Is Bitlocker forced enabled by default with windows 11 24h2 update

Question

ok so i will cut to the chase.

over the past few weeks i have seen articles and people on social stating that with the windows 11 24h2 update.

that when we install it.

on the out of box experience that it will forcibly enable Bitlocker by default.

so my question is simply this.

Is that true.

the reason i ask is because i have never ever used Bitlocker in the entire time that i have had desktop computers. nor will i ever use Bitlocker.

I'm really hoping that it isnt going to be forced on us by Microsoft. as by rights it should be as it has always been for us.

and that is simply put an optional feature that we ourselves can turn on or off ourselves.

Answer 1

Welp. It is now a problem for me as I got forcefully locked out in the middle of my goddamn lecture. And I can't access the key as well through the website cuz my acc is linked to my old phone number it seems. And it's Tring to send a code there. And I can't factory reset my laptop as well. It's not letting me do so.

Answer 2

Its even worse on virtual machines. Auto enable bitlocker and then when you go to manage bitlocker on the machine - shows it is off but you run a script and it actually turns it off. 3 weeks of troubleshooting to find out my virtual machine had been encrypted when it should not.. You can not capture the image when it is.

Answer 3

It depends how you set up your device out of the box. If you used a Microsoft address then the windows 11 24h2 upgrade WILL enable BitLocker by default, and it'll store the 48 character unlock code in your M$ account. So woe betide you if you didn't keep your BitLocker code and M$ password as safe as a Bitcoin or Swiss bank account !

If you used an ordinary email then 11 24h2 won't turn Bitlocker on by default. But that doesn't mean you're safe: you may be caught out several years later if you ever turned encryption on because it sounded like A Good Thing at the time.

The elephant trap is that your device doesn't have to be stolen or hacked to fire the hair trigger. Just a boring routine update can be quite sufficient to result in Death By BitLocker, and then it's too late and there's absolutely nothing that anyone can do.

Answer 4

Hi Dave.

Simple question for you.

How hard is it for Microsoft devs to understand that nothing like this should EVER be enabled by default?

Even if you want to enable it with the installation of the update, it should be CLEARLY AND VISIBLY STATED with the option to leave it disabled.

Have a giant OOB page explaining it if you want, but NEVER forcibly enable features like this by default.

Sincerely,

Travis

Answer 5

THughes0728,

I don't know what effect it will have but you can use the Feedback Hub in windows to make your point to the development team.