How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 11 & 10

If you want to disable BitLocker in Windows 11 or Windows 10, the important thing to understand is that turning BitLocker off is not the same as suspending BitLocker protection.

Turning off BitLocker decrypts the drive. Windows removes the BitLocker protection after the decryption process finishes.

Suspending BitLocker keeps the drive encrypted but temporarily stops BitLocker from protecting the encryption key. Suspension is normally used for temporary changes such as firmware, hardware, or system updates.

This guide shows how to turn off BitLocker and decrypt a drive using Windows Settings, Control Panel, PowerShell, and Command Prompt.

Important: Decrypting a drive removes the protection BitLocker provides if the computer or drive is lost or stolen. Back up important files before starting, and keep the computer connected to power while a large drive is being decrypted.

Should You Disable BitLocker or Suspend It?

Choose disable BitLocker when you want to remove encryption from the drive.

Choose suspend BitLocker when you only need to temporarily stop BitLocker protection while keeping the drive encrypted.

Microsoft describes disabling BitLocker as an operation that decrypts the volume and removes its associated protectors. Suspending protection is a separate operation intended for temporary changes.

So, if you searched for “disable BitLocker Windows 11”, “turn off BitLocker Windows 11”, or “remove BitLocker encryption”, the instructions below are the ones you need.

If you only need to temporarily stop BitLocker protection, use the separate guide for suspending BitLocker instead.

How to Disable BitLocker in Windows 11

The method you should use depends on your Windows edition and how encryption was enabled.

Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education include the traditional BitLocker Drive Encryption management interface. Windows 11 Home can use Device Encryption on supported devices instead.

Microsoft explains that BitLocker Drive Encryption is available on Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, while Device Encryption is available on a wider range of devices, including Windows Home.

Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education

If your Windows 11 PC uses the traditional BitLocker Drive Encryption interface, you can turn it off from the BitLocker management page.

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Manage BitLocker.
3. Open Manage BitLocker.
4. Find the drive you want to decrypt.
5. Select Turn off BitLocker.
6. Confirm that you want to turn off BitLocker.
7. Wait while Windows decrypts the drive.

The drive remains usable while Windows performs the decryption, but the process must finish before the drive is fully decrypted.

You can also use Control Panel, PowerShell, or Command Prompt if you prefer a command-line method.

Windows 11 Device Encryption

Windows 11 Home may use Device Encryption instead of the traditional BitLocker management page.

If you do not see Manage BitLocker, check whether Device Encryption is available.

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Privacy & security.
3. Select Device encryption.
4. Turn Device encryption off.
5. Confirm the action if Windows asks for confirmation.
6. Wait for Windows to finish decrypting the drive.

Microsoft says Device Encryption is available on a wider range of Windows devices, including Windows Home. The option may not appear if the device does not meet the required hardware or Windows configuration requirements.

If you cannot find Device Encryption, search Windows Settings for Device encryption. If it is still unavailable, your device may not support the feature or you may not be signed in with an administrator account.

How to Turn Off BitLocker Using Control Panel

Control Panel is one of the simplest ways to disable traditional BitLocker Drive Encryption on supported Windows editions.

Step 1: Open BitLocker management

Press Windows + R, type:

control

and press Enter.

You can also search for Control Panel from the Start menu.

Step 2: Open BitLocker Drive Encryption

Select:

System and Security → BitLocker Drive Encryption

You will see the drives that Windows can manage with BitLocker.

Step 3: Choose the drive

Find the drive you want to decrypt.

For the main Windows drive, this is normally C:.

Select Turn off BitLocker.

Step 4: Confirm

Windows will ask you to confirm that you want to turn off BitLocker.

Confirm the action.

Windows will then begin decrypting the drive.

Microsoft’s BitLocker operations guide confirms that selecting Turn off BitLocker in the Control Panel starts the decryption process, and the drive becomes available for encryption again after decryption finishes.

Do not confuse this option with Suspend protection.

Turn off BitLocker = decrypt the drive.

Suspend protection = keep the drive encrypted.

How to Disable BitLocker Using PowerShell

PowerShell provides the Disable-BitLocker command for BitLocker volumes.

You should open PowerShell with administrator permissions.

Step 1: Open PowerShell as administrator

Open Start and search for:

PowerShell

Right-click Windows PowerShell or PowerShell, then select Run as administrator.

Step 2: Check the BitLocker status

Before disabling encryption, you can check the drive with:

Get-BitLockerVolume

This command displays information such as the drive letter, encryption status, encryption percentage, and protection status.

Step 3: Start decryption

To decrypt the C: drive, run:

Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "C:"

Replace C: with the drive letter you want to decrypt.

Microsoft documents Disable-BitLocker as the PowerShell command for disabling BitLocker on a volume. Running it removes the BitLocker key protectors and begins decrypting the volume.

For example, to decrypt a D: drive:

Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "D:"

You can also specify multiple mount points when working with multiple BitLocker volumes.

Check whether decryption is complete

Run:

Get-BitLockerVolume

Look for the drive’s VolumeStatus.

A fully decrypted volume is reported as:

FullyDecrypted

The encryption percentage should also be 0 when decryption is complete.

How to Disable BitLocker Using Command Prompt

You can also decrypt a BitLocker drive from an elevated Command Prompt using the built-in manage-bde tool.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as administrator

Open Start and search for:

Command Prompt

Right-click it and select:

Run as administrator

Step 2: Check the BitLocker status

Run:

manage-bde -status

This shows the BitLocker status of the drives on the computer.

Step 3: Turn off BitLocker

To decrypt the C: drive, run:

manage-bde -off C:

Replace C: with the drive you want to decrypt.

