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Microsoft is enabling BitLocker device encryption by default on Windows 11

You can avoid device encryption by using a local account.

The latest Windows 11 version 24H2 update comes preinstalled on Microsoft’s range of Copilot Plus PCs and is expected to be available on existing machines in late September. We’ve asked Microsoft repeatedly since early May to comment on BitLocker device encryption being enabled by default, but the company has only confirmed its plans through support documents where there is no mention of any potential performance impacts. These requirements, while controversial, allowed Microsoft to also enable its virtualized Memory Integrity feature by default two years ago to better protect Windows 11 systems from malicious code.

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