 3, 4, or 5 in OPTION ONE


A) Press the :winkey: + R keys to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

B) If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.

C) In the left pane of Group Policy, click/tap on to expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and Operating System Drives. (see screenshot below step 4C in Option One)

D) In the right pane of Operating System Drives, double click/tap on Require additional authentification at startup to edit it. (see screenshot below step 4C in Option One)

E) Select (dot) Not Configured, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 4E in Option One)
NOTE: This is the default setting.

F) Close Group Policy.


That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Copy the BitLocker Startup Key for the OS Drive in Windows 8
• How to Turn On or Off BitLocker for Fixed Data Drives in Windows 8
• How to Turn On or Off BitLocker To Go for Removable Data Drives in Windows 8
• How to Suspend or Resume BitLocker Protection of a Drive in Windows 8
• How to Choose BitLocker Drive Encryption Method and Cipher Strength in Windows 8
• How to Turn On or Off Auto-unlock of BitLocker Encrypted Data Drives in Windows 8
• How to Back Up the BitLocker Recovery Key of a Drive in Windows 8
• How to Unlock a Drive using BitLocker Recovery in Windows 8
• How to Use BitLocker Repair Tool to Recover a Drive in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change or Reset the BitLocker Password of a Drive in Windows 8
• How to Allow or Prevent Standard Users from Changing BitLocker Password or Pin in Windows 8
• How to Check BitLocker Status of Drive in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[Brink]

Although it is mentioned everywhere that the system partition should be at least 350 MB, mine even though being 100 MB, there was no prompt to expand the drive to 350 MB and process straight away skipped to step 12. Was there any change 350 MB min requirement?

Hello Andcha,

Not that I'm aware of. Please post a screenshot showing all of your Disk Management to see if it may explain what happened.

 

[andcha]

Here is the screenshot

 

[Brink]

Interesting, Microsoft either changed it, or this was a fluke. It'll be interesting to see if others see this as well with only a 100 MB System Reserved partition instead of 350 MB.

 

[andcha]

That too 55 MB is free out of 100.
Microsoft FAQ was last updated in October 2013, so maybe latest update has changed this requirement.
My only concern is that nothing goes wrong with my system in future because of this.

 

[Brink]

It should be fine, but I would recommend to keep a copy of the BitLocker recovery key and startup key in a safe place just in case you may need them in the future.

 

[GagaC]

Shawn - I just wanna say thanks ! Super professional tutorial, you covered everything. I did lot of h/w s/w through yrs but I'm always wary of doing stuff like this which could potentially lock you out. The only thing I had to read on was TPM maintenance, and I decide to leave it "un-owned" (Im guessing factory initialized to make it easier for the users), hope I'm not going to regret it : )
And man are you meticulous I thought I was, and I mean in a good way

A tiny question -but don't feel obliged to answer : )
What are the things to be aware of once running a bitlocker? I've seen a lot of it like "it may be if you're running a bitlocker" but I'm trying to find some walk-through article link or something.
E.g. h/w setup, dual-booting, I can't boot from USB then into Win (it needs from HDD), Win 8 to Win 8.1 or upgrades (require turning it off temp) - anything else that pops into mind, or some link you may have handy?

And thanks again for all the effort

P.S. just to add my details. I did a TPM Bitlocker on Win8 Pro, I used gpedit to init, and "let Bitlocker" handle the stuff (i.e. no pass - but relying on the user login pass protection). I had 8.1 but factory refreshed to 8 - taking my time on the clean system for a while : )

 

[Brink]

Hello Gaga, and welcome to Eight Forums.

The main thing about BitLocker is to make sure you keep a backup of the recovery key since you will not be able to recover the drive without it if you should ever need to.

You can boot from a USB with BitLocker enabled. It may be Secure Boot or Fast Boot enabled in your UEFI firmware blocking you from booting from a USB. Temporarily disabling them will allow you to.

 

[GagaC]

I never lose things, I just can't find them )
I like your configuration, I'm just about to upgrade my desktop.
thanks and cheers!

 

[SoiCBoy]

Hi Shawn,

Been a while since someone posted on this topic, but I am keen on using Bitlocker and giving it a go for its simplicity as an encryption tool.

My question is, if I encrypt, say a Thumb drive or external HDD using Bitlocker on Windows 10, would I then be able to go on to another computer that is running Windows 7/8.1 with Bitlocker on it and use that/those encrypted drives. Logic tells me yes, but always good to hear others answers and confirmations.

 

[Brink]

Hello SoiCBoy,

That's correct. You will be able to connect the removable BitLocker USB on any other Windows 7/8.1/10 PC and be able to access it after entering your BitLocker password.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/21188-bitlocker-turn-removable-data-drives-windows-8-a.html

 

[SoiCBoy]

Good to know, thanks Shawn

Cheers

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[doyoc]

hello everybody
I have a problem. I need your help
I have unlock the BITLOCKER to unlock the usb flash drive on the original system
I changed the system to appear not to recognize U disk valid file

 

[Brink]

Hello doyoc, and welcome to Eight Forums.

I'm not sure what you mean. Just to verify, are you saying that the USB will no longer unlock the OS drive at startup?

Please provide more details.

 

[doyoc]

The external password is correct, and it is unable to open disk BitLocker

 

[Brink]

doyoc,

If you have the BitLocker password and/or recovery key for your "D" drive, then you could try unlocking or recovery the drive using an option in the tutorials below.

BitLocker Repair Tool - Recover Drive in Windows 7 and 8

BitLocker Recovery - Unlock a Drive in Windows 8

 

[jmsnyc]

Hi. The reg file just makes the options available in the manage bitlocker control panel settings. For example, if I import the reg file I'll still have option to encrypt with password and not usb key?

 

[Brink]

Hello jmsync,

That's correct, the .reg files are only for turning on BitLocker with or with a TPM. You would still be able to setup BitLocker how you want with a USB or password.