Your phone and computer are most likely secured with a Pivot, password, or biometric hallmark, right? Information technology's too good practise to protect your storage device, especially if it contains confidential or private files. That manner, you lot tin foreclose unauthorized access to your files—even when you lot lose the drive or it gets stolen.

All you need to protect your hard drive is your personal computer or laptop. Windows and Mac have built-in encryption tools that let you gear up a password on your storage devices. Proceed to the sections below to learn how to set a password on an external hard bulldoze on your estimator.

Encrypt an External Drive on Windows 10

Encrypting an external storage device on a Windows 10 computer requires you to manually choose an encryption method, encryption manner, backup a recovery central, and create a perfect (read: secure) password. Information technology may seem like a lot of work, but it's very like shooting fish in a barrel. We'll walk you through the unabridged procedure from commencement to end.

First, you need to enable BitLocker—Windows congenital-in encryption tool—on your computer. Plug the hard drive into your PC and follow the steps below.

Note: Yous can't encrypt a drive on PCs running Windows 10 Abode edition because the operating system doesn't support BitLocker. Upgrade to Windows ten Pro, Enterprise, or Education to use BitLocker.

1. Enable BitLocker

Launch the File Explorer, correct-click the external drive, and select Plow on BitLocker.

Do not unplug or remove the drive from your PC while Windows starts the BitLocker encryption window.

two. Create a Countersign

Check the box that reads "Use a password to unlock the drive" and enter your preferred countersign. Re-enter the password in the provided dialog box and select Next to continue.

Your countersign must fulfill the criteria listed below, or else you'll get an error message:

  • Should comprise at least 8 characters.
  • Must have at least ane majuscule letter.
  • Must have at least one lowercase letter.
  • Must have at to the lowest degree i number, symbol, or infinite.

iii. Save Your Recovery Key

Windows will automatically generate a recovery key for the external bulldoze. The recovery key is a spare key that unlocks your encrypted bulldoze if you ever forget the password.

The "Print the recovery cardinal" pick will launch a new window where you'll be able to print the recovery central on paper. If you choose the "Save to a file" pick, Windows will encode the recovery key in a text file. Salve the file in your preferred folder/location on your PC and select Save.

When you lot get a success message that "Your recovery fundamental has been saved" or "Your recovery key was printed," select Side by side to proceed.

4. Choose Encryption Method

BitLocker has ii encryption methods: Used Deejay Space Encryption and Total Disk Encryption.

Select "Encrypt used deejay space only" if your external drive is new and has never been used on some other reckoner. BitLocker will encrypt a sector on the drive such that new data copied to the bulldoze in the future is automatically encrypted. Withal, if yous encrypt a previously-used bulldoze (even if information technology's empty) using this method, someone could gain access to deleted or moved information.

That'south because the BitLocker encryption engine doesn't recognize sectors containing deleted data as used disk infinite. Hence, it wouldn't encrypt such sectors.

If yous want to set a password on an external drive that's already in use, select Encrypt unabridged drive. That'll prompt BitLocker to encrypt all the sectors and data on the drive—even files that yous deleted.

Note that Used Disk Space encryption is generally faster; it takes a couple of seconds or minutes, depending on how much data is on the drive. Full Disk Encryption, on the other hand, could run for hours before completion.

v. Choose Encryption Mode

Select New encryption fashion if you'll exist using the external drive only on your computer, or on devices running Windows ten (version 1511 or subsequently).

If you lot're unsure, or you recollect you lot may need to access the drive on devices running older Windows versions, select Compatible way and proceed.

6. Outset Encrypting

BitLocker will commencement the encryption of the drive when you lot select the Commencement encrypting button.

Equally mentioned before, the performance could meet minutes or hours, depending on the size of the bulldoze and information it holds.

Practise not remove the drive from your PC without pausing the encryption. Doing so could harm the drive. If you demand to urgently utilise the drive during the encryption procedure, select Suspension and unplug the bulldoze.

Note that your files and the bulldoze aren't protected until the encryption is complete. Wait until you become an "Encryption complete" success message like the ane below.

When yous eject the encrypted bulldoze on your PC or try to access it on another PC, a BitLocker window prompting you to enter the drive's password volition appear on the screen.

Encrypt an External Drive on macOS

Setting a password on an external drive on macOS is the easiest thing y'all may always accept to exercise. Plug the drive into your Mac and follow these steps:

one. Right-click the drive (check the Locations section) and select Encrypt or Encrypt <Drive Proper name>.

Note: If the external drive isn't showing up on your Mac, or the Encrypt option is missing, you may need to format the drive to a file system that macOS supports. Refer to this external hard bulldoze troubleshooting guide to learn more.

two. Enter a countersign, re-enter the countersign, and type in a countersign hint.

Pro Tip: Click the cardinal icon side by side to the Encryption countersign dialog box to launch the Encryption Password Banana. The tool will advise random passwords or aid you create a strong custom countersign.

three. Select Encrypt Deejay.

The macOS encryption engine will starting time encryption on the drive. This operation may take a couple of seconds or minutes, depending on the drive's content and size.

When the encryption is complete, eject and reinsert the encrypted drive, or plug it into another Mac. A password entry window will pop upward on the screen; enter the countersign and select Unlock to proceeds access.

What Happens When Yous Forget The Encryption Countersign

Strong passwords are pretty secure just often piece of cake to forget. If you lot can't remember the password to your encrypted drive, you tin can yet very much admission the content. We'll evidence you how to go about information technology on Windows and macOS.

On Windows: Utilize the Recovery Key

Think the recovery key that you printed or saved to your PC while encrypting the drive? That's all you need to admission the drive if yous forget the encryption password.

Caput to the location where you saved the recovery file, double-click the text file to access its content, and copy the numbers in the Recovery Central section.

Plug the drive into your PC and expect for the BitLocker countersign entry window to appear on the screen. Select More options and select Enter recovery key.

Finally, paste the recovery key in the dialog box and select Unlock. If you printed the recovery key, recollect the printout, type the recovery key, and select Unlock.

You should now exist able to admission the drive in File Explorer. If you still can't remember the countersign, you'll take to create a new one. Correct-click the bulldoze and select Manage BitLocker.

[19-manage-bitlocker-windows-10.png]

Locate the external drive in the "Removable information drives" section and select Turn off BitLocker.

After, encrypt the drive from scratch and utilise a new password.

On Mac: Disable FileVault

Different Windows, you can't access an encrypted drive on macOS with a recovery cardinal. The only workaround is to turn off FileVault—the macOS encryption engine. Head to Arrangement Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault and select Turn Off FileVault.

That temporarily disables any encryption on all internal and external drives. Launch Finder and y'all'll have access to the drive without entering a password. But you won't be able to decrypt or create a new encryption password without the onetime password. Re-enabling FileVault will automatically re-encrypt the drive with the forgotten password.

Third-Party Software and Hardware Alternatives

If you lot're having difficulties using these built-in tools, resort to reliable third-party solutions similar VeraCrypt. Alternatively, you could purchase hardware-encrypted storage devices or external drives with fingerprint readers. These drives offer an as secure course of password-free biometric encryption that's mode easier to apply and set upward.