Bitlocker protects PC data against unauthorized access by encrypting partitions and drives. Keeping this in mind, the Microsoft Windows Team has enabled this feature so that when you install Windows or reinstall Windows, it will encrypt the device. This post will share how you can disable Bitlocker encryption when installing Windows.
How To Disable Bitlocker Encryption When Installing Windows
During Windows installation, Bitlocker encryption is enabled by default. Although turning it off during installation may compromise the system’s security level, it can help us access the data stored in the storage device by connecting it to a different system if the current system is not working.
- Through Windows Registry
- Through Windows Terminal
- Modify iso image using 3rd Party Applications
1] Through Windows Registry
- Once the Windows installation starts, press Shift +F10 to open the Windows Terminal.
- On the Terminal prompt, type regedit and press ENTER to open the Windows Registry Editor.
- Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BitLocker
- Right-click on Bitlocker and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
- Name the new DWORD PreventDeviceEncryption and double-click on it to set its value to 1
- Close the registry editor window, then the Windows Terminal, and continue the installation process.
2] Through Windows Terminal
Since the above step involves editing the registry, incorrect changes may affect the system’s stability, especially since the registry cannot be backed up during installation. Hence, as an alternative, turning off the Bitlocker encryption can also be done from the Windows Terminal by executing the below-mentioned steps,
- Once the Windows installation starts, press Shift +F10 to open the Windows Terminal.
- On the Terminal prompt, type :
reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\BitLocker /v PreventDeviceEncryption /d 1 /t REG_DWORD /f
- Press ENTER to execute the above essential addition and then type exit to close the Terminal window to proceed with the installation process.
The above command adds a registry key under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\BitLocker with the name PreventDeviceEncryption through the command reg add, wherein:
/v: is used to define the value name PreventDeviceEncryption
/d 1: sets the value of the above key as 1
/t REG_DWORD: specifies the data type of the value added ( 32-bit DWORD INTEGER)
/f: is used to create the value forcibly, even if a value by the same name already exists.
3] Modify ISO Image using 3rd Party Applications
ISO images are digital copies of the OS installation disk. They are actually a file format containing all the OS’s files and data structures, setup files, and boot information. ISO images can be used for clean installation, OS upgrades, or system recovery.
Apart from editing the Windows Registry, the iso image of the Windows installer can also be modified through third-party applications to deactivate Bitlocker encryption during installation. 3rd party applications like Rufus. To do so:
- Download the latest version of Rufus for Windows
- Since the application need not be installed, double-clicking on the downloaded file can open the application interface once downloaded.
- Select the .iso image from the drop-down under Boot Selection.
- Change from Select to Download from the drop-down beside the Boot Selection option.
- Select the Windows version, Release, Edition, and Language on the next screen, and click Download.
- Once the downloading is complete, select the device at the top where the installation files will be copied. The device to be selected needs to be an external storage device from which the system would boot; hence, internal storage drives, like hard disks, cannot be selected from the drop-down.
- Once the device is selected, click on Start at the bottom.
- Once the Start button is clicked, the Windows User Experience window opens. To ensure the option is disabled, select the checkbox beside Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption.
- Click on OK to copy the files to the external storage drive.
