When dealing with confidential data, it’s always a good option to keep your drive encrypted. Windows lets you encrypt folder data easily and this functionality is enabled by default. To do the same, right-click on the folder or the drive, go to Properties > Advanced, tick Encrypt content to secure data, and click Ok. However, we have noticed that the Encrypt contents to secure data option is disabled or grayed out in Windows 11/10. So, in this post, we will see how to resolve this issue.
Encrypt contents to secure data option is disabled or grayed out
If the Encrypt contents to secure data option is disabled or grayed out, follow the solutions given hereinafter.
Unable to Encrypt folder data in Windows 11/10
1. Press the Windows Key + R combination, type put regedit in the Run dialog box, and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem
3. In the right pane of the above-shown window, look for the NtfsDisableEncryption named registry DWORD (REG_DWORD), since you’re facing the issue, you’ll find that this DWORD has its Value data set to 1. Double-click on the same DWORD to modify:
4. In the above-shown window, change the Value data to 0. Click OK. You may now close the Registry Editor and reboot to get fixed.
Hope this helps you.
NOTE: It seems that this will work only on Pro and Enterprise editions.
How to open an encrypted file if access is denied in Windows may also interest you.
Why cant I Encrypt contents to secure data in Windows 11?
If you can’t encrypt contents to secure data in Windows 11, you need to check the value of NtfsDisableEncryption. If the value of this registry is set to 1, you won’t be able to encrypt, just change it to 0 to resolve the issue. Follow the aforementioned steps to do the same.
Read: Microsoft stores your Windows Device Encryption Key to OneDrive
How do I enable encryption in Windows 11?
Windows 11/10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions have an option to enable Device Encryption. You can enable Device Encryption from Settings on Windows 11. It helps protect your data.
Also Read: How to create a BitLocker Drive Encryption shortcut in Windows 11/10.
