You can turn BitLocker Auto-unlock for fixed or removable Data Drives, on or off using BitLocker Manager, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. In this post, we will show you how you can enable or disable auto-unlock for a fixed or removable data drive encrypted by BitLocker in Windows 11/10.
Turn On or Off Auto-unlock for BitLocker Encrypted Data Drives
You can enable or disable Turn On or Off Auto-unlock for BitLocker Encrypted Data Drives using:
- BitLocker Manager
- Command Prompt
- PowerShell.
Let us see how to do this.
1] Via BitLocker Manager
Open the Control Panel, and click the BitLocker Drive Encryption icon.
To Turn On Auto-unlock: Click on the chevron to collapse the fixed data drive or removable data drive that you want to turn on auto-unlock for. Click Turn on auto-unlock and exit.
To Turn Off Auto-unlock: Click on the chevron to collapse the fixed data drive or removable data drive that you want to turn on auto-unlock for. Click Turn off auto-unlock.
2] Via Command Prompt
Open an elevated command prompt and then run these commands:
To Turn On Auto-unlock:
manage-bde -autounlock -enable <drive letter>:
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual drive letter of the encrypted drive you want to turn on auto-unlock. For example:
manage-bde -autounlock -enable E:
You can now exit the command prompt environment.
To Turn Off Auto-unlock:
Type the command below in the elevated command prompt, hit Enter.
manage-bde -autounlock -disable <drive letter>:
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual drive letter of the encrypted drive you want to turn off auto-unlock. For example:
manage-bde -autounlock -disable E:
You can now exit the command prompt environment.
3] Via PowerShell
Open an elevated PowerShell and then execute the following command:
To Turn On Auto-unlock for Specific Fixed or Removable Data Drive:
Enable-BitLockerAutoUnlock -MountPoint "<drive letter>:"
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual drive letter of the encrypted drive you want to turn on auto-unlock. For example:
Enable-BitLockerAutoUnlock -MountPoint "E:"
You can now exit the PowerShell environment.
To Turn Off Auto-unlock for Specific Fixed or Removable Data Drive:
Disable-BitLockerAutoUnlock -MountPoint "<drive letter>:"
Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual drive letter of the encrypted drive you want to turn off auto-unlock. For example:
Disable-BitLockerAutoUnlock -MountPoint "E:"
You can now exit the PowerShell environment.
To Turn Off Auto-unlock for All Fixed Data Drives:
Type the command below in the elevated PowerShell, hit Enter.
Clear-BitLockerAutoUnlock
How do I stop Windows 11 from encrypting my drives automatically?
There are three ways to stop Windows 11 from encrypting your drives automatically. For example, you can use the BitLocker Manager, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. In the BitLocker Drive Encryption panel, you can find an option called Turn off auto-unlock. You need to use this option to disable the auto-unlock functionality.
How do I make BitLocker automatically unlock my drive?
To make BitLocker automatically unlock your drive, you need to open the BitLocker Drive Encryption panel in the Control Panel first. Here you can find an option named Turn on auto-unlock. You need to click on this option and enter the passcode. It will get the job done.
This will help you enable or disable Auto-unlock for BitLocker Encrypted Data Drives in Windows 10.
