How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (2024)

Decryption can be done in three ways:

  1. Local Method: When logging into the encrypted machine using the Symantec Endpoint Encryption Client Admin and opening the Client Console the option to decrypt the machine can be done manually.
  2. Server Commands Method: Provides the ability for an administrator to right-click a machine from the SEE Management Console and decrypt specific machines remotely.
  3. Remote/Policy Method: Create a GPO policy or SEE Native policy, and apply it to all the machines which are in the location in the Symantec Endpoint Encryption Manager. The remote decryption policy is used by policy administrators to decrypt all encrypted disk partitions on computers protected by Symantec Endpoint Encryption-Full Disk without having to physically send a client administrator to the location(s) of the computers.

Local Method

TIP: Make sure the system is plugged into AC power in order to encrypt or decrypt systems.

1. First open the Symantec Endpoint Encryption Client Administrator from the Start menu:

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (1)

Confirm the User Account Control dialog to permit the SEE Client Administrator to open.

2. Enter the credentials for the SEE Client Administrator:

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (2)

3. Click the Internal Drives tab to see the disks available. On the right side, click the chevron expansion symbol How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (3)to show all the disks.

Next, check the box next to the drive you wish to decrypt, and click "Decrypt":

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (4)

Important tip: If you have multiple disks, such as a C: (boot) drive and a D: (data) drive, decrypt the D drive first:

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (5)

4. The disk show now be decrypting:

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (6)

Server Commands Method to Decrypt a machine

WARNING: This is a highly sensitive setting and could result in all your machines being decrypted unintentionally. Do NOT modify any existing policies with this setting. Symantec recommends instead to decrypt systems on an as-needed basis using the local method.

In order to decrypt a system via the server commands, login go the SEE Management Console, find the machine using the Computer Status Report, right click the machine and select the option to decrypt:

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (7)

Once a machine is decrypting it is not possible to reverse the process so proceed with extreme caution.

Using a Decryption Policy via GPO or SEE Native policy

WARNING: This is a highly sensitive setting and could result in all your machines being decrypted unintentionally. Do NOT modify any existing policies with this setting. It is always recommended to create separate SEE Native policy and assign designated machines to this policy for the sole purpose of decrypting. Symantec recommends instead to decrypt systems on an as-needed basis using the local method. If that is not possible, using the Server Commands and decrypting a single machine is then recommended. This option should be used only when using extreme caution.


Using the SEE Native policy, it is highly recommended to create a separate group to assign machines to for the sole purpose of decrypting.

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (8)

Using a Remote Decryption policy to decrypt machines

WARNING: This is a highly sensitive setting and could result in all your machines being decrypted unintentionally. Do NOT modify any existing policies with this setting. It is always recommended to create separate GPO and assign machines to this GPO for the sole purpose of decrypting. Symantec recommends instead to decrypt systems on an as-needed basis using the local method. If that is not possible, using the Server Commands and decrypting a single machine is then recommended. This option should be used only when using extreme caution.

  1. Right-click Group Policy Objects on the navigation tree.
  2. Click New. The New GPO (Group Policy Object Editor) window displays.
  3. Type the name of the Group Policy Object you wish to create.
  4. Click OK. The new Group Policy Object you created is displayed in the navigation tree.
  5. Right-click the new Group Policy Object on the navigation tree.
  6. Click Edit. The Group Policy Object Editor (GPOE) displays.
  7. Click Software Settings, Symantec Endpoint Encryption, Drive Encryption, Remote Decryption.
  8. Select the Change this Setting option.
  9. Select Decrypt all disk partitions.
  10. Click Save.
  11. Close the GPOE window.
  12. Drag and drop to linkthe policy to the target location containing the computers you wish to decrypt.
  13. Restart the computers receiving this computer policy to cause it to take effect.
  14. Monitor decryption progress using the Client Monitor.

    Warning: Although decryption of all disk partitions begins immediately after the remote decryption policy has been processed on the client computer, remote decryption is a computer policy which is only processed at boot time.

How to Decrypt a Drive with Symantec Endpoint Encryption (2024)

FAQs

How do I bypass Symantec Endpoint encryption? ›

Click Start>Run, type cmd in the text field and click OK. The Windows command prompt screen appears. At the command prompt, type pgpwde --add-bypass --admin-authorization --disk 0 and press Enter.

How do I decrypt my external hard drive? ›

To delete your Encryption folder:
  1. Click My Drives in the Command panel.
  2. Select your drive.
  3. Click Security in the Command panel. ...
  4. Click Encryption. ...
  5. Click Delete Encryption folder. ...
  6. Click Open Encryption folder, decrypt and save files and folders stored in the Encryption folder, and close the Encryption folder.

