Microsoft says hardware-accelerated BitLocker cuts CPU cycles used for encryption by an average of 70% compared with software BitLocker. That is a reduction in processor work—not a promise that every encrypted PC’s drive will be 70% faster. The feature moves encryption and decryption to a dedicated crypto engine in supported system-on-chip (SoC) hardware, and results depend on the PC’s configuration.
What hardware-accelerated BitLocker does
With software BitLocker, the main CPU performs the cryptographic work on storage input and output. In Microsoft’s new implementation, a dedicated crypto engine in the SoC handles that work before data reaches the NVMe drive. Where the SoC supports it, the bulk encryption key can also be hardware-protected, alongside the existing role of the TPM in protecting intermediate BitLocker keys.
This is an offload of BitLocker’s cryptographic work, not a general Windows switch that makes any encrypted drive faster. Microsoft says storage performance can approach unencrypted NVMe performance across common workloads, but it cautions that results vary by hardware configuration. Microsoft’s announcement describes the design and its limits.
Which PCs and configurations can use it?
Microsoft says the feature begins with the September 2025 Windows 11 24H2 update and Windows 11 25H2. Its initial named platform is Intel vPro devices featuring Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors. Microsoft says other vendors and platforms are planned, but the announcement does not provide a complete compatibility list or identify specific retail PC models.
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Windows version and processor branding alone are not enough to establish support. The SoC must provide the crypto-offload capability, and the drive, drivers, encryption method, and policy configuration must be compatible. Microsoft also notes existing support for UFS Inline Crypto Engine technology; the new SoC capabilities are described for current and future NVMe drives.
For supported NVMe devices paired with a capable SoC, Microsoft says BitLocker uses XTS-AES-256 by default when enabled—whether enablement is automatic, manual, policy-driven, or script-based—subject to exceptions. This default is not universal:
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- If a user or script selects an algorithm or key size the SoC does not support, hardware acceleration is not used. Microsoft gives AES-CBC-128 and AES-CBC-256 enterprise policy settings as examples that do not use this acceleration.
- FIPS policy can also prevent hardware acceleration, depending on whether the SoC reports the required certification.
- Microsoft described a planned early-spring update to change how some XTS key-size policies are handled for new BitLocker enablements. That announcement stated a plan; it does not establish that the update shipped. Microsoft said the change would not convert CBC settings to XTS.
Microsoft says offline-provisioned disks can use crypto offload when later used on compatible hardware with appropriate drivers and a matching algorithm and encryption method.
What the performance figures do—and do not—show
Microsoft reports an average 70% reduction in CPU cycles compared with software BitLocker. It says the lower CPU load can contribute to longer battery life, but the figure is not a universal storage-speed increase or a guaranteed battery-life improvement.
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Tom’s Hardware reported CrystalDiskMark figures shown in a Microsoft demo: single-thread sequential read speeds of 3,746 MB/s with hardware acceleration and 1,632 MB/s with software BitLocker; corresponding write speeds were 3,530 MB/s and 1,510 MB/s. These are demo results reported by Tom’s Hardware, not an independent test or an expected result for every PC. The Microsoft announcement also says part of its visual demo was accelerated for demonstration and actual times may vary. Tom’s Hardware’s report provides the figures and their context.
Microsoft’s figures describe reduced CPU work and performance on particular hardware and workloads. They do not establish independently replicated results across retail systems; the available sources do not provide that validation.
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How to check whether BitLocker is using the acceleration
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
- Run
manage-bde -status. - Find the Encryption Method field. Microsoft says the value Hardware accelerated indicates that the SoC’s crypto acceleration is in use.
This status check concerns the encryption method in use; it is not, by itself, a check of whether BitLocker protection is enabled. Microsoft says it is working to make the status readout clearer about which capabilities are active.
Automatic Device Encryption is a separate question. Microsoft’s OEM guidance says it starts during Windows out-of-box setup, but protection is armed after sign-in with a Microsoft account or Azure Active Directory account—not automatically for local accounts. Windows 11 24H2 also changed Auto-DE hardware requirements. Those Auto-DE rules do not establish compatibility with the new SoC crypto offload.
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How this differs from a self-encrypting drive
Microsoft’s older documentation describes Encrypted Hard Drives that perform full-disk encryption on the drive itself. That is distinct from the newly announced approach, which uses a crypto engine in the SoC and may hardware-protect the bulk key. Buying an NVMe SSD—or a self-encrypting drive—does not by itself enable this new BitLocker capability. See Microsoft’s separate BitLocker configuration documentation for the older Encrypted Hard Drive path.
What to verify before choosing a PC
If hardware-accelerated BitLocker matters for a purchase or deployment, verify the feature for the specific device rather than assuming support from a TPM 2.0 label, an NVMe drive, or processor branding alone. Microsoft’s initial named category is Intel vPro with Core Ultra Series 3; broader vendor support and specific retail model compatibility are not established in its announcement.
- Confirm the exact PC model is specified as supporting hardware-accelerated BitLocker.
- Check that its SoC, NVMe drive, and drivers support the feature together.
- For managed devices, confirm that encryption algorithm, key size, and FIPS or other enterprise policies do not disable offload.
- After enablement, use
manage-bde -statusand inspect the Encryption Method field.
Microsoft’s historical statement that BitLocker overhead has generally been kept within single-digit percentage points is a characterization of past experience, not a measurement of every Windows PC or of this new implementation.
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