How to Encrypt Your Windows Device

DiskCryptor is an open-source encryption suite that supports whole-disk encryption. In this how-to we will walk through installing DiskCryptor on your Windows machine. Before continuing, be sure to read the guide Keeping Your Data Safe. (This how-to focuses only on how to actually use DiskCryptor—the guide Keeping Your Data Safe describes why you would want to use encryption and some of its limitations.)

Installing DiskCryptor

First, download DiskCryptor by going to https://diskcryptor.net/wiki/Downloads clicking the “installer” link, and saving the file to your computer.

Once the file has been downloaded, launch it by double-clicking. Click “Next,” then accept the license by clicking “I accept the agreement” and clicking “Next.” Click “Next” again three times to accept the defaults (or alter them if you wish), and then click “Install.”

After DiskCryptor installs, click “Finish” to restart your computer. (If you choose not to restart right away, you will still have to restart before you can use DiskCryptor.)

Using DiskCryptor to encrypt your entire computer

By encrypting your entire computer, you can make it much more difficult for anyone to access any files on your computer if it is taken when it is powered off. Unlike when you encrypt specific files, they won’t even be able to tell what files you might even have on your computer. To encrypt your entire computer (also called “full-disk” encryption or “system” encryption), perform the following steps.

1. Start DiskCryptor (via the Start Menu, shortcut on your desktop, etc.).

2. In the “Disk Drives” list, highlight your drive (usually labeled “C:”) and then click the “Encrypt” button on the right.

3. Accept the defaults by clicking “Next,” and then clicking “Next” again.

4. Choose a secure password and enter it in the “Password” and “Confirm” fields, and then click “OK.”

5. Note that the encryption process may take some time. Once it has completed (the progress tab in the bottom of the window has disappeared), restart your computer.

Congratulations! Your computer is now encrypted!

As before, keep in mind that many of the warnings in the section on general File and Disk Encryption apply. In particular, keep in mind that malware could defeat your encryption by waiting to copy files off of your computer until after you’ve booted it up and entered the password. Similarly, remember that your data is only protected when the computer is off—if an adversary gets access to your computer while it’s on, in sleep mode, or even hibernated, there are several techniques they can use to extract your data.