The formatting will take some time, but after it is done, you will be able to move all your files back to your external hard drive. For example, if you typically accessed your drive as 'F' you won't be able to use 'F' for your drive anymore. Proceed with the formatting and encryption and then select the drive letter you want to mount your external hard drive is you can choose any available letter, but this is done because, after formatting, you will not be able to access with the letter you used before. Make sure that it's something that you remember, or make a note of it somewhere safely, because if you forget your password you will not be able to access the drive at all. If you are asked what type of volume to make, select any 'non-system partition' option since your external hard drive is not part of your computer.Ĭhoose the password you want for access to this drive. For example, if your external hard drive is 'F:/' you will want to create a new volume on your 'F' drive.

The volume needs to be created on this device. Each encryption program will show you a list of all devices connected to your computer, so select the drive that corresponds with your external hard drive. Open your encryption program and select the option to create a new volume. At this point, move everything you want to save from your external hard drive onto your computer the encryption process involves formatting your drive, which results in wiping all data from it, so saving your data is extremely important.

Your encryption program needs to be able to read it to encrypt it. Plug in your external hard drive to your computer and wait for your computer to detect it.

External drive password protection