Encrypting a flash drive is actually pretty easy, and it greatly improves its security. Most computers come with a built-in tool to encrypt flash drives, saving you the effort of needing to install third-party software.
That said, you should know that there are consequences to encrypting a flash drive. The most obvious one is that you can usually only use it with a computer that either has or is compatible with your encryption software. For example, if you encrypt your USB drive using your computer’s built-in tool, you can only use it on computers that also have that tool (or are compatible with it).
Despite having drawbacks, encrypting your flash drive is an excellent way to keep it safe. All you have to do is plug it in and use your computer’s tool (which I’ll explain in more detail below).
After encrypting your flash drive, consider installing an antivirus to protect it from harm. Norton has a USB drive scanning feature, which checks all files on your drive to make sure they’re free of infection. It also prevents malware-ridden files from being transferred from your computer to your flash drive.
How to Encrypt a Flash Drive on Windows
You can quickly and easily encrypt your flash drive using the BitLocker tool. It comes built into most Windows computers, but if your machine is very old, it may not have this feature. In that case, you’ll need third-party encryption software. Otherwise, here’s how to use BitLocker:
- Plug your flash drive into your computer.
- Open your File Explorer. Look for the file tab or type “File Explorer” into the search bar. You can also press the Windows logo + E.
- Find your flash drive. Right-click it and choose Turn on BitLocker.
- Turn on Use a password to unlock the drive and enter a strong password. Use a password generator for maximum security.
- Save a recovery key to your Microsoft account as a file or print it. This way, if you lose your password, you can recover it. A reliable password manager is also a good place to keep your recovery key safe.
- Choose how much of the drive to encrypt. Encrypting the entire drive is slower but safer.
- Choose Start Encrypting. Be patient, it might take a while.
Congratulations — you’ve made the first step towards protecting your flash drive. However, there are other ways you should safeguard your flash drive. Just encrypting it is only one piece of the overall puzzle, so keep reading to learn how to protect your drive completely.
How to Encrypt a Flash Drive on Mac
Encrypting a flash drive on Mac should only take a few minutes, but it’s slightly more complicated than it is on Windows. Note that encrypting a flash drive will erase its content (so make sure to copy any files you want to keep elsewhere), and once you encrypt a flash drive, you won’t be able to connect it to an AirPort base station for Time Machine backups.
All that said, here’s how you can use your Mac (Mojave or newer) to encrypt your drive using the built-in Disk Utility tool:
- Plug the flash drive into your computer.
- Save the files on your flash drive to your computer.
- Open the Disk Utility app. (If you don’t know where it’s located, open Finder and type “Disk Utility” in the search box.)
- Click View and then Show all devices.
- Locate your flash drive and select it.
- Choose the Erase button.
- Type a name for your new volume. Then, select the Scheme pop-up menu and click GUID Partition Map.
- Click the Format pop-up.
- Choose your encrypted file format. Apple offers multiple formats you can use while encrypting your drive. What’s available also depends on your specific macOS version. This makes it a bit more complicated than Windows but gives you more control over your level of protection.
- Set a strong password and then click Choose. Make sure you store this password somewhere secure. You’ll need to verify your password and can also set a hint.
- After this, just be patient until the process is finished.
- (Optional): Some Macs have a secure erase feature; if it’s available, click Security Options and use the slider to set how many times the encryption process will write over your drive.
Now that your flash drive is encrypted, you’re one step closer to having it totally protected. What’s that? You thought encrypting it was all you had to do? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your flash drive is still vulnerable to exploits and malware, even if it’s encrypted. Keep reading to find out how to get more comprehensive protection.
Using Third-Party Software to Encrypt Your Flash Drive
Older computers may not have the option to encrypt a flash drive using built-in tools, meaning that you’ll require third-party software. You have several options here, including:
- Using an antivirus to encrypt specific files or folders. You can use an antivirus program like Norton to encrypt specific folders or files on your computer or flash drive. Unlike BitLocker, this won’t encrypt the whole thing, so it’s a less convenient option. Think of this as a less elegant solution to brute-force your way through the problem. At the same time, though, a good antivirus will scan files coming from or going to your flash drive, protecting you from malware while providing encryption.
- Using software that can encrypt flash drives. Options like 7-Zip or the free open-source tool VeraCrypt can be used to encrypt your flash drive. Each third-party product will have a unique way of handling it, but many function similarly to BitLocker. Just be warned that not all third-party products are safe, so research them before you install any, just to make sure it’s not a bad (or unsafe) product. I recommend 7-Zip if you plan on using third-party software.
- Purchasing a pre-encrypted flash drive. Many drives nowadays come pre-encrypted, so you don’t have to do the work. If your computer is unable to use BitLocker, and you don’t want to use a third-party application, that’s okay. You can still solve the problem by throwing money at it (the classic solution) and buying a pre-encrypted drive.
Why Should I Encrypt a Flash Drive?
Encrypting a flash drive greatly improves its security and prevents unauthorized access. When data is encrypted, it appears as a string of random symbols that only make sense with the encryption key. This can only be accessed by using the password you set up. The benefit here is that nobody else could plug in your flash drive and read your data without your password.
If your job requires handling sensitive business documents, personal information, or client data, encryption is a must. In fact, it’s so important that to be GDPR-compliant, your flash drive must be encrypted if it contains personal information.