How do I decrypt a drive without BitLocker? ›

How to Unlock BitLocker Without Password?
  1. Double-click the drive to bring up the password window, or right-click on it and select Unlock Drive.
  2. Click More Options.
  3. In the opened box, you will see two options. ...
  4. To unlock BitLocker, copy the code you previously saved to a text file and enter it as the recovery key.

Can you open an encrypted hard drive? ›

You simply need a password to decrypt it and software to recover the data. However, in case, if you have forgotten the password, don?t panic, there are options to unlock it. And, once you have unlocked it, you can easily restore the data using a secure data recovery software: Stellar Data Recovery- Standard.

How to decrypt Symantec Endpoint encryption without password? ›

Click Software Settings, Symantec Endpoint Encryption, Drive Encryption, Remote Decryption. Select the Change this Setting option. Select Decrypt all disk partitions. Click Save.

How do I disable Symantec Endpoint Protection without password? ›

Use the following to disable password and remove the product.
  1. Open the registry.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\SMC.
  3. Change the value for SmcGuiHasPassword from 1 to 0.
  4. Restart the SMC service.
Sep 12, 2012

How do I recover data from Symantec encrypted hard drive? ›

The Recovery Process Steps Summary:
  1. Contact your internal help desk for assistance.
  2. Contact Symantec Technical Support for assistance.
  3. Run “Recover /a”.
  4. Run the SEE Hard Disk Access utility and back up any data.
  5. Perform a Hard Drive consistency check.
  6. Perform a hard drive backup using a “sector by sector” copy method.
Nov 25, 2022

How do I remove endpoint encryption for files and folders? ›

1
  1. Click the McAfee icon.
  2. on your taskbar, then select Manage Features | Endpoint Encryption for Files and. Folders. ...
  3. 2 In the left pane, click Delete key. The Welcome to the Delete Key wizard appears. ...
  4. 4 From the Key name drop-down list, select the required key, then click Next.

Can you decrypt PGP without key? ›

The encrypted document can only be decrypted by someone with a private key that complements one of the recipients' public keys. In particular, you cannot decrypt a document encrypted by you unless you included your own public key in the recipient list. To decrypt a message the option --decrypt is used.

What is needed to decrypt a PGP file? ›

Decrypt a PGP Zip file
  1. Right click the file to be decrypted.
  2. Point to PGP Zip, and then click Decrypt & Verify.
  3. Enter the passphrase of your key and click OK.
  4. The decrypted file will then be saved in the same location as the encrypted file.
Aug 17, 2012

Can you be forced to decrypt a hard drive? ›

And when there is no testimony, the protection of the Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination clause is not available. Prosecutors with specific information about the existence and location of files on encrypted hard drives are more likely to convince a court to order a suspect to decrypt them.

How do I open an undetectable external hard drive? ›

Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to remedy the situation, before you declare everything has been lost.
  1. Make Sure It's Plugged In and Powered On. ...
  2. Reboot Your Computer. ...
  3. Try Another Cable, Port, or PC. ...
  4. Update Your Drivers. ...
  5. Enable and Format the Drive in Disk Management. ...
  6. Clean the Disk and Start From Scratch.

Does turning off BitLocker decrypt the drive? ›

if you you disable Bitlocker Drive Encryption the files stored on the drive are not encrypted anymore.

How do I unencrypt a hard drive with BitLocker? ›

Turn on standard BitLocker encryption

In the search box on the taskbar, type Manage BitLocker and then select it from the list of results. Or, select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption > BitLocker drive encryption. Note: You'll only see this option if BitLocker is available for your device.

How do I unlock BitLocker encrypted drive without password and recovery key? ›

There is no way to bypass the BitLocker recovery key when you want to unlock a BitLocker encrypted drive without a password. However, you can reformat the drive to remove the encryption, which needs no password or recovery key.

Can BitLocker be decrypted? ›

Computers encrypted with BitLocker cannot be decrypted automatically. Decryption can be carried out using either the BitLocker Drive Encryption item in the Control Panel or the Microsoft command-line tool "manage-bde".

How long does it take to unencrypt a hard drive? ›

So how long will encryption take?
New disk1-5 minutes
1 TB / 300 GB used10 hours
2 TB / 1.5 TB used50 hours

How do I unlock an encrypted drive in Windows 10? ›

Unlocking Bitlocker using a Recovery Key File

To unlock their drives, users must open “This PC” (or “My Computer”, depending on the version of Windows), right click on the encrypted drive icons with the locked yellow padlock icon, click "Unlock Drive" and provide the Password.

