Knowing how to password protect an external hard drive can be incredibly useful for adding an extra layer of protection for your precious files and data. It’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds, and thankfully we’ve put together this helpful detailing exactly how to set up a password on your external hard drive.
Why Should I Password Protect My External Hard Drive?
An external hard drive boasts multiple benefits for gamers, streamers, and professionals alike. They can serve as a portable storage solution that you can freely transport with you wherever you go, or even store files that you don’t need to access daily. However, they are still equally prone to security attacks.
In fact, if your external hard drive is connected and your PC does get hacked, they’ll have free access to your drive, including everything you have stored. A password adds a layer of encryption to keep all your precious files protected in case the worst happens.
How to Set up Your Password
To password protect an external hard drive you’ll need to utilise a secondary encryption software, such as BitLocker or VeraCrypt, as Windows Home doesn’t include any built-in tools.
In our example, we’ll be using BitLocker, a software that has been designed to encrypt a range of drives, including external and internal disks. To set up a password on your external drive, simply:
- Connect your external hard drive via USB. We recommend that before you set up a password, you back up your files.
- Open File Explorer, find your chosen drive, and right-click to click ‘Turn on BitLocker’.
- A new window will pop up with a range of options for you to choose from. Here you’ll need to select ‘Use a Password to Unlock the Drive’.
- Enter the password you want to encrypt your drive with.
- Choose where you want to save the external hard drive’s recovery key such as to your Microsoft account or USB flash drive.
- From here, you’ll also want to select ‘Compatible Mode’.
- To complete setting up your password, simply click ‘Start Encrypting’.
Enhance Your External Storage
An external hard drive is perfect for enhancing your PC’s storage capacity, especially if you are tired of always running out of space for your expanding gaming library, precious memories, and creative projects. Thankfully, at Overclockers UK, you can a find whole range of high-quality external drives packed with plenty of storage capacity for all your files.
We’ve included two of our top selections, but if these don’t suit your needs then you can take a further look at the whole range by clicking the button below.
WD Black P10 4TB 2.5’’ Portable USB 3.2 External Hard Drive
- Portable external hard drive
- USB 3.2 connectivity
- 4TB storage capacity
- Up to 140MB/s data transfer speeds
Lexar JumpDrive M900 128GB USB Flash Drive
- USB flash drive
- 128GB storage capacity
- USB Type-C
- 400MB/s transfer speed
Seagate Expansion 4TB Desktop External Hard Drive
- Desktop external hard drive
- USB 3.0 connectivity
- 4TB storage capacity
Stuck on which external hard drive or storage solution is right for your set up? We’ve got plenty of dedicated blog articles all about the different types of storage you can choose from.
- 3 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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