Since a thumb drive often contains many sensitive files, encrypting it protects you against prying eyes, identity fraud, and unauthorized access.
The biggest drawback to all of this is that if you lose your password, chances are you can’t recover it. Some encryption software has a password recovery option, but most do not. You should use a good password manager to safely store your USB stick’s password so it can’t get lost. 1Password lets you store an infinite number of passwords in an encrypted vault. Instead of keeping track of every password you use, you only need to remember your master password.
Helpful Tips for Protecting Your Flash Drive
Just encrypting a thumb stick isn’t enough to fully protect it. There are several other important security steps that you should take to make sure that any sensitive data stored on your USB drive isn’t vulnerable. For example, just encrypting files doesn’t prevent the spread of malware or vulnerability exploits. To protect yourself fully:
- Use a strong password. Using an easily guessable password, like 12345, is almost as unsafe as having no password at all. Use a strong password that a hacker can’t easily guess. You typically want at least 12 characters and a mixture of numbers, symbols, and letters (hint, Dashlane has a free password generator tool you can use).
- Make sure your flash drive is up-to-date. Just like with Windows, software developers regularly release firmware updates for their flash drives to improve their security and remove known exploits. Be sure to regularly update your flash drive. Since this isn’t an automatic feature with most thumb sticks, you’ll have to check with the manufacturer for updates.
- Avoid using public computers. Public computers are easy prey for hackers since anyone can use them, and they typically have weaker network protections. Regularly plugging in your flash drive to public computers is like rolling dice; eventually, you’ll get a bad roll. In this case, a bad roll can corrupt your files, spread malware to other computers, and worse.
- Regularly back up your data. Store copies of important files elsewhere in case your flash drive is lost or damaged. Regular backups ensure that you don’t lose valuable information and can restore your data quickly if something goes wrong. Even if you’re using that flash drive to back up your computer’s data, keep a copy of the copy.
- Remember to safely eject your flash drive. Did you know that USB drives have a specific way they’re meant to be ejected? Improperly ejecting them can lead to memory corruption. If you forget to back up your files, this can lead to the loss of your sensitive files. Each operating system has a unique way to eject flash drives, so be sure to check how you can do it safely.
- Use an antivirus that protects your flash drive. Antiviruses like Norton and
Bitdefender come with USB scanning. This form of real-time protection scans your flash drives for malware, making sure that you’re infection-free and can safely transfer files. - Install a good password manager. You can use a reliable password manager to store the passwords for all of your flash drives (plus your logins, social media accounts, and a lot more). They also encrypt your passwords so hackers can’t view them, even if they somehow broke into your vault. Rather than remembering dozens of passwords for your accounts and flash drives, you only need to remember your password manager’s master password.
- Use a VPN to encrypt the rest of your data. While encrypting a flash drive is important, it won’t encrypt your network data. This means threat actors could theoretically see the contents of your drive after you open it, even on a home computer. Using a VPN like ExpressVPN encrypts the data on your entire network, preventing anyone (even your service provider) from seeing your data.
Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is encrypting my flash drive safe?
Yes, encrypting a flash drive is completely safe. Your files won’t be damaged, and you’ll be able to continue using them as normal. The difference is that now you’ll need a password to access your flash drive whenever you plug it in, and you’ll only be able to use it on computers that are compatible with the encryption software that you used. It may limit your USB drive’s versatility, but it greatly increases its security. It prevents unauthorized access, data theft, and more.
Can I decrypt my USB?
Yes, but with a few caveats. Encryption is designed to protect your information, so it shouldn’t be easy to decrypt it. Most of the time, the only way to do it yourself is by using the same software that you used to encrypt it in the first place. You’ll need the password you first created or at least the encryption key (but trust me, the password is easier).
What happens if I forget my encryption password?
If you forget your password, you could lose access to the USB drive altogether, so be extremely careful. Some encryption services offer password recovery options, but this varies by company. If no recovery options are available, it may be impossible to view anything you have stored on your memory stick. When following my steps for Windows or Mac, be sure to store the password in a password manager. A password manager safeguards your passwords by encrypting them. Since it stores them all in a central password vault, you don’t need to worry about finding old passwords or remembering dozens of unique ones.
That said, your built-in BitLocker tool gives you options to store your recovery code on your Windows account, as a file, or print it out. If you lost your password, you’re not without options.
Can I use my encrypted USB on any computer?
It depends on the encryption software that you use. For example, if you use BitLocker to encrypt your drive, you can only use it with BitLocker-compatible Windows computers. Third-party encryption software typically requires specific software to be installed on the computer you’re using as well, so there’s no easy way to get around this drawback of encrypted drives. Cross-platform compatibility varies, so check your encryption software’s requirements.
Can I use a pre-encrypted flash drive?
Yes, you can use a pre-encrypted flash drive; in fact, it’s more convenient. They are designed to be user-friendly, with password protection and sometimes even biometric security features in addition to encryption. Remember that while these are safer than a normal USB drive, you should still take a few extra precautions to protect it fully.
Like with a regular USB drive, you need to check its hardware requirements to make sure that it’s compatible with the computer you’re trying to plug it into. Your pre-encrypted flash drive probably won’t work with an older version of Windows, but that’s the biggest drawback.