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How to Re-Lock a Bitlocker Encrypted Drive without Restarting Computer
If you have Bitlocker encrypted drives you know when you start your PC they are locked and you must use your password or Key to unlock them. But what do you do if you want to re-lock the Bitlocker drive? Normally, you'd have to re-start you computer which could be a pain if you just want to lock the drive while you are away from your PC or if you let another user use your computer and you do not want them to have access to that drive.
This small tutorial will show you how to re-lock a Bitlocker encrypted drive without restarting your computer. Here's how:
First, you want to open the command prompt with administrator abilities.
1) Go to start->Run then type in cmd and press the OK button (or you can go to Start and type cmd in the search box. When cmd.exe pops up in the list, right-click it and choose "Run as Administrator")
2) Once you have the command window open, type manage-bde <driveletter> -lock (where <driveletter> is the letter of the Bitlocker drive you wish to lock).
For Example, manage-bde E: -lock
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3) Press enter
If successful, you'll get a message stating that the selected drive is now locked.
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That's all there is to it. It's a very simple command and can save you from restarting your PC when you just want to re-lock a Bitlocker encrypted drive.
