Sharing a Windows PC? Why you should disable EFS before it’s too late

Windows’ Encrypted File System (EFS for short) is showing its age. Although it’s still very easy to use – just right-click on a file or folder and select Properties > Advanced > Encrypt contents to protect data – the risk of losing the decryption key is still pretty high.

Unlike BitLocker, which encrypts an entire drive, EFS is designed to protect individual files and folders. This can be useful in some situations, but it also means that users may not always be aware of which data they have encrypted.

That’s why most folks switched to alternatives like BitLocker, which comes with Windows, or VeraCrypt. The danger with using EFS is that you might encrypt important data, then delete your account and forget to backup the key beforehand.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to decrypt data again after that. Especially on company PCs or computers used by multiple people. That’s why we recommend you disable the use of EFS. It reduces the risk of inadvertently encrypting files that could become inaccessible later. Before doing that though, you should check if your files are already encrypted.