How do I unlock encrypted files? ›

If you have used EFS or a third-party software to encrypt a file, you may be able to unlock it using its file properties. Right-click the file in File Explorer, select Advanced and then clear the Encrypt Contents to Secure Data check box. If this does not work, contact the software provider.

Is it possible to decrypt without the key? ›

The answer to how to decrypt encrypted files without key is you can't. The only proven safe "encryption" is a one-time pad but that's very impractical... I'm going to save you the long, technical story. You have probably heard of some real world encryption algorithms: RSA, AES, RC4, etc.

What is the default password for Symantec Endpoint Protection? ›

The default username and password for the Endpoint Protector Reporting and Administration Tool after setup is username "root" and "epp2011" is the password.

Is it possible to decrypt a encrypted password? ›

Encrypted password cannot be decrypted. But we can able to validate the password. with plain text(entered password) and return Boolean value.

How do I unlock the administrator account in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager? ›

resets the lockout interval to 15 minutes.
  1. To unlock an administrator's account after too many logon attempts.
  2. In the console, click. Admin. > Administrators. ...
  3. Under. Administrators. , select the administrator account that is locked.
  4. Under. Tasks. , click. Edit the administrator. ...
  5. On the. General. tab, uncheck.
Nov 11, 2022

How do I reset my Symantec desktop encryption? ›

  1. Open Symantec Encryption Desktop.
  2. Click on Tools >> Options.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.
  4. Click the Reset Key button to reset your key.
  5. The "Welcome to the PGP Key Setup Assistant" will appear.
  6. Follow the steps on the screen to change the Key mode.
Jan 12, 2022

How do I extract encrypted data? ›

Right-click on the encrypted file and select Properties. In the General tab, select Advanced. Now, uncheck the Encrypt contents to secure data radio box and click on OK. You'll see another dialog box asking if you want to Apply changes to this folder or Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files.

How to decrypt encrypted files without certificate in Windows 10? ›

You can follow the steps below to decrypt a file on Windows 10:
  1. Select "Programs or All Programs" under the start menu, click "Accessories", and then choose "Windows Explorer".
  2. Right-click the file you want to decrypt, and click "Properties".
  3. Click "Advanced".
  4. Clear the Encrypt contents and then click "OK".
Nov 15, 2022

How do I decrypt BitLocker? ›

In the policy window, select Data Encryption → Full Disk Encryption. In the Encryption technology drop-down list, select BitLocker Drive Encryption. In the Encryption mode drop-down list, select Decrypt all hard drives. Save your changes.

How do I change an encrypted file to a normal file? ›

To decrypt a file or folder:
  1. From the Start menu, select Programs or All Programs, then Accessories, and then Windows Explorer.
  2. Right-click the file or folder you want to decrypt, and then click Properties.
  3. On the General tab, click Advanced.
  4. Clear the Encrypt contents to secure data checkbox, and then click OK.
Jan 18, 2018

How do I remove endpoint protection from my external hard drive? ›

Disabling Symantec Endpoint Protection
  1. Navigate to the Start menu.
  2. In the search box type in Run or Win R.
  3. In the Run menu, type in "Smc -stop" and click Ok.
  4. Symantec Endpoint Protection should now be disabled.
Jan 28, 2018

How do I manually decrypt a file? ›

Manually decrypting selected files

Right-click on the file to be decrypted. From the menu options, click Properties. On the Properties page, click Advanced (located just above OK and Cancel). Uncheck the box for the option, Encrypt contents to secure data.

How do I get my decryption private key? ›

To decrypt the private key from the Graphical User Interface (GUI), complete the following procedure:
  1. Select the SSL node from the Configuration utility.
  2. Click the OpenSSL interface link, as shown in the following screen shot: ...
  3. Enter the password for the key <PEM passphrase> that you have entered while creating the key.

Can PGP encryption be cracked? ›

The answer to this question is: Yes. It is possible to crack the public key encryption algorithm.

How can I decrypt data quickly? ›

How to get Decrypted Data in Destiny 2
  1. Complete certain Season of the Splicer storyline quests.
  2. Complete Seasonal Challenges.
  3. Open Conflux Chests in Override (this seasonal activity requires the season pass)
  4. Reach certain levels in the season pass.
Jun 2, 2021

What are two main types of encryption decryption? ›

There are two types of encryption in widespread use today: symmetric and asymmetric encryption. The name derives from whether or not the same key is used for encryption and decryption.

Which should be used first to decrypt in PGP? ›

Explanation: The two algorithms used for public key encryption in PGP are RSA and Diffie-Hellman algorithms. 12. Which should be used first to decrypt? Explanation: The recipient should first decrypt the message using private key and then with the public key.

