How to Format a BitLocker Encrypted Drive with or without Password

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Linda 

Updated on April 22, 2024

When you enable or even lock the BitLocker drive, USB, or SD card, you can format it on your own. Follow through this page and learn what a BitLocker partition is and how to easily format a BitLocker drive, USB, or SD card on Windows 10/8/7 computers on your own.

Check BitLocker Drive State Before Formatting Before formatting a drive that has BitLocker enabled, it's essential to ensure that the encryption status is understood and managed properly. BitLocker is a data protection feature in Microsoft Windows that helps secure your data by encrypting the entire drive. Here's how you can check the BitLocker state before proceeding with formatting: 1. **Open Control Panel:** - Click on the Start menu or search for "Control Panel" in Windows Search. - Select "Control Panel" from the results. 2. **Access BitLocker Management:** - In the Control Panel, choose "System and Security." - Under "Security," click on "BitLocker Drive Encryption." 3. **View Drive Status:** - In the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, you'll see a list of drives on your system. - Look for the drive you intend to format and note its status: - If it says "On" or "Fully Encrypted," the drive is encrypted with BitLocker. - If it says "Off" or "Not Encrypted," BitLocker is not currently protecting the drive. 4. **Backup Recovery Key:** - Before formatting an encrypted drive, make sure you have a backup of the BitLocker recovery key. This key will be required to access the data on the drive after formatting if you don't disable BitLocker first. - You can find the recovery key under the drive's status in the BitLocker management window. Click "Show Key" or "Backup Key" to save it to a file or print it. 5. **Decide on Next Steps:** - If you want to keep the data encrypted, you'll need to disable BitLocker before formatting and then re-enable it afterward. - If you don't mind losing the encryption, proceed with formatting directly, but remember to enable BitLocker again later for added security. Remember that formatting an encrypted drive without disabling BitLocker first will likely result in loss of data, as the encryption will remain in place, making the data unreadable. Always exercise caution when dealing with sensitive information and backups.

If you're attempting to format a BitLocker drive, follow the steps below to return your drive to a normal state. First, open Windows File Explorer to check the status of your BitLocker-encrypted drive:

Case 1. BitLocker Drive is Locked If your BitLocker drive or USB displays a golden lock icon, it indicates that the drive is currently locked. You must unlock it before formatting.
Case 2. BitLocker Drive is Unlocked If your BitLocker drive shows a blue lock icon, it means the drive data is currently accessible, and you can view and modify saved files. In this scenario, you can directly format the BitLocker drive without entering the password.

IMPORTANT: If the BitLocker-encrypted hard drive, external USB, or SD card contains crucial data, unlock the drive and back up the data to a different secure location first. If the data is critical, proceed to Part 3 for assistance. For an immediate formatting solution, proceed to the next part as a guide.

Format BitLocker Encrypted Drive Without Password Format BitLocker Encrypted Drive Without Password

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It doesn't matter if you forgot or lost the BitLocker password. Partition Master Tool, with its advanced Format feature, will format the BitLocker encrypted hard drive, USB flash drive, and SD card to FAT32, NTFS, FAT, etc., file systems. It is applicable to all levels of Windows users for managing partitions on internal hard drives or external storage devices.

Now, let's see how to format a BitLocker drive without a password:

Translate the following text into English: - Right-click the external drive or USB you plan to format and select "Format". - Set the Partition label, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and Cluster size, then click "OK". - Click "Yes" to proceed. - Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button and hit "Apply" to format the hard drive partition.

