Encrypt a Thumb Drive (Cross Platform)

After my post about encrypting a thumb drive on a Mac, folks have been asking how to encrypt a drive for use on both Mac and Windows. The best cross platform solution I have been able to find is a powerful open source program called TrueCrypt. TrueCrypt creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file, or encrypts an entire volume. You can find full documentation about TrueCrypt on their website HERE.

One thing to keep in mind when using TrueCrypt is that the TrueCrypt software must be installed on the computer where you want to use the encrypted disk. If you are using someone else's computer, they may not want you to install software. Or you may not be able to install software on a company computer.

Instead of encrypting the whole disk, TrueCrypt also allows you to create a virtual encrypted disk, leaving the rest of the disk unencrypted. You might consider creating a virtual encrypted disk, and storing only your confidential files there. You can use the rest of the drive for non-sensitive materials. For example, you may have presentations or data sheets that you want to share. The data may already be freely available elsewhere, so if a lost or stolen drive fell into unscrupulous hands, the unencrypted data would be of no use to them.

Bonus for Linux users, TrueCrypt is also available for Linux.