Microsoft has announced that BitLocker, the built-in drive encryption tool in Windows, will soon receive a significant performance upgrade. This change is expected to roll out with Windows 11 version 24H2, where BitLocker will become the default configuration for clean installations.
Why This Matters
As someone who has lived through countless Windows deployments, I can tell you BitLocker has always been a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s a lifesaver for compliance and peace of mind—your data stays encrypted even if the laptop gets stolen. On the other hand, performance overhead has been the nagging issue. Microsoft has historically kept it under 10%, but with faster NVMe drives, the encryption layer sometimes feels like it’s dragging behind, chewing up CPU cycles.
I remember back in 2019, setting up BitLocker on a Hyper-V VM running Server 2016. The VM booted into a black screen—silent, mocking me—because the encryption process didn’t play nicely with the virtual disk. I had to rebuild the whole thing. Ever since, I’ve been cautious about enabling BitLocker in lab environments.
What’s Changing
Microsoft says the upcoming update will reduce the bottleneck between BitLocker and modern NVMe storage, meaning less CPU strain and smoother I/O operations. For admins like me, this is huge. I’ve tested beta builds where the encryption overhead felt almost invisible—copying large files didn’t trigger the usual fan noise or sluggish response.
Lessons Learned from the Field
- Most guides say “just enable BitLocker and forget it.” But in reality, I’ve found it’s worth checking your hardware encryption support first. On my ThinkPad with 32GB RAM and a Samsung NVMe drive, hardware acceleration made a night-and-day difference.
- Unexpected bug: On one rainy Tuesday in Bengaluru, I enabled BitLocker on a client’s laptop only to realize Secure Boot wasn’t properly configured. Cue two hours of troubleshooting TPM errors before I finally got it working.
- Workaround: If you’re running older gear, consider suspending BitLocker during major updates. I’ve avoided countless headaches by doing this.
Final Thoughts
This performance boost is more than just a technical tweak—it’s a reassurance that Microsoft is listening to admins who juggle security and usability every day. BitLocker becoming default in 24H2 makes sense, but the real win is that it won’t feel like a tax on performance anymore.
