This article provides guidance on enabling Full Disk Encryption (FDE) to protect University data on laptops and personal devices. It explains 

• How to setup encryption using Microsoft BitLocker on Windows and FileVault on macOS,
• Outlines operating system requirements,
• Include links to official setup instructions.

Enabling encryption helps ensure that data remains secure in the event or loss or theft.

Data protection - Full Disk Encryption (FDE)

University-owned and managed Windows laptops have Full Disk Encryption (often abbreviated to FDE) enabled by default, using the Microsoft Windows BitLocker disk encryption solution.

The Apple equivalent FDE solution, FileVault for MacOS, will need to be manually set up by the user.

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How to Enable FDE on your device? 

Here is how to view the settings and setup both solutions for your personal device:

Windows

Turn on device encryption on Windows

Notes about Windows Bitlocker: 

• Windows BitLocker is not available on Windows 10 or 11 Home Edition.
• On Windows 11 Home, you can use "device encryption," which is a limited version of BitLocker. It works identically to the full version but with limited management settings and capabilities.

Apple

Encrypt Mac data with FileVault

Notes about Apple FileVault: 

• Unless you are using an iMac Pro or another Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip, you need to turn FileVault on from the System Settings.
• Encrypting your data is a preventative preventative feature that you need to enable to help secure your data in the event of loss/theft.

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Know more about Full Disk Encryption (FDE)

Full disk encryption is the process of encoding data or messages from “plaintext” (unencrypted) to “ciphertext” (encrypted). During this process, the information is converted into a non-human readable format, hiding the contents unless successfully decrypted.

As a result, the encoded data or message cannot be understood by any person other than its intended recipient. Only authorised parties can understand the information. 

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Getting IT help

If you need help, please contact ServiceLine or visit one of our Tech Hubs.

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Related content

Lost or stolen device (form)

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