If you wish to encrypt your Home windows PC’s disk however you don’t wish to retailer your restoration key with Microsoft, you do have choices. We’ll recap the necessities, in addition to the steps you’ll have to take.
You’ll want Home windows 11 Professional for this
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Andrew Cunningham
Settings > System > Activation will let you know what version of Home windows 11 you’ve got and provide some choices for upgrades.
Credit score:
Andrew Cunningham
Earlier than we start: Disk encryption is among the handful of variations between the Residence and Professional variations of Home windows.
Each the Residence and Professional variations of Home windows help disk encryption, however solely the Professional variations give customers full management over the method. The Residence model of Home windows solely helps disk encryption when logged in with a Microsoft account and can solely provide to retailer your encryption key on Microsoft’s servers.
To entry the total model of BitLocker and again up your individual restoration key, you’ll have to improve to the Professional model of Home windows. Microsoft provides its personal first-party improve choice through the Microsoft Store for a one-time fee of $99, however it’s additionally potential to convey your individual product key and improve your self. This Macworld-affiliated listing from StackCommerce claims to be an official Microsoft companion and is providing a Home windows 11 Professional key for simply $10, although your mileage with third-party key resellers could differ.
Nonetheless you get it, after you have a legitimate key, open Settings, then System, then Activation, click on improve your version of Home windows, click on change product key, after which enter your Home windows 11 Professional key (Home windows 10 Professional keys must also work, if you have already got one). Fortunately, altering Home windows editions doesn’t require something extra disruptive than a system restart. You gained’t have to reinstall Home windows, and also you shouldn’t lose any of your put in apps or information.
And when you’ve upgraded a PC to Home windows 11 Professional as soon as, you must be capable to reinstall and activate Home windows 11 Professional on that system once more any time you need with out having to re-enter your product key. Hold the product key saved someplace, although, simply in case you do want to make use of it for a reinstall, or in case you ever have to re-activate Home windows after a {hardware} improve.
