Today, a flash drive is an important element for storing and transmitting information. Often data is recorded on it, which should be inaccessible to a wide range of people. There are several programs for encrypting information on USB drives. Windows Vista or Windows 7 has a special Bitlocker function that allows you to set a password on a flash drive.
![How to encrypt a flash drive How to encrypt a flash drive](https://i.compthesaurus.com/images/027/image-78706-3-j.webp)
Necessary
Personal computer, flash drive
Instructions
Step 1
To start this function, you need to insert a flash drive into the USB port. Then you need to enter "My Computer" or just "Computer" on your computer desktop.
Right-click on the flash drive icon. In the dialog box that opens, select the option: "Enable Bitlocker". After starting, the program starts checking and initializing the flash drive. This procedure is identical for almost all types of portable media.
Step 2
Once the initialization is complete, the following dialog box appears, in which you need to select: "Use password to unlock" and enter a password that meets the requirements for optimal protection. After re-entering the password, press the "Next" button. In the next dialog box, Bitlocker will offer options to save the key in case the password is forgotten or lost. Choose the appropriate option and click on the "Next" button again.
Step 3
The flash drive is encrypted. The system will inform you about this in a new dialog box. You can check the successful completion of the encryption by entering the "My Computer" shortcut again. Now a new icon has appeared on the flash drive icon - a golden lock, which means that the flash drive is protected by a password. To start working with information on the media, right-click on it. In the dialog box that appears, select the option: "Bitlocker control parameters". A list of options for working with the media will pop up.
Step 4
When a flash drive is connected to a computer, the system will subsequently ask for a password, after which it will be unlocked, and the materials will become available for processing. You can always remove this password from the flash drive, or change it to another.