When you really need to keep your files safe and secure, you need encryption.
The Contenders
Choosing two encryption tools for this comparison wasnt easy.
Should we consider twosimilartools, or two of themost often-usedtools?
Dont worry, if your favorite encryption app or platform isnt included here, well get to you soon.
If youre looking to encrypt specific data and not everything on your PC, thats the way to go.
WhenI asked publiclywhat encryption tools people were using, Bitlocker made more than a few appearances.
VeraCrypt also supports full-disk encryption, including system disks.
If we had to make an early recommendation, wed say use both that way.
Lets run down some of the big differences.
TPM uses hardware to integrate encryption keys into your gear, and makes encryption and decryption transparent to you.
It also has its own issues, more on that later.
To that point, full-disk encryption is the easiest way to secure all of your data.
Bitlocker excels at this, which is the reason so many businesses enable it by default.
All that said, its not like VeraCrypt is hard to use.
Using it for full-disk encryption isnot a difficult process, but itismore involved than toggling a checkbox.
Like we mentioned though, VeraCrypt isnt perfect.
For its part, Bitlocker is no slouch.
Its not like its weakits just notasrobust.
Theres no way we can settle that debate here, andit came up the last time we discussed Bitlocker.
Then theres the question of whether or not TPM is secure.
Use Bitlocker for simple, full-disk encryption at the push of a button.
Either way, whatever you use, use something.
Encryption is easier to embrace now than its ever been.
