Four Simple Ways to Open a BitLocker Drive on macOS
By default, you cannot open or read a drive encrypted with Windows BitLocker on Mac machine. If you try to insert a BitLocker-enabled drive to a Mac, the drive will not be readable and shows an error message like this:
The disk your inserted was not readable by this computer.
In fact, macOS does not offer a native way to open a BitLocker-protected drive as BitLocker encryption is specifically designed for Windows devices.
However, there are several workarounds for accessing a BitLocker drive on a Mac. If you do some googling, you should come across many BitLocker reader software who are willing to get the job done, but not all of them can be trusted as some are not working on latest macOS Big Sur or contain malware that may damage the computer.
In this tutorial, we are going to show four simple ways on how to open a BitLocker drive on Mac.
Method 1: Create Windows 10 Instance with Boot Camp Assistant
Boot Camp does not help you open a BitLocker-encrypted file, but you can use it to install Windows on your Mac machine, which allows you to access BitLocker drive for free. The process is pretty simple and you can follow our guide below.
Step 1: Download Windows 10 ISO file from Microsoft’s Windows 10 download page.
Step 2: When you have Windows 10 ISO file on your Mac, launch Boot Camp Assistant app from Application folder and click Continue from the main menu.
Step 3: From here, you can adjust the size of the partition you want for Windows 10 installation. Or just leave everything default and hit the Install button.
Step 4: Enter your password and hit OK. Your Mac will reboot and you should see the Windows 10 login screen.
Step 5: Now, select your preferred language and hit Install Now. You are going through the initial setup of Windows 10 as you always do on your PC.
Step 6: Once it is done, you now can open BitLocker-encrypted drive without any restrictions.
This is probably the easiest way to open a BitLocker drive on a Mac without the need for third-party software. The only downside is that you need to install Windows 10 on a Mac partition and run through an initial setup that may take some time. And this could be a big issue if there is less free storage available on your Mac. Windows 10 takes at least 50 GB to make it working.
Method 2: Format BitLocker Drive and Open it on Mac
Though BitLocker drive is not accessible on a Mac, there are certain advanced operations that can be applied to the drive on Mac. This is done with the help of Disk Utility app.
If have already backed up everything that’s important on your BitLocker drive, then you can format it so that it is no longer protected by BitLocker. This approach only works for those who have their drive backup as it will remove everything on their selected drive.
In the following example, Kingston USB drive is encrypted by BitLocker and it is still seen in Disk Utility app. You can erase, restore or run a first aid to that USB drive.
Step 1: Open the Disk Utility on your Mac and you should see the BitLocker-protected drive on the left panel.
Step 2: From here, hit the Erase button and then select your preferred format type. exFAT or FAT is recommended if you want to use this drive on multiple computers.
Step 3: Now, click the Erase button and your drive will be formatted. Once it is done, your drive is now brand new.
This is not the recommended way to open BitLocker drive on Mac only if you have a backup of the whole drive. You can choose to format it in order to remove BitLocker restriction from the target drive. After that, so you can access it freely on a Mac.
Method 3: Open BitLocker Drive with UUByte BitLocker Geeker
UUByte BitLocker Geeker is a premium software for opening BitLocker drive on macOS. If you are going for a third-party option, then this is the best option out there. This app instantly opens a BitLocker drive for reading and writing purposes. It basically offers two options, including Unlock with Password and Unlock with Recovery Key. This guarantees a high level of success and won’t damage your data.
UUByte BitLocker Geeker comes with both a free trial and paid option. The free version is fully functional, giving you a glimpse of what’s coming in the premium version. Below is the software download link as well as detailed steps:
Step 1: Once you have the software installed on your Mac, you need to grant it full disk access. To do this, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy, then click the padlock at the left bottom to unlock it. From here, click on Full Disk Access and check the box next to BitLocker Geeker.
Step 2: Now, insert your BitLocker encrypted drive into your Mac and hit Ignore from the popup
Step 3: Open BitLocker Geeker on your Mac and locate your BitLocker drive from the list. After that, enter BitLocker password and hit the Mount button.
Step 4: Once the process is done, unmount the drive and you now can access your drive on Mac.
In short, UUByte BitLocker Geeker is a great tool that offers reliable, fast BitLocker unlocking service. If you are struggling to decrypt a BitLocker drive on your Mac, UUByte BitLocker Geeker is good to go.
Method 4: Unlock BitLocker Reader on Mac Using Hasleo BitLocker Anywhere
If you are in the market for a free third-party option, then you can try Hasleo BitLocker Anywhere. As the name suggests, the program allows you to decrypt any BitLocker-protected drive on a Mac machine. The best part is that it is free for all users. Of course, you can upgrade your plan to a Pro version that comes with more advanced features. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Once you have the app installed on your Mac machine, launch it and then right-click on the BitLocker-encrypted drive from the list.
Step 2: From here, select Mount Drive from the drop-down menu and then enter the password for your drive if it’s password protected.
Step 3: Now hit the Mount button and the app will start mounting your drive to unlock it. Once it is done, the drive should show up like a Mac’s native drive. You can access it without a restriction.
Hasleo BitLocker Anywhere is a great third-party option for those who want to access any BitLocker-encrypted drives or USB on a Mac machine. It now supports the latest macOS Big Sur, making it an ideal solution to unlock BitLocker drives on Mac.
The Bottom Line
BitLocker is a great security feature from Windows OS. As Mac owners, we’d love to see it on macOS some time in the future. Until then, the best way to open a BitLocker drive on a Mac is running Windows 10 in a Boot Camp partition. If you felt too complicated for Boot Camp solution, then UUByte BitLocker Geeker could be a good option if you want something that offers more advanced features without losing any data.
