Memory sticks, also known as flash drives, are extremely convenient when it comes to transporting data. Their tiny size allows you to carry them unnoticed in a pocket or on a key ring, but their storage capacity allows you to store anything including videos, documents, applications and even operating systems. Unfortunately, the small size that makes them so useful also makes them easy to lose, which can put any sensitive information you have stored on the device at risk. To protect your data, and yourself, you can utilize BitLocker To Go, a feature of Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate editions that encrypts your data to prevent unauthorized viewing. Without your password, smart card or recovery key, your data will be indecipherable to anyone who finds your drive. This tutorial will show how it works.

Encrypting your Flash Drive

To get started with BitLocker, you’ll need to insert your flash drive into a USB port on your computer. Go to the Control Panel and click "System and Security -> BitLocker Drive Encryption."

When BitLocker loads, you’ll notice that it lists all of the drives you currently have installed that support BitLocker encryption.

On the bottom of the list you’ll see your flash drive under "BitLocker To Go." Click "Turn On BitLocker," where it appears to the right of your drive.

After BitLocker initializes your flash drive, you’ll be presented with options for unlocking the drive once encrypted. You can use either a password or a smart card.

In this tutorial we will work with using a password. If you are interested to know more about smart cards, check out this article from Microsoft: Using Smart Cards with BitLocker.

Enter your password twice for verification and click "Next".

BitLocker will now require you to select where to store your recovery key. This step is extremely important. If you should forget the password or lose the smart card you selected in the previous step, this file will allow you to decrypt your data and use your drive.

Without it, you’re data will be lost. You can opt to store the file on your hard drive or print it and keep it for your records. Microsoft recommends exercising both options to ensure you don’t lose the key.

Click "Next" after making your selections.

At this point, all of your selections are made; all you have left to do is encrypt the drive. Click "Start Encryption" and get ready to wait.

Encrypting a drive, especially a large drive, can take hours.

Pausing the Encryption Process

If you need to remove your drive during the encryption process, click "Pause" on the BitLocker Drive Encryption window before proceeding, to avoid potentially corrupting your data.

You are announced that the encryption process has been paused. Only after this happens, proceed to removing the memory stick.

Resuming the Encryption Process

When you are ready to resume the encryption process, insert your drive back into your computer’s USB port. Immediately upon inserting the drive, a window will pop up asking for your password to unlock the drive. Enter the password and, if you desire, check the "Automatically unlock on this computer from now on" option, to avoid typing the password with each use of the drive.

Click "Unlock" when you’ve finished entering your password.

When your password is accepted, BitLocker will start encrypting your drive where you left off. When your drive is fully encrypted, you’ll be notified with a quick pop up.

Click "Close" to complete the process. Your drive is now encrypted and protected from unauthorized viewing.

Conclusion

As you can see from this tutorial, using BitLocker to encrypt an USB memory stick is not hard, just time consuming. If you have any questions about this procedure, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

Related articles:

How to Unlock a BitLocker Encrypted Flash Drive
How to Disable BitLocker To Go Encryption
Rescuing Data From a BitLocker Encrypted Flash Drive
Managing Your BitLocker To Go Encrypted Flash Drive