The main reason to encrypt a flash drive is to prevent unauthorized users from viewing the data stored on it. Because encryption has become such a popular and important security tool, both Windows and Mac now include built-in applications to encrypt storage devices. Many different flavors of encryption are available today - some more secure than others. If a user has the right encryption key, their device can unscramble the data into a usable format. Here, we'll talk about what they are and how to use them.Įncryption is the process of using a cryptographic algorithm to scramble your data into an unreadable form. While you can't unlock a USB drive with a thumbprint (yet), there are some simple and powerful encryption tools available to make your USB flash drive more secure. We use passwords and biometric scanners to protect our phones, our credit and debit cards, our computers and pretty much anything we'd rather not have people snooping through. Security is a critical part of living our digital lives in the 21st century.

Encrypting external drive