Bitlocker encryption software in the Windows Pro operating system slows down SSDs.
Automatically turned on in the Windows 11 Pro operating system Microsoft’s Bitlocker encryption software slows down SSDs significantly.
by TomsHardware based on tests, the feature can slow down disks by up to 45 percent.
This is because with the software-based Bitlocker, the processor has to constantly encrypt and decrypt when using the disk.
The Windows 11 developers are behind the problem, as many SSDs now support hardware-based encryption, where the disks handle all encryption independently. In the Windows 11 Pro version, the software-based Bitlocker is nevertheless turned on by default.
Microsoft probably made the decision because it doesn’t fully control hardware-based encryption, which is more the domain of the disc manufacturer. A few years ago, there were cases where manufacturers had to fix vulnerabilities found in encryption hardware. Because of this, Microsoft wants to resort to its own solution, PCWorld tells.
Windows 11 Home is not affected by the issue, as the version does not support Bitlocker.
If you want to find out whether the error affects your own operating system, you can find out via the command line with the manage-bde -status command. The command launches the Bitlocker tool, which analyzes all disks on the computer.
Under Conversion Status, you can find out whether the SSDs are encrypted. Under Encryption Method it is shown whether encryption software (XTS-AES) or hardware encryption (Hardware Encryption) is used.
If the command line says XTS-AES, Bitlocker is enabled on the disk. Fully decrypted means that Bitlocker is completely turned off.
The problem can be solved by disabling Bitlocker, but before that you should think about whether it will be possible to use any kind of encryption in the future. Encryption software is especially useful for people who have a work laptop, who are on the road a lot, and whose laptop is more likely to be stolen.
When Bitlocker is disabled, thieves can access data without Windows account credentials. If you’re absolutely sure you don’t need BitLocker, you can turn it off with the following command: manage-bde -off C:, where “C:” is replaced by the name of the encrypted disk.