EFS vs BitLocker: Which Encryption Method Best Suits Your Needs?

An in-depth look at the security Microsoft offers on its Windows platform, namely EFS and Bitlocker. These free, built-in systems offer stable and easy to use encryption.

EFS and BitLocker work very differently, so this will not be a direct comparison between the two systems. Instead, I will be discussing each in detail, including the pros and cons of each system, and which one may be best suited to your needs.

I will also cover the setup and configuration of both systems, how to encrypt and decrypt files, and encryption key management and recovery.

#bitlocker #tpm #encryption #windows10 #windows11


SUPPORTED WINDOWS VERSIONS FOR EFS
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2000 Professional, Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter editions

XP Professional, also in Tablet PC Edition, Media Center Edition and x64 Edition

Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2, in both x86 and x64 editions

Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate editions

7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions

Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2

8 and 8.1 Pro and Enterprise editions

Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2

10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

Server 2016 and Server 2019


SUPPORTED WINDOWS VERSIONS FOR BITLOCKER
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Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions

7 Enterprise and Ultimate editions

8 and 8.1 Pro and Enterprise editions

Embedded Standard 7 and Windows Thin PC

Server 2008 and later

10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions

11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions


LINKS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
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File Encryption: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/fileio/file-encryption

BitLocker Recovery Key: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/find-your-bitlocker-recovery-key-6b71ad27-0b89-ea08-f143-056f5ab347d6

How to create a one-click administrative Command Prompt: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/37UPxhezKyc


VIDEO CHAPTERS
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00:00 Introduction
01:00 Encryption Type Comparison
01:19 Introduction To EFS
02:03 How EFS Works
02:21 How EFS Encryption Works
02:52 How EFS Decryption Works
03:46 EFS Advantages And Disadvantages
06:51 How To Encrypt A File Or Folder
09:45 Backing Up Your Encryption Key
12:15 EFS - A Few Key Points
12:48 What Is Bitlocker?
13:15 The Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
13:40 How To Detect If Your PC Has A TPM Chip
14:46 Checking Your PC's BIOS
16:07 Using BitLocker Without A TPM Chip
18:29 Encryption With A TPM Chip
21:30 Encryption Without A TPM Chip
24:35 Monitoring BitLocker Encryption Progress
25:33 Creating A 1 Click Admin Command Prompt
25:41 Summary
26:01 Outro And Copyright Notice