Once that's done, your disk drive is now usable and accessible for saving files again without BitLocker encryption. Also, don't forget to share this fantastic tool to help more of your friends unlock their BitLocker encrypted storage devices online:

Format BitLocker Drive with Passwords on Windows BitLocker is a powerful encryption feature in Windows that helps secure your data by encrypting entire drives. If you need to format a BitLocker-protected drive and set a new password, follow these steps: 1. **Unlock the BitLocker-protected drive:** - Connect the drive to your Windows computer. - Open "This PC" or "My Computer" to view the available drives. - Right-click on the BitLocker-protected drive and select "Unlock Drive." - Enter the current password and click "Unlock." 2. **Open the BitLocker Management Console:** - Press `Win + X` and choose "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)" depending on your preference. - Type `manage-bde -on : -Password` and press Enter. Replace `` with the actual letter of the drive you want to format. 3. **Set a new password:** - You will be prompted to set a new password. Type the new password and confirm it. - Optionally, you can create a password hint to help you remember the password. 4. **Encrypt the drive:** - The process will start encrypting the drive with the new password. This may take some time, depending on the size of the drive. 5. **Format the drive:** - Once encryption is complete, right-click on the BitLocker-protected drive and select "Format." - In the Format dialog box, choose the file system (usually NTFS), allocation unit size (default is recommended), and give the drive a label if desired. - Check the "Quick Format" option to speed up the process and uncheck "Perform a thorough format" if it's checked. - Click "Start" to begin formatting. 6. **Confirm the BitLocker protection:** - After formatting, ensure the drive remains BitLocker-protected by right-clicking on it and selecting "Manage BitLocker." - Verify that the new password is listed under "Turn on BitLocker." Now your BitLocker-encrypted drive has been formatted with a new password. Remember to keep the new password safe, as losing it would make the data irrecoverable.

Please note that when a BitLocker password encrypts your drive, you'll need to unlock it initially. Once the BitLocker drive is locked, Windows will modify the file system parameters, directory entries, and other crucial disk settings. We'll guide you on how to unlock a BitLocker Drive on Windows 11/10/8/7 using a password.

#1. Unlock BitLocker Drive Before Formatting Before formatting a BitLocker-encrypted drive, it is crucial to unlock it first. Here's how you can do it: 1. **Connect the Drive**: Plug in the external drive or insert the USB drive that is BitLocker-encrypted into your computer. 2. **Open BitLocker Management**: On your Windows PC, search for "BitLocker Drive Encryption" in the Start menu or Control Panel. 3. **Select the Drive**: In the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, locate and click on the drive you want to format. 4. **Unlock the Drive**: Enter the BitLocker recovery key or use your password if prompted. This will unlock the drive and make its contents accessible. 5. **Backup Key (Optional)**: It's recommended to save your BitLocker recovery key to a file or print it out in case you need it in the future. 6. **Format the Drive**: Once the drive is unlocked, right-click on it in File Explorer and choose "Format." Make sure to select the appropriate file system and allocation unit size, then click "Start" to proceed with the formatting process. 7. **Confirm Formatting**: A warning message will appear, reminding you that all data will be erased. Click "OK" to confirm and continue with the formatting. 8. **Wait for Completion**: Formatting may take some time depending on the drive size. Do not remove the drive during this process. 9. **Re-encrypt with BitLocker (Optional)**: If you want to maintain encryption after formatting, re-enable BitLocker on the drive through the BitLocker Drive Encryption settings. Remember that unlocking and formatting a BitLocker-encrypted drive will erase all data. Ensure you have backups of any important files before proceeding.

In this section, you'll learn three methods to unlock a BitLocker-encrypted hard drive or USB/SD. Here's a quick comparison table of the approaches outlined on this page. Use it to compare the methods at a glance:

Method 1: Unlock BitLocker Drive with Password

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Step 1. Open Windows File Explorer and locate the BitLocker encrypted drive.

Step 2. Double-click the BitLocker drive or external drive, and enter your password in the pop-up window.

Step 3. Click "Unlock" to unlock the drive.

Now, you can access the drive and manage everything on the BitLocker-protected drive without any issues. If you happen to forget your BitLocker password, you can refer to this guide:

How to Recover Forgotten BitLocker Password & Recovery Key

Follow this guide to learn how to recover your BitLocker password and recovery key using four practical methods.

