How to Encrypt Computer Data and Comprehensive Security Measures | WIRED.jp

By encrypting files, folders, and drives on your computer, no one can know what is on your computer without a specific decryption key. Often the decryption keys are passwords known only to the owner of the computer. In other words, if the password (the decryption key) is known, the file may be somehow peeped by others.

But you can’t physically remove the drive from your computer and retrieve the data stored inside, nor can you use another computer to read the data. Even if it can be read, it cannot be decoded. The bottom line is that if your Windows PC or Mac is lost or stolen, you don’t have to worry about anyone misusing your data.

The way mainstream operating systems handle encryption has changed over the years. Many third-party technologies provide more encryption options. Here’s what you need to know to find the right one for you.

1. When encrypting on Windows

Encrypting data on a Windows PC is an unnecessarily complicated process. First, there are some differences between “Windows Home” and “Windows Pro”.

Pro users have a powerful tool called “BitLocker”, but the homepage has a simple one. The Home feature, simply called Device Encryption, can be enabled by going to Settings, then Update & Security, and selecting Device Encryption.

However, this feature is not visible to everyone. To take advantage of this, your desktop or laptop computer must support some level of hardware security. It’s very complicated, and I don’t have the space to go into all the details in this article. However, in “TheWindowsClub” blog she explains how to use WindowsThere is a detailed explanation。

If you right-click System Information from Start and go to Run as Administrator, check if Device Encryption is compatible with your computer with Device Encryption Support.

If your computer meets all the requirements and you see Device Encryption, you can check if your system drives are encrypted. If you log into your computer with a Microsoft account, it should be encrypted by default.

This means that if someone retrieves information from your hard drive without your permission, they will not be able to see the data because it is encrypted and protected. If for some reason encryption is not enabled, just select On.

With Windows Pro, BitLocker can also be used on external drives and USB storages. Right-click the target drive in Explorer, select Show more options, Turn on BitLocker, and set a password.