Password Protect USB Drive in Windows 10 Easily (2 Ways)

Why Password Protect USB Drive in Windows 10?

Nowadays, USB drive has become a very popularstorage devicefor its portability. It not only allows you to backup and store all of your computer's files and programs to use at anytime, but also enables you to restore the system or files if something goes wrong with your computer. USB drives offer the greatest convenience for people who need to work on multiple computers or work on the road sometimes.

However, there're some risks when using a USB. For example, if the USB drive is accidentally lost, your data will be leaked. Or someone maliciously unplugs your USB while you do not notice. If your USB drive has important files or company confidential information, then this will cause very serious consequences.

Therefore, when enjoying the convenience of USB, we also need toprotect the security of the USB drive.You can read on to learn how to password protect USB drive in Windows 10.

How to Password Protect USB Drive in Windows 10

Next, this article will introduce you 2 methods to password protect USB drive in Windows 10. You can choose any of them according to your own needs. Please read on for more details.

Password Protect USB Drive in Windows 10 via BitLocker

The first method is to use Windows built-in encryption tool to password protect USB drive free. BitLocker is an encryption feature in Windows 10 Professional and Enterprise editions that supports encrypting local hard drives and removable drives with passwords or smart card passwords.

Besides, it supports almost all common file systems such as NTFS, FAT, FAT32, etc. So, If you are a Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise user, you can follow the graphic tutorial below to encrypt USB drive in Windows 10 via BitLocker.

Step 1. Insert the USB drive into your Windows 10 PC running Pro or Enterprise edition and make sure it can be detected.

Step 2. Navigate to This PC in Windows Explorer and right-click the USB drive, then click Turn on BitLocker.

Step 3. Tick Use a password to unlock the drive box, enter a password to protect your data on the USB drive, and re-enter the password to verify the password, then click Next.

Tip:

You need to set your password at least one uppercase letter, number, lower case letter, and symbol to make the password strong.

Step 4. Choose a way you prefer for backing up your recovery key then click Next.

Step 5. Choose how much of your drive to encrypt. It’s recommended that you select Encrypt entire drive. Then click Next to continue.

Step 6. Choose which encryption mode to use. We recommend you select the Compatible mode to protect your USB drive. Then click Next.

Step 7. Read the warnings on the screen carefully and then click Start encrypting.

Please wait patiently. And you can use your computer normally during this process. When you see the message "Encryption of X is complete". You can disconnect the USB drive. After that, if you want to open the USB drive, you will need to enter the correct password to access the data on the drive.

How to Turn off BitLocker

If you don't want to encrypt your USB drive in the future, you can follow the steps below to turn off BitLocker.

Step 1. Connect your USB drive to your computer and double-click the USB drive in This PC and then enter the password.

Step 2. Right-click on the USB drive and click Manage BitLocker.

Step 3. In Removable data drives - BitLocker To Go section, click Turn off BitLocker link.

Step 4. When you see the Confirmation dialog, click Turn off BitLocker. Then it will begin decrypting your USB drive. When the process has been done, you’ll see the “Decryptionof X: is complete” message.

Password Protect Files on USB Drive in Windows 10 via Third-party Software

BitLocker can help users of Windows 10 Professional and Enterprise to encrypt USB drives. But encrypting USB requires entering a password every time you open the USB, which can be a little bit troublesome for users who only want to encrypt a certain file and not the whole USB.

The safe and reliable third-party software- AOMEI Backpper Professional can easily solve this problem. It can directly backup file and encrypt it in the USB. Therefore, you only need to enter the password when you restore the image file instead of inputting password every time you open the USB.

It supports all versions of Windows 10 as well as many other Windows systems such as Windows 11/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, etc. So, if you want to password protect USB drive in Windows 10 Home or other versions, AOMEI Backupper will help you to prevent data leakage.

If you want to know how to password protect USB drive in Windows 10 without BitLocker, you can follow the File Backup graphic steps below. And this software also supports backing up the entire USB disk or the partitions on it.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Professional, install and open it. Then click Backup > File Backup.

Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder to select the files or folders you want to backup.

Step 3. Choose the USB drive as your destination.

Step 4. To password protect the specific file on the USB drive, just click Options at the bottom, and click General > Enable encryption for backups. Then, you can type the password > confirm the password > click OK.

Step 5. Confirm all your operations and click Start Backup.

★ How to backup files to AOMEI Cloud

There is a growing trend to backup files to cloud storage. Compared to a USB drive, cloud is a safer place to keep your important files because it is less subject to getting lost or infected. You can backup files to AOMEI Cloud if you have an AOMEI account. You'll get 1TB free storage for 15 days after you sign up for an AOMEI account.

Summary

This article shows you 2 useful ways to password protect USB drive in Windows 10. If you are a Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise user, the built-in tool BitLocker can help you encrypt USB.

If you are using other versions of Windows 10 or other Windows systems, you can choose the reliable third-party software AOMEI Backupper Professional to help you backup important data and encrypt the data on USB. It allows you directly backup file and encrypt it in the USB, you only need to enter the password when you restore the encrypted files instead of entering the password every time you open the USB.

In addition, it is also an excellent cloning software, providing System Clone, Disk Clone and Partition Clone to meet your different needs. After cloning, you can boot from the cloned disk successfully. If you are a Windows Server user, you can choose AOMEI Backupper Server. You can download this software to experience more useful functions.