BitLocker is a full-disk encryption feature included with Microsoft Windows versions starting from Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It is designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes. Enabling BitLocker on your Windows machine can help secure your data against unauthorized access. This article will guide you through the process of enabling BitLocker using both the graphical user interface (GUI) and the command line interface (CLI) via PowerShell.

Enabling BitLocker via the GUI

1. Open the Control Panel:

   • Press Win + R, type control, and press Enter.

2. Navigate to BitLocker Drive Encryption:

   • Go to System and Security and then click on BitLocker Drive Encryption.

3. Turn on BitLocker:

   • Find the drive you want to encrypt and click Turn on BitLocker.

4. Choose How to Unlock Your Drive:

   • You can choose to unlock the drive with a password or a smart card.

5. Backup Your Recovery Key:

   • You will be prompted to back up your recovery key. You can save it to your Microsoft account, a file, or print it.

6. Choose How Much of Your Drive to Encrypt:

   • You can choose to encrypt only the used disk space or the entire drive.

7. Choose the Encryption Mode:

   • For new PCs and drives, choose the New encryption mode. For drives that will be moved to older versions of Windows, choose Compatible mode.

8. Start Encryption:

   • Click Start Encrypting to begin the process.

Enabling BitLocker via PowerShell

For those who prefer using the command line, PowerShell provides a way to enable BitLocker.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator:

   • Press Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

2. Enable BitLocker:

   • Use the following command to enable BitLocker on a specific drive, for example, drive C:

   Enable-BitLocker -MountPoint "C:" -EncryptionMethod Aes256 -PasswordProtector

   This command will prompt you to enter a password for the drive.

3. Backup Recovery Key:

   • You can back up the recovery key using the following command:

   Backup-BitLockerKeyProtector -MountPoint "C:" -KeyProtectorId (Get-BitLockerVolume -MountPoint "C:").KeyProtector[0].KeyProtectorId -RecoveryPasswordProtector

4. Start Encryption:

   • To start the encryption process, use:

   Resume-BitLocker -MountPoint "C:"

Important Considerations

• System Requirements: BitLocker requires a system with a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) version 1.2 or later. However, BitLocker can also be used without a TPM by using a USB startup key.
• Data Backup: Always ensure that you have a complete backup of your data before enabling BitLocker, as encryption is a complex process that can potentially lead to data loss if interrupted.
• Recovery Key: Safeguard your recovery key in a secure location. Without it, you may lose access to your data if you forget your password or if there's a hardware failure.