Method 2: Run Clean Command to Remove BitLocker Encryption (Without Password)

• Duration: 10 Mins
• Complex Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Users: Computer Professionals

If you've forgotten the recovery key or password for the BitLocker drive, you can attempt to remove the encryption using the clean command in DiskPart.

We suggest you try every means to find your password and unlock the drive, as this operation will delete the partition and data on the BitLocker drive.

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< strong > Step 1. < /strong > Type < b > cmd < /b > in Windows Search, right-click on Command Prompt, and select "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 3. Type the following commands and press Enter after each one:

Translate the following commands into English: 1. list disk 2. select disk * 3. list partition 4. select partition * (Replace * with the partition label of your BitLocker drive or USB) 5. delete partition override

Step 4. Type exit to close the Diskpart window.

Now, you can create a new partition on the unallocated space and format it to NTFS for saving data again.

Method 3: Use 1-on-1 Remote Assistance Services from Tools

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• Complexity Level: ⭐⭐
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Please note that our support team has recently introduced a one-on-one remote assistance service as well. If you encounter any issues with unlocking the BitLocker drive, feel free to reach out to our support team for assistance.

#2. Format BitLocker Drive After Unlocking with Passwords

This section will guide you on how to format a BitLocker-encrypted hard drive using the following 3 tools:

< strong >< a id = "8" name = "8" > Fix 1. Format with File Explorer < /a >< /strong >

• Duration: 5 Mins
• Complex Level: ⭐⭐⭐
• Users: Experienced Users

Step 1. Connect your BitLocker drive to your PC if it's an external storage device.

Step 2. Open Windows File Explorer, right-click on the BitLocker drive, and select "Format".

Step 3. On the format window that appears, tick “Quick Format.” Choose the file system (NTFS for an internal hard drive, FAT32 for a USB/SD card smaller than 32GB, and exFAT for a large external drive), then click “Start.”

Wait for the process to complete. You can now use it as a normal data drive again.

Method 2: Format BitLocker Encrypted Drive using Disk Management

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< strong > Step 1. < /strong > Type < strong > Control Panel < /strong > in the search box. And click "Control Panel".

Step 2. Click "Administrative Tools" > "Computer Management" > "Disk Management".

Step 3. Right-click on the drive or partition and click on "Format".

Step 4. Select the file system and set the cluster size.

Step 5. Click "OK" to format the BitLocker encrypted disk, USB flash drive, or SD card.

Solution 3: Format BitLocker Drive in DiskPart with Format Command

These are the translations for the given language snippets into English:
• Duration: 10 Mins
• Complex Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Users: Computer Professionals

Step 1. Type cmd in the Search box, right-click Command Prompt, and select "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 3. Type the following commands and press Enter after each one to format the BitLocker drive:

Here are the translations of the provided commands into English:
• list disk
• select disk *
• list volume
• select volume *
• format fs=ntfs quick
These are actually command-line instructions for the Windows Disk Management utility, not a specific language. In English, they mean: 1. **List Disk**: Displays all the disks available on the system. 2. **Select Disk ***: Selects a specific disk, where '*' is a placeholder for the disk number. 3. **List Volume**: Displays all the volumes or partitions on the disks. 4. **Select Volume ***: Selects a specific volume, where '*' represents the volume number. 5. **Format fs=ntfs quick**: Formats the selected volume with the NTFS file system quickly.

Step 4. When DiskPart tells you the format is complete, type exit and press Enter to close DiskPart.

Now, you can save files to the drive again.

Bonus Tip About BitLocker Encrypted Drive

1. How to Remove BitLocker from Hard Drive/USB/SD Card

If you have enabled BitLocker for a drive on your computer, you can usually write data to and read data from it without issues. However, when attempting to install Windows, you might encounter an error stating, "Windows cannot be installed to this hard disk space. BitLocker drive encryption is enabled."

Moreover, some users opted to disable BitLocker because it impacted their SSD performance. If you have BitLocker enabled on your SSD, consult the article below and make your decision.

