Can I Encrypt a Network Drive With BitLocker?

Without further ado, we can't encrypt network drive with BitLocker. The primary purpose of BitLocker is to encrypt local drives on the computer where it's installed. If we want to prevent data leaks, we need to utilize other ways to protect data on the network drive. Here are some available ways you can use.

Note: The network drive mentioned in this article refers to shared drive mapped on the local computer. It appears like a local drive on the "Network locations" field in the Windows File Explorer.

Protect Data on the Network Drive

Method 1: Encrypt the File

If the filetypes are doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, which can be encrypted with editing software, you can protect the content of the data using the built-in password feature included in these applications. For other file types, consider using third-party encryption software or specialized tools for securing sensitive information.

Method 2: Configure the Access Permissions

Step 1: Right-click the network drive icon in File Explorer, then select "Properties" from the context menu.

Step 2: In the pop-up window, navigate to the "Security" tab, then click on the "Edit" or "Advanced" button to configure permissions for various users.

Step 3: After completing the configuration, click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the changes and exit.

Tips: For more detailed instructions on configuring access permissions, you can search online or consult the help documentation provided by your operating system.

Conclusion

Although the mapped network drive appears like a local hard disk on our computer, it is actually a hard disk or virtual disk on a different position. So, even if we can access it via some file access protocols from the same network, BitLocker is not available for encrypting it. To protect the data on it, we need to utilize other encryption methods to achieve.