# How to Remove BitLocker Encryption from USB or External Drive

## How to disable BitLocker encryption from USB or external drive on Windows/Mac

Quick Answer:

- A password or a recovery key is a must\-have to remove BitLocker encryption.
- Your data can't be saved without credentials.
- Reformat your USB drive to remove BitLocker encryption if you don't need the data.

![how to remove BitLocker encryption on Windows and macOS](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-bitlocker/remove-bitlocker-password/summary-remove-bitlocker-encryption.jpg)

Before you start, you'd better figure out your specific case first: whether you have a password/recovery key and still need the file data on your USB drive. Choose your case and jump to your corresponding workaround, then:

| **Case** | **Solution** | **OS** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Have password and need data | Decrypt BitLocker drives | Windows |
| No password but need data | Find your recovery key first; no way to skirt this step | Windows |
| No data needed | Format USB/external drives | Windows/macOS |
| Need to use on Mac | Use iBoysoft BitLocker for Mac to access BitLocker drives with a password/recovery key | macOS |

## Have the password and need data? How to remove BitLocker encryption on Windows?

If you have the password and can unlock the BitLocker\-encrypted drive, you can easily remove BitLocker encryption from a USB drive, pen drive, flash drive,[sd card](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/sd-card.html), external hard drive using**Control Panel**:

1. Click **Start** , click **Control Panel** and then click **BitLocker Drive Encryption** .
2. Find the drive on which you want to remove BitLocker encryption and then click **Unlock drive** .
3. Enter the password to unlock the BitLocker\-encrypted drive. After the BitLocker drive is unlocked, please click **Turn off BitLocker** in the BitLocker Drive Encryption of Control Panel. ![turn off BitLocker drive encryption](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-bitlocker/remove-bitlocker-password/turn-off-bitlocker.jpg)
4. A message is displayed, informing you that your drive will be decrypted. This might take a long time, but you can keep using your PC during the decryption process.
5. Click **Turn off BitLocker** to continue. By completing this procedure, you have decrypted the drive and removed the BitLocker password.

On top of Control Panel, you can still remove BitLocker encryption from external drives on Windows by means of**Command Prompt**and**PowerShell**.

- Command Prompt: open Command Prompt as administrator and enter "manage\-bde \-off X" to disable BitLocker.
- PowerShell: enter the Disable\-BitLocker \-MountPoint "X:" command after PowerShell launches.

For detailed steps, please refer to this post to[turn off BitLocker on Windows 11/10](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker/turn-off-bitlocker-windows.html).

## No password but need data? How to disable BitLocker encryption on Windows?

If you don't have the password, you need to use the following solutions to unlock the BitLocker\-encrypted drive first and then remove BitLocker encryption from the USB drive, pen drive, flash drive, external hard drive, SD card, etc.

### Solution 1. Unlock BitLocker\-encrypted drive with a recovery key

If you have saved the 48\-digit BitLocker recovery key, just enter the BitLocker recovery key to unlock the BitLocker\-encrypted drive and then go to Control Panel \> BitLocker Drive Encryption \> Unlock BitLocker encrypted drive \> Turn off BitLocker to remove BitLocker encryption.

### Solution 2. Retrieve the BitLocker recovery key

If you have lost your BitLocker recovery key, don't panic\! There are 6 ways to help you find the recovery key:

- Find the BitLocker recovery key in the Microsoft account \(for individuals\)
- Find the BitLocker recovery key in the Microsoft Entra ID \(for enterprises\)
- Check .txt file to retrieve your BitLocker recovery key
- It may be in a document
- Go to Active Directory
- Find the BitLocker recovery key in your Azure Active Directory account

If you need a step\-by\-step guide, please refer to[Where/How to find the lost 48\-digit BitLocker recovery key](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker/bitlocker-recovery-key.html)?

