so this happened — i tried turning on bitlocker on my windows 10 pro laptop, but i got this weird error about TPM. it said something like “This device can’t use a Trusted Platform Module. Your admin has to set the ‘Allow bitlocker without a compatible TPM’ option in the ‘Require additional authentication at startup’ setting”.
what’s TPM? do i just… not have it?
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Participant
7 months ago
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Well, that’s a pretty common message when your device either doesn’t have a TPM chip or it’s turned off.
TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module. It’s basically a small hardware component that helps store encryption keys securely, which bitlocker prefers to use.
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Participant
7 months ago
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huh okay. so if my laptop doesn’t have TPM, i’m just out of luck? no bitlocker for me?
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Participant
7 months ago
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Not exactly—there’s a workaround! Just to clarify, Tpm isn’t limited to specific models; most modern devices, particularly those released in recent years, should have it. If your laptop doesn’t have Tpm, you can still enable BitLocker, but you’ll need to tweak a setting in the Group policy editor.
Just do this:
- Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, hit Enter.
- Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > BitLocker Drive Encryption > Operating System Drives.
- Find Require additional authentication at startup, double-click it.
- Set it to Enabled, and make sure you check the box that says Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM.
Apply, close out, and then try enabling BitLocker again. Should work!
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Participant
7 months ago
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I’ll give this a shot—thanks a ton!
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