Why is there a lock icon on the drive and how to remove it?

Wondering why there is a lock icon on a drive in File Explorer? This article explains what it is and how to remove the lock icon from a drive in Windows 10.

Why is there a lock icon on drives in Windows 10?

Windows 10 has two built-in encryption features. The first is BitLocker and it is only available to Pro and Enterprise users. The second is called Device Encryption and is available to all users, including Windows 10 Home users.

If you see a lock icon on the drive and you're using Windows 10 Home or if you're sure you're not using BitLocker, it's because of Device Encryption.

While Device Encryption is available to all Windows 10 users, it's only automatically enabled when the following requirements are met:

• Your laptop or desktop computer must have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) version 2 chip on the motherboard .
• Support Modern Standby feature.
• Has modern UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).
• TPM functionality is enabled via UEFI.
• You need to sign in to Windows 10 with a Microsoft account.

If you don't use BitLocker and don't want to use Device Encryption, follow the steps below to turn off Device Encryption and remove the lock icon from the drive in Windows 10.

• Remove Airplane/Flight Mode icon on Windows 10 Taskbar

How to remove lock icon on drive in Windows 10

To remove the lock icon on drives in Windows 10, you must disable Device Encryption Here's how:

1. Open the Settings app in Windows 10 .

2. Click “Update & Security” .

3. Select “Device Encryption” on the sidebar.

4. Click “Turn off” on the right panel. As soon as you click this button, Windows 10 will turn off Device Encryption and automatically decrypt all encrypted drives. The decryption process will take some time to complete. You can use the system normally while this is happening.

5. Device Encryption is now disabled and the lock icon is removed from the drive. From now on, you will no longer see the lock icon on drives in Windows 10.

Note : If you are using BitLocker, you must disable BitLocker to remove the lock icon.