Turn BitLocker On or Off in Windows 11 — and Why Home Shows 'Device Encryption' Instead

Q: Should I turn it off just to update the BIOS?

No — that fully decrypts the drive. Instead suspend BitLocker (it stays encrypted) before the firmware update, then resume. See our guide on suspending BitLocker before a BIOS update.

Q: My Home PC encrypted itself — is that BitLocker?

Yes, it's device encryption, the Home edition of the same technology. Your recovery key is in your Microsoft account at aka.ms/myrecoverykey.

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 2 min read March 18, 2026 · by Ryan Bennett

You want to switch BitLocker on or off in Windows 11 — but the steps you found don’t match what’s on your PC, because Home shows “Device encryption” rather than full BitLocker.

Why: They’re the same encryption underneath, exposed two different ways. BitLocker Drive Encryption (manual, per-drive control) is only on Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education. Device encryption is the simplified, automatic version available on Home and other editions — it turns on by itself when you sign in with a Microsoft account (or work/school account) and saves the recovery key to that account. Knowing which one you have tells you which steps to follow.

Fix 1: Check which one you have

Open Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption (or press Win + R and run ms-settings:deviceencryption).
If you see a Device encryption toggle, you have the Home-style version. If you also see “BitLocker drive encryption” as a link, you’re on Pro/Enterprise/Education with the full feature.
If neither appears, your edition or hardware doesn’t support it on this device.

Fix 2: Turn it on

Device encryption (Home):

Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption.
Switch the toggle to On. The recovery key is saved to your Microsoft account automatically (sign in with one if you haven’t — a local account won’t auto-enable it).

Full BitLocker (Pro/Enterprise/Education):

From Start, type BitLocker and open Manage BitLocker (or Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption → BitLocker drive encryption).
Click Turn on BitLocker next to the drive and follow the wizard. When prompted, back up your recovery key (Microsoft account, USB, file, or print) before encryption starts.

Fix 3: Turn it off (decrypt the drive)

Turning it off decrypts the entire drive, which can take a while and shouldn’t be interrupted.

Device encryption (Home): Settings → Privacy & security → Device encryption → set the toggle to Off → confirm.

Full BitLocker: open Manage BitLocker → click Turn off BitLocker next to the drive → Turn off BitLocker to confirm. Equivalent command, in an elevated prompt:

manage-bde -off C:

Decryption removes all key protectors when complete. Check progress with manage-bde -status.

FAQ

Should I turn it off just to update the BIOS? No — that fully decrypts the drive. Instead suspend BitLocker (it stays encrypted) before the firmware update, then resume. See our guide on suspending BitLocker before a BIOS update.

My Home PC encrypted itself — is that BitLocker? Yes, it’s device encryption, the Home edition of the same technology. Your recovery key is in your Microsoft account at aka.ms/myrecoverykey.

Can I get full BitLocker on Home? Not without upgrading to Windows Pro (or higher). Home only offers device encryption.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Device encryption in Windows, Microsoft Support — BitLocker overview, Microsoft Learn — manage-bde