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

Wondering why is there a lock icon on the drive in File Explorer? The following article will explain what that icon is and how to remove the padlock icon from the drive in Windows 10.

Why is there a padlock icon on the drive in Windows 10?

Windows 10 has two built-in encryption features. The first one is BitLocker and it is only available for Pro and Enterprise users. The second one 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 are using Windows 10 Home, or if you’re sure you’re not using BitLocker, it’s because of the Device Encryption feature.

The lock icon on the drive
The lock icon on the drive

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

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

If you are not using BitLocker and do not want to use the Device Encryption feature, follow the steps below to disable Device Encryption and remove the lock icon from the drive in Windows 10.

How to remove the lock icon on the drive in Windows 10

To delete the lock icon on the drives in Windows 10, you must turn off the Device Encryption feature Here’s how:

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1. Open the Settings app in Windows 10.

2. Click “Update & Security”.

3. Select “Device Encryption” on the sidebar.

Select “Device Encryption” on the sidebar
Select “Device Encryption” on the sidebar

4. Click “Turn off” on the right panel. As soon as you click this button, Windows 10 turns off Device Encryption and automatically decrypts all encrypted drives. The decoding process will take a while to complete. You can use the normal system 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 a padlock icon on the drives in Windows 10.

The lock icon is removed from the drive
The lock icon is removed from the drive

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

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