## No data needed? How to turn off BitLocker encryption on Windows?

If you don't need the data, you can[reformat the BitLocker encrypted drive](https://iboysoft.com/howto/format-bitlocker-drive.html)to remove BitLocker drive encryption. Formatting will remove BitLocker encryption and erase all data. This should only be used when the files are no longer needed.

1. Right\-click the BitLocker\-encrypted drive in My Computer, This PC, or Disk Management.
2. Select " **Format...** " and set information in the Format window.
3. Click " **Start** " to reformat the BitLocker drive.

## How to access or erase a BitLocker drive on Mac?

First things first, Mac doesn't natively remove BitLocker encryption from USB or external drives. It can't even mount or open your BitLocker drives on its own.

If you have the BitLocker password and want to access your BitLocker drive, turn to[iBoysoft BitLocker for Mac](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker-for-mac/). This BitLocker for Mac utility is a strong performer to help you mount, open, read, and write to BitLocker drives without extra complex steps. After you enter the BitLocker password, you can eventually read, edit, rename, delete, duplicate, copy, and transfer files from Mac to BitLocker drives, and vice versa.

1. Download and install iBoysoft BitLocker for Mac on your Mac. Enable system extension based on its instructions.
2. Connect your USB or external drive to Mac and this BitLocker reader & writer program will auto\-recognize your BitLocker drive. ![Run iBoysoft BitLocker for Mac](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-bitlocker/remove-bitlocker-password/iboysoft-bitlocker-interface.jpg)
3. Click the Unlock icon and enter your password \(or recovery key\) to unlock your BitLocker drive. ![Enter password to unlock BitLocker drives](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-bitlocker/remove-bitlocker-password/iboysoft-bitlocker-enter-password.jpg)
4. Now you can read, edit, delete, copy, and write files to your BitLocker drive.

If you don't need the data anymore, you can use Disk Utility to format your BitLocker drives. This will completely turn off BitLocker encryption and erase all your data.

1. Back up the important data.
2. Open Applications folder \> Utilities \> Disk Utility.
3. Select the BitLocker\-encrypted drive from the left panel in Disk Utility.
4. Click " **Erase** " on the top menu of Disk Utility and then remove BitLocker from the specific drive.

![erase BitLocker encrypted drive on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-bitlocker/remove-bitlocker-password/disk-utility-erase.jpg)

## BitLocker recovery software \- iBoysoft BitLocker Recovery

[iBoysoft BitLocker Recovery](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker-data-recovery/)is a professional BitLocker recovery software that can recover deleted files from a BitLocker\-encrypted drive and restore lost files from a formatted/corrupted/inaccessible BitLocker drive.

![BitLocker recovery for Windows](https://iboysoft.com/images/product-ibitlocker-recovery/version-3-6/recovery-process.jpg)

It can also recover lost data after BitLocker drive encryption/decryption failed, recover lost files from a deleted or lost BitLocker\-encrypted partition, etc., but it requires the password or 48\-digit BitLocker recovery key to decrypt data from the BitLocker\-encrypted drive.

**Related articles**:

- [How to use BitLocker drive encryption on Windows 10 Home?](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker/bitlocker-windows-10-home.html)
- [How to unlock the BitLocker encrypted drive without a password and recovery key?](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker/unlock-bitlocker-without-password-recovery-key.html)
- [How to access BitLocker encrypted drive on another Windows PC, Mac, or Linux?](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker/access-bitlocker-encrypted-drive-on-another-computer.html)

## FAQs about BitLocker Encryption Removal

ANo. Without a password or recovery key, you cannot decrypt and remove BitLocker while keeping the data. Find the recovery key first, or format the drive if the data is not needed.

AYes, it will disable the BitLocker encryption completely and erase all your data at the same time. Please make a backup before formatting.

AYes, you can remove BitLocker without losing your data, but macOS does not support BitLocker decryption natively. You’ll need the BitLocker password or recovery key and either a third\-party Mac tool or a Windows PC.