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26 February 2024  John Weaver  Senior Program Developer
 

Summary
Encrypting a hard disk safeguards data by making it inaccessible without a key, while lost encrypted files can be retrieved using specialized recovery software post-decryption.



Table of contents

table iconI. How to decrypt encrypted hard drive on Windows and Mac?
table iconII. How to recover lost data from decrypted hard drive with Renee Undeleter?
table iconIII. Extension: Simple and easy-to-use hard disk encryption method
recover data from encrypted hard drive

I. How to decrypt encrypted hard drive on Windows and Mac?

1. Use file encryption certificate to decrypt (applicable to Windows)

Windows 10‘s Encrypting File System (EFS) allows for storing information in an encrypted format on the hard drive and controlling access. A file encryption certificate verifies identity when encrypting and decrypting files.
control panel, current account, Manage your file encryption certificates
If you have a file encryption certificate, you can easily decrypt your hard drive and access data on your hard drive normally. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the Windows computer, press the (Windows+R) key at the same time, then type (certmgr.msc) in the search box and press the (Enter) key to execute the command.
Run the certmgr msc command
Step 2: Select the (Trusted Publishers) option, then locate the (Action)-(All Tasks)-(Import) option in the top menu bar. Follow the certificate import wizard and upon completion, decrypt the hard disk partition using the certificate. Transfer all data to the new device for browsing and normal use.
certmgr menu action import
If you have not used the certificate function, you can also use the following method to decrypt the hard disk.

2. Use the Diskpart command to decrypt the encrypted hard disk (for Windows)

This method is equivalent to formatting the hard disk, clearing all data, rebuilding partitions, and assigning file systems. It is recommended to proceed with caution. Back up data if there is a password, then use this method to unencrypt the hard disk. Operation steps:
Step 1: Run the Windows computer, enter (Diskpart) in the “Search Box” in the lower left corner and open the application.
run diskpart
Step 2: Next, enter the following commands in sequence and press the (Enter) key. After the commands are executed, the encrypted hard disk can be successfully decrypted.

list disk

 (list all disks)

select disk 2

 (2 is the number of the hard disk, which can be judged according to the capacity)

clean

(Will clear the entire contents of the disk)

create partition primary

 (create primary partition)

format fs=ntfs quick

 (quickly format the hard disk to NTFS file system)

exit

 (quit)
diskpart command interface

3. Decrypt through security and privacy settings (for Mac)

If you want to decrypt the hard disk password on Mac, you can check the steps below.
Step 1: Turn on the Mac computer and find the (Security & Privacy) option in (System Preferences).
Security and Privacy, mac
Step 2: Select FileVault, click the “Click the lock to make changes” button in the lower left corner, then click Turn Off FileVault to decrypt, and finally click the “Click the lock to prevent further changes” button to prevent any additional changes.
Security and Privacy, mac, turn off fileVault
Step 3: After the decryption is complete, the page will appear “Disabled file safe with disk *****”.
The above are the three methods to unlock the encrypted hard disk password. After the hard disk is unencrypted, if you need to retrieve the lost data, you can use professional data recovery software to solve the problem. Here we recommend you to use Renee Undeleter . This software supports both Windows and Mac systems, and the operation is simple and effective.

II. How to recover lost data from decrypted hard drive with Renee Undeleter?

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is specialized software for restoring various data files. It can help retrieve lost data when important files are accidentally deleted, the recycle bin is emptied, or the disk/storage is formatted. The software includes four functional modules for file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery, and image creation, making it a convenient solution for all data loss problems that may occur during system use.
Hot Topic - ADsRenee Undeleter – Simple & Powerful Software for Data Recovery

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan;

Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

Supported devices SD card/USB/hard disk.

Free TrialFree TrialFree Trial 800 people have downloaded!

2. How to recover hard disk data with Renee Undeleter?

It is very simple to restore data with the help of Renee Undeleter. Here we take the Windows version as an example to explain. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter, select the (Whole Disk Scan) option on the main interface.
Note: Do not install on the disk that needs to restore data, so as not to cause data overwriting.
select whole disk scan to scan disk in renee undeleter
Data recovery function introduction:

Fast Partition Scan: Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.

Whole Parition Scan: Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.

Whole Disk Scan: Partition information can be analyzed and obtained, and the entire partition can be fully scanned.

Image Creation: A mirror can be created for a partition to back up the current partition state.

Step 2: Next, select the hard disk device to be scanned, and click (Next). Select (default setting) on the advanced setting interface.
select a disk to recover in renee undeleter
scanning the whole disk in renee undeleter
Step 3: The software will analyze the hard disk device and prompt you to select the partition you need to scan. You can choose the corresponding partition or scan all partitions. Preview and select the files you want to restore, then click the (Recover) button to restore them.
preview before recovery
undeleter preview docx
Step 4: Next, select the target folder, click (Browse) to select another disk to save the recovered files, and then click the (Recover) button to start the file recovery command, you just need to wait patiently.

III. Extension: Simple and easy-to-use hard disk encryption method

If you want to re-encrypt data in the device after successfully recovering data in the hard disk, you can use Renee SecureSilo. The software creates a virtual disk for encryption, allowing you to easily access and modify files without long wait times.
Renee SecureSilo – Encrypt Confidential Data

Encrypt files in seconds Encrypt files with virtual encrypted disk and whole process can be finished in 1 second.

User friendly Concise interface helps users master the software in short time.

High Security AES256 encryption algorithm helps Renee Seecure Silo encrypt files confidentially.

Encrypt any Data Support to encrypt images, videos, Office documents and software.

Overall Data Protection Solution Protect data in USB disk/hide/disguise files/ Password wallet.

Easy to use Few clicks for whole encryption process.

User friendly Concise interface helps users master the software in short time.

Encrypt any Data Support to encrypt images, videos, Office documents and software.

Free TrialFree Trial 800 users have downloaded and protect data!
Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee SecureSilo. In the pop-up interface, set a login master password for the software. (You will need to enter your password every time you log in)
set the login password for renee secure silo
Step 2: Click on the left (Encrypt Files), and then click the (Create Silo) button on the right to create a virtual disk.
create silo for encrypted disk
Step 3: After the virtual disk is created, set an open password for the virtual disk.
set a new password for the virtual disk in renee secure silo
Step 4: After the private disk password is created, select the size range of the disk, then click (Next), and wait for the creation to complete.
select a size range for the virtual disk in renee secure silo
Step 5: Next, you can put the files to be encrypted into the created virtual disk, and then close the virtual disk to complete the lock.
place sensitive file in silo about how to password protect a folder in windows 7
Step 6: After that, the user needs to enter the password to open the private disk. After the virtual disk is opened, you can see the contents of various encrypted files in the Windows file explorer.
open secure silo
Step 7: If the user needs to delete the private disk, open Renee SecureSilo, select the private disk on the encrypted file interface, then click (Edit Private Disk), select (Delete), if you have transferred important data in the private disk, please select (Yes) in the pop-up prompt box, and then (enter the password).
delete silo in renee securesilo