Is decrypting a 256 bit key Impossible? ›

256-bit encryption is refers to the length of the encryption key used to encrypt a data stream or file. A hacker or cracker will require 2256 different combinations to break a 256-bit encrypted message, which is virtually impossible to be broken by even the fastest computers.

How long does it take to decrypt a drive with BitLocker? ›

Disabling BitLocker

NOTE: Decryption can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the amount of data that has been encrypted, the speed of the computer, and whether the process is interrupted by the computer being powered off or going to sleep.

How do I access an inaccessible hard drive? ›

To resolve this issue, go to the Windows Explorer and follow the below mentioned steps:
  1. Right-click on the inaccessible hard drive.
  2. Click Properties.
  3. Go to the Security tab, and then click Advanced.
  4. Click ? Edit? by going to the Owner tab.
  5. Modify the ownership of the desired account.
Jan 6, 2023

How do I recover data from a hard drive that is not detecting? ›

Here's a lst of pro tips on how you can fix your Hard Drive, which is not being detected by your Windows PC.
  1. Try Plugging in the Hard Drive into another USB port. ...
  2. Try Connecting the External Hard Drive to Another Computer. ...
  3. Create a New Volume to the Unallocated Partition. ...
  4. Update Disk Drivers. ...
  5. Assign a Drive Letter.
Jan 6, 2023

What can I do if HDD is not detected? ›

To check to see if this is the cause of the BIOS not detecting the hard drive, follow these steps:
  1. Power off the computer.
  2. Open the computer case and remove the data cable from the hard drive. This will stop any power saving commands from being sent.
  3. Turn on the system. Check to see if the hard drive is spinning.

Can an encrypted hard drive be decrypted? ›

Can you decrypt a hard drive? Yes, the hard drive can be decrypted as long as you have the correct password. In addition, you need to ensure that the hard drive must not be corrupt for you to decrypt it.

How do I know when BitLocker is done decrypting? ›

If you want to check out the used algorithm or if BitLocker is currently encrypting or decrypting your files, you need a Command Prompt line.
  1. In the Start menu search bar, search for command prompt and select Run as administrator.
  2. Type manage-bde -status to check the status for all drives.
  3. Press Enter.
Oct 27, 2021

How do I unencrypt a drive in Windows 10? ›

Turn on device encryption
  1. Sign in to Windows with an administrator account (you may have to sign out and back in to switch accounts). For more info, see Create a local or administrator account in Windows.
  2. Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption. ...
  3. If Device encryption is turned off, turn it On.

How do I decrypt a hard drive without a password? ›

▶ Solution 1. Unlock BitLocker encrypted drive from command prompt
  1. Hit Win+R key, then type diskpart and press Enter.
  2. Then input these commands below in turn: ◆ list disk. ◆ ...
  3. Type exit to close window. This will wipe all the data on the encrypted hard drive. Then you could create new partition on that drive again.
Dec 6, 2022

Can a BitLocker drive be decrypted? ›

Computers encrypted with BitLocker cannot be decrypted automatically. Decryption can be carried out using either the BitLocker Drive Encryption item in the Control Panel or the Microsoft command-line tool "manage-bde".

Which key is used for decryption? ›

Data encrypted with one key are decrypted only with the other key in the public/private key pair. When an asymmetric key pair is generated, the public key is typically used to encrypt, and the private key is typically used to decrypt.

What are two ways to decrypt a file? ›

To decrypt a single file, run the command cipher /d "full path to the file". To decrypt a folder, type the following command: cipher / d "full path to the folder". To decrypt a folder that contains subfolders and files, type: cipher /d / s: "full path to the folder."

How do I unlock a password protected hard drive? ›

Unlock Hard Drive Password Protected File
  1. Step 1: Select Properties. Right click on the file you wish to access. ...
  2. Step 2: Select Security. Select Security. ...
  3. Step 3: Select Advance. Select Advance.
  4. Step 4: Select Owner. Select Owner. ...
  5. Step 5: Security Message. ...
  6. Step 6: Select Ok. ...
  7. 5 Comments.

Where is the lost 48 digit BitLocker recovery key? ›

In your Microsoft account: Open a web browser on another device and Sign in to your Microsoft account to find your recovery key. This is the most likely place to find your recovery key. Tip: You can sign into your Microsoft account on any device with internet access, such as a smartphone.

How long does it take for BitLocker to decrypt a drive? ›

NOTE: Decryption can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the amount of data that has been encrypted, the speed of the computer, and whether the process is interrupted by the computer being turned off or going to sleep.

How long does it take to decrypt a hard drive? ›

The average time for encrypting/decrypting 3mb file is about 1.5 sec. It can be different when you work with streams and takes like 1 sec or even less.

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