If your BitLocker drive is currently locked, use your password to unlock it first. Here's how:

Step 1. On your computer, open the Control Panel. Click on "BitLocker Drive Encryption."

Step 2. Locate the BitLocker encrypted drive and select "Turn Off BitLocker" to decrypt the hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card. Wait for the decryption process to complete.

?Further Reading: Does BitLocker Slow Down SSD? Yes, up to 45%

2. Recover Files from Formatted BitLocker Encrypted Drive

No third-party software or solution available on the market can recover files from a formatted BitLocker encrypted hard drive. However, you can recover files from a formatted non-encrypted hard drive using data recovery software, such as Data Recovery Wizard.

Here's a step-by-step guide for you:

How to Recover Formatted BitLocker Encrypted Hard Drive

This BitLocker recovery guide is intended to assist with recovering data from a formatted BitLocker encrypted hard drive. Read more >>

Here's how to recover data after formatting a BitLocker-encrypted drive:

Conclusion

On this page, we explained what BitLocker encryption is and the entire process of removing or formatting the BitLocker drive from your PC.

To safeguard your data security, we highly recommend unlocking the drive, backing up your data, and then effortlessly formatting the BitLocker drive, USB, or SD card.

The easiest way to format is to use either AOMEI Partition Assistant or the built-in Windows File Explorer formatting tool.

If you find this article helpful in formatting a BitLocker-encrypted drive, please feel free to share it with someone who might need it!

Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting BitLocker Drive

If you have further questions about formatting a BitLocker drive on a Windows PC, follow and find answers here in this section:

1. How do I format a BitLocker encrypted hard drive?

1. Open File Explorer, double-click on the BitLocker drive, enter your password, and click "Unlock." 2. Right-click on the unlocked BitLocker drive and select "Format." 3. Set a new file system for the drive, check "Quick Format," and click "Yes" followed by "OK."

2. How do I reset my BitLocker drive? To reset a BitLocker-encrypted drive, you'll need to either unlock or reset the drive's password, if applicable. Here's a general guide for Windows users: 1. **Unlock the Drive:** - If you have the BitLocker recovery key, insert it into the prompt when prompted. - If you set up a PIN or password, enter it at the lock screen. 2. **Disable BitLocker:** - Open "Control Panel" and search for "BitLocker Drive Encryption." - Select the encrypted drive and click on "Turn off BitLocker." - Follow the prompts to save your BitLocker recovery key (just in case). 3. **Format the Drive:** - After disabling BitLocker, right-click on the drive in File Explorer and choose "Format." - Make sure to select the appropriate file system (e.g., NTFS) and allocation unit size. - Check the "Quick Format" option and click "Start" to format the drive. 4. **Re-enable BitLocker:** - Once the formatting is complete, go back to "BitLocker Drive Encryption" in Control Panel. - Select the formatted drive and click "Turn on BitLocker." - Set up a new password, PIN, or use a new recovery key, then follow the prompts to encrypt the drive again. Please note that these steps may vary depending on your version of Windows. For more specific instructions, consult Microsoft's official documentation or seek assistance from their support team.

The most effective method to reset a BitLocker drive back to its normal state and function as a regular drive is to erase the BitLocker drive and re-partition it with the desired file system format. A reliable tool for this purpose is tools Partition Master. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Launch the tool Partition Master, then right-click on the BitLocker drive and choose "Wipe data." 2. Set the number of times to wipe the drive, then click "OK." 3. Click "Execute Task." 4. Right-click on the unallocated space and select "Create partition." 5. Assign a new partition label to the drive, add a new file system, and click "Execute Task."

3. How to format a BitLocker encrypted disk without the key?

• Install and launch tools Partition Master on your PC.
• Right-click on the BitLocker encrypted hard drive in tools Partition Master.
• Select "Format" and set a new file system for the drive.
• Click "OK" and then "Execute Task" to complete the process.