Bitlocker: Prevent Drive Locking

TL;DR

Bitlocker can lock your drive when it goes into standby or you switch users. This guide shows how to prevent this by adjusting power settings and group policy.

Prevent Bitlocker Drive Locking on Standby/User Switch

1. Understand the Problem: Bitlocker locks a drive for security reasons when it’s not actively in use, especially after periods of inactivity or user switching. This is normal behaviour but can be annoying.

2. Check Power Settings: The most common cause is aggressive power saving settings.
   • Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options.
   • Select your current power plan (e.g., Balanced, High Performance).
   • Click Change plan settings.
   • Click Change advanced power settings.
   • Expand Hard disk → Turn off hard disk after. Set both ‘On battery’ and ‘Plugged in’ to a very high value (e.g., Never) or a long time period.
   • Expand Sleep → Allow wake timers. Set this to Enable.
   • Click Apply then OK.
3. Group Policy Editor (Windows Pro, Enterprise, Education): If power settings don’t fix it, Group Policy might be overriding them.
   • Press Win + R, type

     gpedit.msc

     , and press Enter.

   • Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Power Management → Sleep Settings.
   • Double-click Turn off hard disk after inactivity (specify time in minutes).
   • Set it to Not Configured or a very high value.
   • Double-click Allow wake timers and set it to Enabled.
   • Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Power Management → Sleep Settings → Plugged in.
   • Double-click Turn off hard disk after inactivity (specify time in minutes) and set it to Not Configured or a very high value.
   • Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Power Management → Sleep Settings → Battery.
   • Double-click Turn off hard disk after inactivity (specify time in minutes) and set it to Not Configured or a very high value.
   • Click Apply then OK on each setting.
4. Registry Editor (Advanced – Use with Caution): If Group Policy isn’t available, you can try the registry.
   • Press Win + R, type

     regedit

     , and press Enter.

   • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPowerPowerSettings238C9FA8-0AAD-41ED-83F4-97BE242C6A DA
   • Double-click DCSettingDefault and change the value data to a high number (e.g., 0 for never). The base should be Decimal.
   • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPowerPowerSettings5ca83367-6e45-459f-a27b-476b1d01c936
   • Double-click DCSettingDefault and change the value data to a high number (e.g., 0 for never). The base should be Decimal.
   • Restart your computer.
5. Check Fast Startup: Fast Startup can sometimes interfere with Bitlocker.
   • Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options.
   • Click Choose what the power buttons do.
   • If available, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended). You may need to click ‘Change settings that are currently unavailable’ to see this option.
   • Click Save changes.
6. Cyber security Considerations: While disabling locking improves convenience, it reduces cyber security. Consider the risk before making these changes.