VeraCrypt for Windows

• Encrypted container files that mount as virtual drives
• Full-disk and system-partition encryption on Windows with pre-boot authentication
• AES, Serpent, Twofish, and cascaded cipher options
• Hidden volumes for plausible-deniability scenarios
• Keyfiles and PIM for stronger key derivation
• Portable mode on Windows for mounting containers without installation

Operating system

Windows 11, Windows 10, and current macOS releases

macOS dependency

macFUSE is required on macOS

Permissions

Administrator rights to mount volumes and install drivers

Note

Windows system encryption requires creating rescue media before use

1. 1. Download and verify

   Get the installer from veracrypt.fr/en/Downloads.html and check the published signature or checksum.

2. 2. Install prerequisites on macOS

   Install macFUSE first, then VeraCrypt, and approve the system extension in System Settings.

3. 3. Install on Windows

   Run the installer with administrator rights; choose Extract instead of Install if you only want portable container mounting.

4. 4. Create rescue media first

   If you encrypt the Windows system drive, complete the rescue disk step and store it somewhere safe before continuing.

1. 1. Create a container

   Choose Create Volume > encrypted file container, pick AES, set a long passphrase, and select the size you need.

2. 2. Mount and use it

   Select the container, click Mount, enter the passphrase, and use the new drive letter or volume like any other disk.

3. 3. Dismount before sleep

   Always dismount volumes before shutting down, sleeping, or unplugging an external drive to avoid corruption.

4. 4. Back up the header

   Use Tools > Backup Volume Header so a damaged header does not cost you the whole volume.

• Downloads, PGP signatures, and checksums are published on veracrypt.fr. Verify the signature before installing anything that touches your boot process.
• The code base descends from TrueCrypt, which received independent public audits; VeraCrypt addressed findings from that work.

Bundled software

None.

Privacy

Entirely offline; no account or telemetry.

Known risks

• Losing your password or rescue disk after encrypting a system drive means permanent data loss.
• Hidden volumes are an advanced feature that is easy to misuse and can destroy data if handled incorrectly.
• macOS requires macFUSE, an additional kernel-level dependency.

• 1.26.x series

  Recent releases dropped legacy TrueCrypt compatibility modes, updated cryptographic libraries, and improved support for newer Windows and macOS builds. See the project's release notes for specifics.

VeraCrypt is the tool to use when you need portable, auditable encryption that is not tied to a vendor. Read the documentation first — this is the one program on this site where skipping a step can cost you your data.