I tried to enable BitLocker on the Boot Camp Windows partition, but it failed with the error, “BitLocker setup requires the drive file system to be NTFS. Convert the file system and run BitLocker setup again.”
The thing is, my C drive is already formatted in NTFS. Otherwise, I won’t be able to run Windows. Any idea how I can turn on BitLocker on Boot Camp?
Possible reasons for not being able to turn on BitLocker on Boot Camp:
BitLocker needs an unencrypted boot partition to work.
TPM is a dedicated microchip designed to provide hardware-based security. BitLocker’s preferred and most secure method is to use a TPM (version 1.2 or 2.0) to store its encryption keys and ensure the integrity of the boot process.
BitLocker requires a specific UEFI firmware configuration and Secure Boot to create a trusted boot path. While modern Macs use UEFI, Apple’s implementation is customized. Boot Camp essentially tricks Windows into running on this non-standard hardware, which breaks the chain of trust that BitLocker expects for its default TPM-based activation.
Try to modify the local group policy settings to allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM.