2 Proven Ways to Open BitLocker Encrypted USB Drive on Mac

Because your USB drive contains sensitive files, you encrypted it with BitLocker. But when you plug your BitLocker encrypted USB drive into a Mac, it won’t open. This is because BitLocker is a Windows-specific disk encryption feature and macOS doesn’t support it.

So what to do about it? You can certainly disable the BitLocker encryption on the USB drive from a Windows computer before plugging it into a Mac. But what if you don’t want to do that or don’t have a Windows computer nearby? Don’t worry, there are a few workarounds to open a BitLocker encrypted USB drive on a Mac. This article will walk you through how to do it.

Way 1: Open BitLocker-encrypted USB drive on Mac with iSumsoft BitLocker Reader For Mac

iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac is a software tool specially designed to unlock and open BitLocker encrypted USB drives on macOS. The tool allows you to safely and quickly unlock BitLocker encrypted USB drives on macOS with your BitLocker password or recovery key without disclosing or deleting any bit of data. Follow these steps.

Step 1: Install iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac.

Log in to your Mac and download the iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac from the iSumsoft website.

Run the downloaded .pkg file, and then follow the pop-up installer to install iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac on your machine.

Step 2: Allow iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac to access the disk.

• Open System Preferences, and then select Security & Privacy.
• Click the “Click the lock to make changes” option (if available), enter your login password for your current Mac account, and then click Unlock to allow security and privacy changes.
• Select the Privacy tab at the top, select Full Disk Access in the left pane, and then check the box next to the iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac app. This ensures that the app can successfully identify and unlock your BitLocker encrypted USB drive.

Step 3: Unlock and open the BitLocker encrypted USB drive.

Launch iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac and plug your BitLocker encrypted USB drive into your Mac.

iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac will automatically detect your BitLocker encrypted USB drive and display it on the interface. Select your BitLocker encrypted USB drive on the software, and then click the Unlock button at the top.

Enter the password for the BitLocker encrypted USB drive, and then click the Mount button. In addition to entering your BitLocker password, you can also select the “Use key file” option and click Open to import the BitLocker recovery key file to unlock the drive (if you have one).

After a few seconds, your BitLocker encrypted USB drive is successfully unlocked and displayed on your Mac desktop, and you can then open and use it as normal.

Way 2: Open BitLocker-encrypted USB drive on Mac by erasing

Another option to open a BitLocker encrypted USB drive on macOS is to erase it. This will erase all data on the USB drive, including BitLocker encryption, so that you can gain access. You can use this method if you don’t mind losing the existing files on the USB drive.

Step 1: Open the Disk Utility on your Mac, right-click the BitLocker-encrypted USB drive in the left pane, then select Erase from the context menu.

Step 2: Choose the name, format, and security options for the USB drive as needed, and then click Erase. Your macOS will start erasing your BitLocker encrypted USB drive, and when the process is complete, you can open and use the USB drive.

Conclusion

BitLocker is a common method used by Windows users to encrypt USB drives. However, macOS does not support BitLocker. This spells trouble for users who need to transfer data back and forth between Windows and macOS. Fortunately, tools like iSumsoft BitLocker Reader for Mac enable you to open and use BitLocker encrypted USB drives on a Mac just like you would on a Windows computer.