Microsoft enables BitLocker device encryption by default on Windows 11: All the details

Microsoft

Microsoft is set to increase the security of Windows 11 with the latest Windows 11 24H2 update. The major highlight of this upcoming update is that it bolsters security for Windows 11 users by making BitLocker encryption a default feature. This means that more Windows PCs are now eligible for automatic and manual encryption.

This includes the ones running the Home version of Windows 11. This automatic device encryption no longer requires a Hardware Security Test Interface (HSTI) or Modern Standby, and encryption. According to the Verge, this encryption will also be enabled even if untrusted third-party hardware device interfaces are detected.

If you already own a Windows 11 PC, before this Windows 24H2 update, you were required to clean install the PC to enable device encryption. However, now if a user purchases a Windows 11 PC with the 24H2 update, it will have Bitlocker encryption installed automatically. Windows users who are upgrading from a previous Windows version will be prompted to sign in with a regular Microsoft account to finish encrypting the device and enable BitLocker encryption from the Settings page.

This feature could also impact SSD performance on some devices. Tom’s Hardware tested this software version of BitLocker last year and found it could slow down these storage drives by up to 45%. Hence, you can choose to avoid the automatic device encryption during a clean Windows 11 version 24H2 install, by using a local account.