What is Bitlocker and How to Turn It Off?

BitLocker is a security feature in Windows that allows you to encrypt your hard drive to protect your data from unauthorized access. When you enable BitLocker, you are required to generate a recovery key to unlock your encrypted drive in case you forget the password or encounter a system failure. The problem is you usually only encrypt the data against yourself. TURN IT OFF. Unless you’re in the FBI or a top secret industry and usually even then it’s only going to cause you a problem later on.
 
Here’s a guide on how to turn off BitLocker encryption:
 
1. Open the Control Panel: Click on the Start button and select Control Panel from the menu. Alternatively, you can search for Control Panel in the Windows search bar.
 
2. Click on “System and Security”: In the Control Panel, click on “System and Security” to access the BitLocker Drive Encryption settings.
 
3. Turn off BitLocker: Under the BitLocker Drive Encryption section, you’ll see an option to “Turn off BitLocker.” Click on this option to begin the process of turning off the encryption.
 
4. Enter the recovery key: If prompted, you will need to enter the recovery key that you created when you initially set up BitLocker. This key is crucial for unlocking the encrypted drive when BitLocker is turned off.
 
5. Turn off BitLocker for the drive: After providing the recovery key, you will be given the option to turn off BitLocker for the selected drive. Select the drive that you want to disable BitLocker for and click “Turn off BitLocker.”
 
6. Confirm turning off BitLocker: You will then be prompted to confirm the action of turning off BitLocker encryption. Click “Decrypt the drive” to confirm and initiate the process of decrypting the drive.
 
7. Wait for decryption: Depending on the size and speed of your drive, the decryption process may take some time. It’s important not to interrupt this process, as doing so could result in data loss or corruption.
 
Once the decryption process is complete, your drive will no longer be encrypted with BitLocker. You will no longer need to enter your recovery key to access your files, and the encryption key will be turned off.