How to Encrypt a Flash Drive on Windows and Mac

Flash drives are incredibly useful. Despite their small size, they can store and transfer large amounts of sensitive data. However, flash drives can be lost or stolen, and if that happens, your sensitive data would be at risk.

But you can protect yourself and your sensitive data should you misplace a flash drive. By encrypting the USB, the only way anyone could access the data residing in the device is if they have the decryption key.

This guide will show you how to encrypt a USB on either a Windows or a Mac computer.

On a Windows Computer

• Plug the USB into your computer and ensure nothing is currently on the drive
• Open File Explorer to locate your USB device
• Right-click on the USB drive, then select Turn on BitLocker (this will automatically install for you)
• The pop-up window, BitLocker Drive Encryption, will prompt you through setting up a password
• Don’t forget to store the recovery key (you will need this if you lose your password, so keep this safe!)
• When prompted, choose Encrypt used disk space only
• For the Encryption Mode, if the USB will be used on Windows 10 or 11 devices, select New encryption mode

On a macOS Computer

• Plug the USB into your computer and ensure nothing is currently on the device
• Open Finder and search for Disk Utility
• In the left side panel, click on your USB device
• Select Erase > Mac OS Extended (Journal, Encrypted)
• You will be prompted to create a password and password hint, then select Choose