When you’re operating Home windows 11 Professional, you might be costing your SSD virtually 50 p.c of its efficiency and velocity. Based on intensive exams run by the effective of us at Tom’s {Hardware}, Home windows 11’s BitLocker software program encryption slows down efficiency on Home windows 11 Professional computer systems, costing an insane quantity of your SSD velocity.
BitLocker is an on-by-default setting in Home windows 11 Professional that’s meant to encrypt and shield your knowledge. Whereas that sounds all good and dandy, the setting now seems to rob as a lot as 45 p.c of the velocity that your SSD can put out. The explanation that it pulls a lot velocity out of your SSD is that it forces your processor to encrypt and decrypt all the pieces you do.
Which means random writes and reads may see some excessive efficiency points, Tom’s {Hardware} notes in a brand new submit. After all, there are some causes you would possibly need to use Home windows 11 BitLocker. That’s as a result of laptops which have a excessive potential of being stolen ought to completely have their knowledge encrypted. Whereas it would gradual the SSD down some, the truth that your knowledge shall be protected is extra necessary.
Nevertheless, if you happen to’re utilizing a desktop that doesn’t have a excessive probability of being stolen or misplaced, then operating BitLocker may rob you of some much-needed efficiency in your SSD. In the end, it’s as much as you whether or not you need to flip it off or depart it on, however if you happen to resolve to see about turning it off, you’ll want first to verify whether it is even enabled.
To verify if BitLocker is enabled on Home windows 11 Professional, it would be best to begin an elevated command immediate window (run CMD as admin) after which use the command manage-bde -status. If it returns a message that safety isn’t on or that your knowledge is totally decrypted, you don’t have to do the rest. Nevertheless, you could have BitLocker enabled if it says “XTS-AES” within the window.
To disable BitLocker, you’ll have to launch an elevated command immediate like earlier than after which kind manage-bde -off C: (exchange C: with no matter letter the drive is that you’ll want to unencrypt). This may disable BitLocker on Home windows 11 Professional, providing you with extra of your SSD efficiency again.
As a result of Microsoft has began enabling BitLocker by default, it’s doable that future updates might flip it again on, forcing software program encryption on you as soon as once more. Nevertheless, you possibly can at all times flip it off utilizing the command set above. Simply remember that BitLocker is without doubt one of the greatest methods to make your PC safer in Home windows 11.
