BitLocker to Go: All about It

Part 1: What Is BitLocker to Go Used for?

Since BitLocker To Go is an encryption service by Windows, it is primarily used for encrypting the data in USB flash drives and portable hard disk drives or SSDs. This encryption ensures that the data stored on these devices remains secure even if the device is lost or stolen. All the Windows versions have BitLocker To Go feature as default.

Key Uses of BitLocker to Go:

• Data Protection: Encryption of portable drives to prevent unauthorized access. If a drive is lost or stolen, the encrypted data remains inaccessible to anyone without the correct decryption key which significantly reduces the risk of data breaches.
• Compliance: Along with regular use, BitLocker To Go helps businesses achieve their security standards by protecting sensitive information. BitLocker to Go can help organizations meet these compliance requirements by ensuring that sensitive data stored on portable devices is adequately protected.
• Portability with Security: By having a protected and portable USB drive with a confidence of no data breaches, gives you a peace of mind that your data is highly secured. Whether it's working on a client's computer or accessing files from a personal device, BitLocker to Go ensures that the data remains protected throughout its journey.
• Flexible Authentication: BitLocker to Go offers multiple authentication methods for enhanced security.

Part 2: Recover Lost Files from BitLocker Encrypted Flash Drive?

Losing access to files on a BitLocker To Go encrypted USB drive can be stressful. Whether it’s due to accidental deletion or corruption, a successful recovery is possible only with a reliable tool like 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery.

4DDiG Windows Data Recovery tool is a power-house when it comes to data recovery from corrupted or formatted external drives, including encrypted USB flash drives or hard disks. It’s a powerful solution for recovering lost, deleted, or formatted files from BitLocker Windows 11 encrypted drives. The best part with 4DDiG-Windows is that it’s highly compatible with Windows 11 and works best to restore your favorite files from an encrypted drive.

Key Features:

• Recover inaccessible data from BitLocker To Go encrypted USB flash drive, hard drive, or any other storage device.
• Instantly retrieve your lost data, including photos, videos, documents, and others, from 2000+ storage devices even when encrypted.
• With a 5-minute average time, it has a success rate of 99%.
• Once recovered, preview the files before restoring them for restoring only the necessary file.
• Offers safe backup options to cloud storage including Google Drive and OneDrive.

Here’s how to use BitLocker To Go to recover your lost files from any external storage device, including USB flash drive or HDD.

• Install and Launch 4DDiG:

  Download, install, and launch 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery tool from the official website. Connect the encrypted device to the computer, and select it for scanning.

  

• Scan Your Encrypted Device:

  Choose between Quick Scan and Deep Scan to locate lost files from your encrypted USB flash drive or hard drive.

  

• Preview and Recover:
  Preview the recovered files and select the ones you need. Click Recover to save them to a secure location on your computer.

  

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Part 3: How to Use BitLocker to Go in Windows?

Using BitLocker To Go in Windows is straightforward since it’s designed by Windows and official Windows tools are known for their easy user-interface. Here's how to enable encryption on your USB drive:

• Connect your USB drive to your computer. Right-click the drive your want to encrypt in the File Explorer, and select Turn on BitLocker.

  

• You’ll get two options to choose from. Select between a password or smart card for unlocking the drive, and type in your password or PIN as per your choice.

  

• Save the recovery key to a file or print the recovery key.

  

• Choose between encrypting used space only or the entire drive. Click Start Encrypting to begin.

Part 4: How to Unlock the BitLocker Protected USB Drive

Unlocking the BitLocker protected USB drive is quite easy. It’s a simple 3-step process. In order to access files on a BitLocker To Go protected USB drive, here are the steps you need to follow:

• Insert the Drive: Plug the encrypted USB into your PC.

• Enter Password: Enter the password or use a smart card to unlock.

• Use Recovery Key (if needed): If you forget the password, use the recovery key to unlock the drive.

Part 5: FAQs

BitLocker encrypts internal drives, while BitLocker to Go is designed for external and portable drives. For a more detailed understanding, BitLocker is designed to encrypt the entire contents of the internal hard drive of a computer. It provides strong encryption to protect sensitive data stored on the primary operating system drive. However, BitLocker To Go is a specialized version of BitLocker specifically designed for encrypting external and portable drives, such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, and SD cards. It offers the same level of strong encryption as BitLocker but is tailored for use with removable storage devices.

No, Microsoft discontinued Windows to Go starting with Windows 10, version 1909. This feature allowed users to create a bootable Windows environment on a USB drive.

BitLocker can be triggered by system configuration changes, BIOS updates, or moving the drive to another computer. Significant changes to the system configuration, such as major hardware upgrades or software installations, can sometimes trigger BitLocker to re-encrypt the drive.

Final Words

BitLocker to Go is a powerful tool for encrypting your data on your portable devices like USB flash drives. In case of accidental file loss or inaccessible data from encrypted USB drive, tools like 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery tool can help recover your data efficiently. 4DDiG Data Recovery is designed to effectively recover deleted or lost files from a wide range of storage devices, including USB drives that may have been encrypted with BitLocker to Go. Stay secure and proactive with data protection using BitLocker to Go. Download 4DDiG-Windows today to learn more about encrypting data that is inaccessible. It’s completely free to download!