BitLocker settings

Timelines and exceptions · All guidance changes

Windows · Official Microsoft guidanceObserved changes retained

Observed content change

1 removed passage (about 20 words). The changed wording mentions dates and deadlines. Review the source to confirm the effect.

May need admin actionCheck the dates against your plans.

Date or deadline wording

RemovedConfigure BitLocker

~~[removed: Applies to: ✅ Windows 11, ✅ Windows 10, ✅ Windows Server 2025, ✅ Windows Server 2022, ✅ Windows Server 2019, ✅ Windows Server 2016]~~

Short quotes of Microsoft's changed wording from Microsoft source, © Microsoft Corporation. Read the page for the full text.

Read the current Microsoft source · Link to this observation · Compare any two versions

Sections to inspect

Configure BitLocker

Up to 12 section headings from retained before/after evidence. The current source may have changed again.

Why this was flagged

The changed words, with a few words around them, matched these rule categories: dates and deadlines. These matches identify subjects to assess; they do not establish a policy change or applicability.

Observation details · observed 13 Oct 00:39 UTC

Observed by ChangeIntel: 13 Oct 00:39 UTC
Source update metadata: 8 Oct 11:38 UTC
First observed on this installation: 8 Oct 23:45 UTC
Last successful check: today 01:38 UTC
Next check due: 27 Oct 01:38 UTC

Observation time is not publication time, and a comparison does not establish an effective date. Full source bodies are not published; this page holds generated summaries, section headings and, as the page's license allows, Microsoft's changed wording. A documentation edit does not confirm feature availability in an environment.

This is an earlier observation; review the latest in My radar.

Timeline

From the capture of 13 Oct 00:39 UTC · an earlier observation

37 undated sections
84 with conditions

Settings and overrides named on this page

Registry values, policies and cmdlets the source mentions, with the dated steps that name them. Read the source for the values to set.

RemovableDrivesExcludedFromEncryption
XTS-AES

Requirements, exceptions and scope

GuidanceException1 condition1 passage
Policy settings listException1 condition1 passage
Allow standard user encryptionRequirement1 passage
Choose drive encryption method and cipher strengthRequirementRecommendation2 passages
XTS-AES
Configure recovery password rotationRequirementException1 condition1 passage
Disable new DMA devices when this computer is lockedExceptionRecommendation4 conditions2 passages
Prevent memory overwrite on restartException1 condition1 passage
Provide the unique identifiers for your organizationRequirementExceptionScope2 conditions4 passages
Require device encryptionRequirementException10 conditions9 passages
Validate smart card certificate usage rule complianceRequirement4 conditions2 passages
Allow enhanced PINs for startupScopeRecommendation2 passages
Allow network unlock at startupRequirementRecommendation2 conditions2 passages
Allow Secure Boot for integrity validationException1 condition1 passage
Allow warning for other disk encryptionExceptionScope3 conditions3 passages
Choose how BitLocker-protected operating system drives can be recoveredRequirementExceptionScope6 conditions6 passages
Configure minimum PIN length for startupRequirementException6 conditions5 passages
Configure preboot recovery message and URLRequirementScopeRecommendation3 conditions3 passages
Configure TPM platform validation profile for BIOS-based firmware configurationsRequirementExceptionScope4 conditions2 passages
Configure TPM platform validation profile for native UEFI firmware configurationsRequirementExceptionScopeRecommendation8 conditions5 passages
Configure use of passwords for operating system drivesRequirementExceptionScope3 conditions4 passages
Disallow standard users from changing the PIN or passwordScope1 condition1 passage
Enable use of BitLocker authentication requiring preboot keyboard input on slatesRequirementExceptionRecommendation5 conditions6 passages
Enforce drive encryption type on operating system drivesException5 conditions2 passages
Require additional authentication at startupRequirementException16 conditions6 passages
Reset platform validation data after BitLocker recoveryRecommendation1 condition1 passage
Choose how BitLocker-protected fixed drives can be recoveredRequirementExceptionScope7 conditions7 passages
Configure use of passwords for fixed data drivesRequirementExceptionScope4 conditions5 passages
Deny write access to fixed drives not protected by BitLockerRequirementExceptionScope5 conditions4 passages
Enforce drive encryption type on fixed data drivesException5 conditions2 passages
BitLocker policy settingsScope1 passage
Choose how BitLocker-protected removable drives can be recoveredRequirementExceptionScope7 conditions7 passages
Configure use of passwords for removable data drivesRequirementExceptionScope4 conditions5 passages
Deny write access to removable drives not protected by BitLockerRequirementException2 conditions5 passages
Enforce drive encryption type on removable data drivesException5 conditions2 passages
Removable drives excluded from encryptionScope2 passages
RemovableDrivesExcludedFromEncryption
BitLocker and policy settings complianceException3 conditions1 passage
Configure and manage serversRequirement1 condition1 passage

Extracted automatically from Microsoft's wording. Confirm dates, conditions and whether they apply to you in the source before acting; a month or quarter is a window, not a day.

Observed history and review priority

Captured 13 Oct 00:39 UTC; extracted 22 Oct 18:57 UTC. Extractor: microsoft-1/9/d9863eb412f92fa5ec3a8ca32e2dd7cfe8095530f456ecb1866608d1166a435d.

Earlier unavailable versions and edits between checks are unknown. A missing statement requires review; it does not mean the policy was cancelled. Recovered historical statements are not original revision snapshots.

Retained observations · 3

Compact evidence remains available after full document bodies expire. Earlier extractions can have different vocabulary or capture limitations.

24 Oct 01:28 UTC · 123 candidates
13 Oct 00:39 UTC · 123 candidates
8 Oct 23:45 UTC · 120 candidates

Retained observations

24 Oct 01:28 UTC
Source metadata changed; retained article content is unchanged.
13 Oct 00:39 UTC · shown above
8 Oct 23:45 UTC
Baseline for retained history; no earlier retained text to compare.

What changed

First observed 18 Oct 2026

No field changes are shown for this selection.

Cite this recorded revision to keep the same title, summary, facts and links when the page changes.

A day selects the latest observation by the end of that UTC day; today's selection can change until midnight. History starts when this installation records it.