How to encrypt your PC’s disk without giving the keys to Microsoft

If you want to encrypt your Windows PC’s disk but you don’t want to store your recovery key with Microsoft, you do have options. We’ll recap the requirements, as well as the steps you’ll need to take.

You’ll need Windows 11 Pro for this

Settings > System > Activation will tell you what edition of Windows 11 you have and offer some options for upgrades.

Credit:
Andrew Cunningham

Before we begin: Disk encryption is one of the handful of differences between the Home and Pro versions of Windows.

Both the Home and Pro versions of Windows support disk encryption, but only the Pro versions give users full control over the process. The Home version of Windows only supports disk encryption when logged in with a Microsoft account and will only offer to store your encryption key on Microsoft’s servers.

To access the full version of BitLocker and back up your own recovery key, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version of Windows. Microsoft offers its own first-party upgrade option through the Microsoft Store for a one-time fee of $99, but it’s also possible to bring your own product key and upgrade yourself. This Macworld-affiliated listing from StackCommerce claims to be an official Microsoft partner and is offering a Windows 11 Pro key for just $10, though your mileage with third-party key resellers may vary.

However you get it, once you have a valid key, open Settings, then System, then Activation, click upgrade your edition of Windows, click change product key, and then enter your Windows 11 Pro key (Windows 10 Pro keys should also work, if you already have one). Luckily, changing Windows editions doesn’t require anything more disruptive than a system restart. You won’t need to reinstall Windows, and you shouldn’t lose any of your installed apps or data.

And once you’ve upgraded a PC to Windows 11 Pro once, you should be able to reinstall and activate Windows 11 Pro on that system again any time you want without having to re-enter your product key. Keep the product key stored somewhere, though, just in case you do need to use it for a reinstall, or if you ever need to re-activate Windows after a hardware upgrade.