It is said that BitLocker does not work on Windows 11/10 Home edition. But they can use Device Encryption instead. Is Device Encryption the same as BitLocker in Windows 11/10? If not, what’s the difference?
No, Device Encryption is really just a lite version of BitLocker, which can only apply encryption to Windows system drive. You can check the difference below:
1. Encryption: When you enable BitLocker on Windows 11/10 drive, the drive data is protected from unauthorized access, which attach a high level of security to the drive. But for Device Encryption, it only offers basic protection for the personal data, with no requirement on the additional setup or management.
2. Compatible Windows editions: As is known to all, BitLocker can only work in WINDOWS 11/10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. But Device Encryption is available in all Windows versions that meet specific hardware requirements. Thus, on Windows 11/10 Home edition, you can use Device Encryption to protect the drive data.
3. Supported devices: You can apply BitLocker protection to all drives, including the internal/external hard drive and USB flash drives. But Device Encryption only supports OS drive.
4. Usage: When you enable BitLocker encryption, you should back up the recovery key as suggested. But for the Device Encryption, it is necessary to have an active TPM and a Microsoft account.
5. Hardware requirements: For BitLocker, you need to make sure the BIOS or UEFI firmware on your computer is Trusted Computing Group compliant. Also, there is Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and at least two drives. When it comes to Device encryption, the TPM is required. Besides, you should enable the Secure Boot and Direct memory access protection.
In summary, BitLocker offers a high level of security to the Windows drive while Device Encryption is a simpler solution to protect the system data. As a matter of fact, when BitLocker is not available, iSunshare BitLocker Genius for Windows can help to turn on BitLocker on a drive in Windows 11/10 Home edition. It is a reliable BitLocker encryption software to manage BitLocker on any Windows version.
Turn on BitLocker on Windows 11/10 Home
iSunshare BitLocker Genius for Windows enables you to enable BitLocker on Windows 11/10/7 Home & Windows 8/8.1 Core & Windows 7 Pro Editions.
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