Cannot Install Windows, BitLocker Drive Encryption Is Enabled on Selected Partition [Fix]

Sometimes, we upgrade or reinstall the Windows operating system on our PCs. This helps us stay updated with new features and security updates.

When you are trying to install or upgrade your Windows OS and see the “Cannot install Windows, BitLocker Drive Encryption is enabled on selected partition” error after selecting a partition to install Windows, this guide is for you. We have explained what causes the issue and how you can fix it quickly.

What Is the “Cannot Install Windows, BitLocker Drive Encryption Is Enabled on Selected Partition” Error?

Windows 11 and old versions of the Windows operating system have BitLocker Encryption enabled on the drives. BitLocker has a recovery key that can be saved to your Microsoft account. When BitLocker encryption is enabled on a drive and its partitions, it prevents Windows from modifying or installing on the drive.

In such cases, you see the “Windows cannot be installed on this hard disk space. BitLocker Drive Encryption is enabled on the selected partition. Suspend (also referred to as disable) BitLocker in the Control Panel, and then restart the installation.” error. You can fix it in a few simple ways.

Fix “Cannot Install Windows, BitLocker Drive Encryption Is Enabled on Selected Partition”

Disable BitLocker Encryption

As suggested in the error message you see while trying to install Windows on the BitLocker encrypted partition, temporarily disabling the encryption will let you install Windows without any errors. To temporarily disable the BitLocker encryption, you need to be able to access the Settings app after booting the PC. If you cannot boot into Windows, this method will not work.

To turn off BitLocker encryption on Windows 11,

• Open the Settings app using the Start menu or Win+I keyboard shortcut.
• Select System on the left side menu. Then, click on the Storage tab.
  
• Expand the Advanced storage settings tab in the Storage settings and click on Disks & volumes.
  
• You will see your hard disk information and all the volumes or partitions you have created on your PC. Click on the Properties button beside the partition you’ve selected to install Windows before you see the error.
  
• Scroll down to the BitLocker section on the properties page of the selected volume. Then click on Turn off BitLocker.
  
• It will open the BitLocker Drive Encryption window in the Control Panel. Click on Suspend protection and select Yes on the prompt window to temporarily suspend or disable the BitLocker encryption on the selected partition to install Windows.

Now, you can restart installing Windows on the partition where you’ve disabled the BitLocker encryption. The installation will go through without any issues. After successfully completing the installation, follow the above steps and enable BitLocker encryption on the selected volume/partition again for security.

If your system runs on Windows 11 Home, you will not find options to disable or suspend BitLocker encryption. You must disable device encryption to disable BitLocker encryption.

To disable Device encryption on Windows 11 Home,

• Open the Settings app and click on Privacy & security. Select Device encryption in the Privacy & security options.
  
• Toggle the button off beside Device encryption to disable BitLocker encryption on your Windows 11 Home PC.
  
• Click on Turn off in the Turn off device encryption prompt you see.
  

It will disable the device encryption and let you install Windows without issue. Make sure you turn on the device encryption again in the same way to protect your device after the successful installation of Windows.

Unlock BitLocker Encrypted Drive With Recovery Key

If you have a BitLocker recovery key or you have backed it up to your Microsoft account on your Windows PC, you can use the recovery key to unlock the drive and install Windows without any issue.

To get the recovery key from the Microsoft account,

• Open a web browser and visit the Microsoft account website.
• Sign in with the Microsoft account you used on your PC.
• You will see the BitLocker recovery keys page after signing in.
  
• Since you do not have a Key ID to spot the Recovery key for the selected partition, you need to use all the 48-digit recovery keys one after another to unlock the drive.
• To unlock the partition using the recovery keys you got from your Microsoft account, press the Shift + F10 keys on your keyboard to open Command Prompt.
• Type the following command and press Enter.

  Manage-BDE -Unlock X: -RB 48-digit recovery key
  

  We have used X (after -Disable) to represent a volume. You need to replace it with the volume letter you want to unlock. Then, use the 48-digit recovery keys in place of the 48-digit recovery key text.

If you manage to get the correct recovery key, it will unlock the partition and let you install Windows.

Delete the Partition

If the issue is not fixed yet, the only way you can install Windows without seeing the error is to delete the partition. Deleting the partition creates unallocated space, which you can use to create a new partition and install Windows. Remember that the data you have stored on the partition will be lost.

To delete the partition and create a new partition,

• Select the BitLocker encrypted partition and click on the Delete button.
• It will show unallocated space. Select the unallocated space and click on the New button.
  

  

• Click on Apply to create a new partition out of the unallocated space.

Now, select the new partition and continue installing Windows.

Bypass BitLocker Encryption and Install Windows and Install Windows in the Partition You Select

You can install Windows on any partition you select, even if BitLocker encrypts it. You only need to have the recovery key for the selected partition, or you need to give up on the data you have stored on the partition, as you need to delete the partition and create a new one.

FAQs on BitLocker Drive Encryption

1. How do I disable BitLocker when installing Windows?

You can disable BitLocker from the Settings app, Control Panel, or using the Command Prompt. This should be temporary, as permanently disabling the control panel will lead to security issues on your drive and its partitions.

2. Can I install Windows on Drive with BitLocker?

You can install Windows on a drive or partition encrypted with BitLocker. But you need to suspend the BitLocker encryption temporarily in the Control panel or unlock it using the Control panel with the recovery keys backed up to your Microsoft account.

3. How to install Windows 11 without BitLocker?

Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions come with BitLocker encryption and options to temporarily disable or turn off the feature on a selected partition. Though Windows 11 Home edition does not have the BitLocker feature, it comes with Device encryption by default. It encrypts the drive and its volumes with BitLocker. Unlike the Pro and Enterprise editions, you cannot play with BitLocker in the Home edition. It is not possible to install Windows 11 without BitLocker.

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