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Caution! Avoid Negative Changes in Windows 11 24H2 Update!

Published/Updated on Wednesday, August 21, 2024

M3 Software author Wilsey Young

Written by

Wilsey Young

English

"Windows 11 24H2 will enable BitLocker encryption for everyone!" This message has caused much confusion and worry to most Windows users, especially to those who have never done anything with this feature. Starting with Windows 11 24H2, BitLocker encryption will be automatically enabled for new and clean installations, in a bid to enhance the security of normal users.

What is BitLocker encryption on Windows? Is it good or bad to let Windows enable BitLocker automatically on your PC starting with Windows 11 24H2? Does BitLocker have any impact on your PC? How can we avoid this automatic BitLocker encryption?

In this post, we will briefly explain what BitLocker encryption is and discuss the corresponding questions about automatic BitLocker encryption in Windows 11 24H2.

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What is BitLocker encryption on Windows?

BitLocker is a full-disk encryption feature included with Windows operating systems(except for Windows Home Editions). By encrypting the entire volumes on your hard drive, BitLocker can help protect your precious data stored on the disk against unauthorized access or data theft.

Is it good or bad to let Windows enable BitLocker automatically on PC?

That BitLocker encryption is enabled automatically for everyone starting with Windows 11 24H2 is controversial, and many Windows users wonder if it is good or bad to let this type of encryption feature activate by default.

To a certain extent, BitLocker is undoubtedly a useful built-in feature for most Windows users who are much worried about data leaks and data loss due to unauthorized access, especially when the computer is lost, stolen, or improperly decommissioned.

However, data loss is what has to happen if you didn't realize that the BitLocker encryption had been enabled automatically during the clean installs of Windows 11 24H2 and system upgrades to version 24H2. This means that you won't be able to access the BitLocker encrypted drive content if you forget about backing up the BitLocker recovery key as Windows requires during reinstallation.

On top of that, it has been proved that turning on the BitLocker encryption feature may have much impact on your PC's system and SSD(solid-state drive) performance. According to the latest comparison test conducted by bloggers and geeks, the maximum reduction of SSD performance when BitLocker is enabled can reach 45%.

As a side note, how much impact the enabled BitLocker has on your PC performance may vary based on disk quality, disk performance, processed tasks, workload, etc.

Does BitLocker impact your PC performance? You can refer to this article for more details: Does BitLocker Slow Down PC? With Read and Write Speed Test!

How to disable Windows 11 24H2's automatic BitLocker encryption?

Fortunately, disabling automatic BitLocker encryption during a clean install of Windows 11 24H2 is as easy as ABC, and here's how:

Use Registry Editor to prevent automatic BitLocker encryption during Windows 11 24H2

  1. Press the Windows+R keys to open the "Run dialog box."
  2. Type "regedit" in the box and hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard. 
    regedit in run dialog box Windows 11
  3. Follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BitLocker.
    BitLocker in Registry Editor
  4. Right-click on the "BitLocker" folder, move the mouse cursor to "New", and Choose "DWORD (32-bit) Value"
    new DWORD 32 bit value BitLocker Registry Editor
  5.  Rename it as "PreventDeviceEncryption" (Note: No gap among words).
  6. Double-click the newly created “PreventDeviceEncryption” on the right and set the value data to 1.
    prevent device encryption via Registry Editor

Modify Windows 11 image to prevent automatic BitLocker encryption during Windows 11 24H2

Modifying the Windows 11 IOS image is another simple way to prevent BitLocker from being automatically enabled during Windows 11 reinstallation. The Rufus application is what you need to modify the ISO.

  1. Download Rufus from the official website.
  2. Download the Windows 11 24H2 image from the official website.
  3. Insert a USB flash drive into your PC's USB port.
  4. Select the Windows 11 24H2 image and click Start. You will be prompted to the Windows User Experience window.
  5. Tick the checkbox of “Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption.”
    Rufus disable BitLocker automatic device encryption
  6. When the bootable drive is created, you can start installing Windows 11 on your PC.

Bonus Tips: How to check BitLocker status on Windows

Perhaps sometimes you want to check whether BitLocker is enabled or not, especially when you disable automatic BitLocker encryption caused by Windows 11 24H2. Here we show how to check BitLocker status via the Control Panel:

  1. Type “Control Panel” in the Windows search bar and open it.
  2. Go to “System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption."
  3. All the BitLocker encrypted drives are listed in this pane. If the BitLocker encryption is enabled, it will show “BitLocker On”. Otherwise, it shows “BitLocker off.”
    check BitLocker status via Control Panel

You can refer to this article for more convenient ways to check BitLocker's status: 5 Best Ways to Check BitLocker Status on Windows!

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