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Microsoft has admitted that turning on BitLocker on PCs with NVMe SSDs can have a noticeable efficiency influence, however it doesn’t essentially imply that each PC with BitLocker is hurting the efficiency of your apps or video games. In truth, typically, efficiency value is barely seen.
According to Microsoft, traditionally, BitLocker’s overhead was “single digit” % more often than not, and solely in sure situations.
We care about these numbers as a result of BitLocker was once an non-compulsory function, however when Windows 11 24H2 shipped, Microsoft made BitLocker a default function on newer PCs or clear installs. BitLocker will not be turned on while you improve from Windows 11 23H2 to 24H2.
In a support document, Microsoft argues that BitLocker is a “valuable” function in case your machine is misplaced or stolen. That’s as a result of BitLocker encrypts your drives and protects your information.
According to Microsoft, BitLocker comes at the price of efficiency, particularly when you’ve got a type of newer, highly effective NVMe SSDs with greater I/O cycles, because it leads to elevated CPU utilization for decryption.
Microsoft argues that NVMe drives have considerably improved, and drives now have greater I/O per second. While it’s factor for efficiency, greater I/O per second additionally implies that the CPU must spend a noticeable chunk of time simply doing BitLocker’s AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) crypto to maintain up with all these reads or writes.
All of that results in a better proportion of CPU cycles when BitLocker is turned on, and it’s extra noticeable in heavy I/O conditions, resembling gaming.
“While this is a major benefit for users, it also means that any additional processing — such as real-time encryption and decryption by BitLocker — can become a bottleneck if not properly optimized,” Microsoft famous in a support document.
To put it merely, there’ll be greater CPU cycles mechanically while you’re performing drive-intensive duties that require greater learn and write. For instance, you’ll discover elevated CPU utilization when:
Or related “resource-intensive” actions on NVMe drives when BitLocker is turned on. However, there’s a workaround, which requires newer PCs that assist the “hardware-accelerated BitLocker” function.
In Windows 11 KB5065426 (26100.6584 26200.6584) or newer, Microsoft turned on the hardware-accelerated BitLocker function in Windows 11. With this function, Microsoft states that the crypto work is offloaded from the CPU to a devoted crypto engine on the SoC CPU, and keys could be hardware-protected.
It’s unclear if present CPUs assist hardware-accelerated BitLocker, however Microsoft particularly says the function requires “upcoming” SoC/CPU capabilities for NVMe after which says Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) would be the first to assist it, with different distributors deliberate.
This function leads to lowered CPU utilization and improved battery life, however the one catch is that it requires {hardware} that’s supported.
“BitLocker will take advantage of upcoming system on chip (SoC) and central processing unit (CPU) capabilities to achieve better performance and security for current and future NVMe drives,” Microsoft famous.
Microsoft shared some benchmarks to match the earlier than and after efficiency utilizing CrystalDiskMark. This is essentially the most important a part of the check, exhibiting the influence of encryption on drive velocity. While sequential learn or write speeds stay largely unaffected, the distinction in random enter/output operations is important.
Device A: Software BitLocker
Device B: Hardware-Accelerated BitLocker
Now, let’s check out how hardware-based BitLocker compares in opposition to software-based BitLocker when the machine is operating Windows 11:
| Metric | Device A (MB/s) | Device B (MB/s) | Difference |
| SEQ1M Q8T1 (Read) | 6598.58 | 6637.36 | Negligible (+0.6%) |
| SEQ1M Q8T1 (Write) | 4925.73 | 4956.20 | Negligible (+0.6%) |
| RND4K Q32T1 (Read) | 1632.52 | 3746.55 | Device B is 2.3x Faster |
| RND4K Q32T1 (Write) | 1513.43 | 3530.82 | Device B is 2.3x Faster |
| RND4K Q1T1 (Read) | 513.95 | 714.39 | Device B is 40% Faster |
| RND4K Q1T1 (Write) | 304.89 | 652.45 | Device B is 2.1x Faster |
While giant file transfers stay related between the 2 configurations, Hardware Acceleration considerably improves Random 4K efficiency (small file operations).
Device B doubled the velocity in most random write or learn eventualities in comparison with software program encryption.
In this check, Microsoft has two PCs with the very same {hardware} specs. Device A makes use of the prevailing software-based BitLocker, and Device B makes use of hardware-based BitLocker. Microsoft shared a video that exhibits the benchmark in motion:
Microsoft additionally discovered that storage efficiency improves, together with I/O metrics, while you use hardware-accelerated BitLocker over software-accelerated.
After turning on hardware-accelerated BitLocker, early assessments confirmed that CPU cycles have been lowered by over 70%, which additionally helps with longer battery life.
Windows 11 efficiency continues to be marginally higher when BitLocker is totally disabled, however while you change to a hardware-based strategy, BitLocker will not be going to be a efficiency value for almost all of customers.
You have to run manage-bde -status in Command Prompt (admin) to confirm the underlying know-how getting used in your PCs.
As noticed within the manage-bde -status command output:
| Feature | Device A (Software BitLocker) | Device B (Hardware-Accelerated) |
| BitLocker Version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Conversion Status | Encryption in Progress | Encryption in Progress |
| Percentage Encrypted | 97.5% | 97.5% |
| Encryption Method | XTS-AES 256 | XTS-AES 256 (Hardware accelerated) |
| Protection Status | Protection Off | Protection Off |
In this case, Device A makes use of customary Software BitLocker, whereas Device B makes use of the brand new Hardware-Accelerated BitLocker.
Windows 11 doesn’t provide you with a toggle that flips the encryption to hardware-based know-how from the present software-based strategy. If your pc helps this function, and also you’ve put in latest Windows updates launched after September 2025, hardware-accelerated BitLocker shall be used mechanically.
You can confirm the standing utilizing manage-bde -status command.
Possible {hardware} necessities for hardware-accelerated BitLocker:
Microsoft plans to share extra particulars sooner or later.
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