Microsoft documents manage-bde -off as the command that decrypts a drive and turns off BitLocker. The associated key protectors are removed when decryption is complete.

For example:

manage-bde -off D:

would start decrypting the D: drive.

Check the decryption status

Run:

manage-bde -status

again to check the current state.

Do not assume that BitLocker is completely removed immediately after running the command. The command starts the decryption process, and Windows must finish decrypting the volume.

What Happens When You Turn Off BitLocker?

When you turn off BitLocker, Windows starts decrypting the protected volume.

Your files are not supposed to be deleted simply because you turn BitLocker off. The operation removes the encryption protecting the volume rather than formatting the drive.

However, there is an important security trade-off.

Once the drive is fully decrypted, someone who obtains the physical drive may be able to access its data without BitLocker protecting the contents.

BitLocker is specifically designed to protect data against unauthorized offline access if a device or drive is lost or stolen.

Turning BitLocker off also does not mean that Windows itself has been disabled or that your Microsoft account has been removed. It only removes BitLocker encryption from the volume you selected.

If you later decide that you want encryption again, you can turn BitLocker or Device Encryption back on.

How Long Does Decryption Take?

There is no single decryption time that applies to every computer.

The time depends on factors such as:

• The size of the drive
• The type and speed of the storage
• How much data is being processed
• Other activity occurring on the computer

A large SSD or hard drive can take considerably longer than a small drive.

Windows can continue working while BitLocker performs its decryption process, so you do not necessarily need to leave the computer completely unused.

For a large or important drive, it is still a good idea to connect the computer to power and avoid intentionally interrupting the process.

You can check the progress with PowerShell:

Get-BitLockerVolume

or Command Prompt:

manage-bde -status

PowerShell reports the encryption percentage and volume status, making it possible to see whether the volume is still being decrypted or has reached FullyDecrypted.

How to Turn BitLocker Back On

If you later decide that you want your drive protected again, you can enable encryption.

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, open:

Start → Manage BitLocker

Then choose Turn on BitLocker for the drive you want to protect.

For supported devices using Device Encryption, open:

Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption

and turn Device Encryption on.

Before enabling encryption again, make sure you understand where your recovery key will be stored. Microsoft recommends keeping a BitLocker recovery key backed up because it can be required to access an encrypted drive after certain security or hardware changes.

Disable BitLocker Windows 11: Which Method Should You Use?

The easiest method depends on your Windows edition.

Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education: Use Manage BitLocker or Control Panel if you want a graphical interface.

Windows 11 Home with Device Encryption: Use Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption.

Advanced users: PowerShell provides the Disable-BitLocker command.

Command-line users: Command Prompt can use manage-bde -off.

The result is the same when you are actually turning encryption off: the drive is decrypted.

If you only need BitLocker protection temporarily disabled for a firmware, hardware, or system change, do not decrypt the drive. Use Suspend BitLocker instead.

Windows 10 Note

The same BitLocker management commands and traditional BitLocker tools are available on Windows 10. Microsoft lists Windows 10 and Windows 11 as supported operating systems for manage-bde, including the -off command.

However, Microsoft ended standard support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. If your PC can run Windows 11, upgrading is generally the better long-term option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off BitLocker decrypt the drive?

Yes. Turning off BitLocker starts the decryption process. The drive is not fully decrypted until Windows finishes the process. Microsoft defines manage-bde -off as an operation that decrypts the drive and turns off BitLocker.

Is disabling BitLocker the same as suspending BitLocker?

No. Disabling BitLocker decrypts the drive. Suspending BitLocker keeps the drive encrypted but temporarily suspends protection.

Can I disable BitLocker in Windows 11 Home?

If your Windows 11 Home device uses Device Encryption and supports the feature, you can turn Device Encryption off from Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption. Windows Home does not provide the same traditional BitLocker management interface found in Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

Does turning off BitLocker delete my files?

Turning off BitLocker is a decryption operation, not a normal drive-formatting operation. Your files remain on the drive while Windows decrypts the volume.

You should still back up important files before making major encryption changes.

Can I use Command Prompt to disable BitLocker?

Yes. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

manage-bde -off C:

Replace C: with the drive letter you want to decrypt.

Can I disable BitLocker with PowerShell?

Yes, on systems where the BitLocker PowerShell module is available. Use:

Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "C:"

This begins decrypting the selected volume.

How do I know when BitLocker is completely disabled?

You can use:

Get-BitLockerVolume

When the selected volume reports FullyDecrypted and the encryption percentage is 0, the volume is fully decrypted.

Does turning off BitLocker remove encryption immediately?

No. Turning off BitLocker starts the decryption process. The drive remains in the process of being decrypted until Windows finishes.

Should I disable BitLocker permanently?

Only if you have a specific reason to remove drive encryption.

BitLocker protects the contents of a drive against unauthorized offline access. Removing it reduces that protection.

If your problem is a temporary BitLocker issue, firmware update, or hardware change, suspending protection may be more appropriate than decrypting the entire drive.

Final Takeaway

If you want to disable BitLocker in Windows 11, remember the key difference:

Turn off BitLocker = decrypt the drive.

Suspend BitLocker = keep encryption but temporarily suspend protection.

For Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, you can use Manage BitLocker, Control Panel, PowerShell, or Command Prompt.

For supported Windows 11 Home devices, look for Device Encryption in Settings.

Once you start decryption, let Windows finish the process before assuming BitLocker has been completely removed.

Related BitLocker Recovery Guides

• Find a BitLocker Recovery Key in a Microsoft Account
• How to Find Your BitLocker Recovery Key | Windows 11 & 10