Securely Encrypt a USB Flash Drive Using Windows 10

Encrypting a portable USB flash drive is a great way to prevent sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands via data breaches and security incidents. Learn how to securely encrypt a USB flash drive within Windows so that the data stored on it cannot be read or accessed without entering a secure password.

Instructions

1. Insert your USB flash drive into your Windows PC.

2. Open the File Explorer.

3. Right-click on a flash drive and select Turn on BitLocker.

4. You will be prompted on how you would like to unlock the drive. Select Use a Password to Unlock This Drive.

5. Enter and confirm a password in the spaces provided to unlock the drive. You can change this password later, provided you remember the original password.

6. When prompted How Do You Want to Store Your Recovery Key, select Save the Recovery Key to a File?

7. Save this recovery file in a location of your choosing that only you have access to. Please note that this file does not contain your password.

8. If available, please select Encrypt Used Space Only.

9. Windows will securely encrypt your USB flash drive; it should only take a few minutes. You will be notified when it is complete. PIC3