this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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Not sure is this is the best place to post this question, but wondering what is the best way to encrypt a usb drive?

Want to be able to carry an encrypted flash drive with me but also be able to unlock it, if possible, on various OSes. Preferably with some kind of portable software. Something similar to the method that comes with the Kingston Data Traveler USB drives.

Edit: Seems like Veracrypt and Cryptomator are the best options to check out. Thank everyone!

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[–] Novi@sh.itjust.works 50 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Veracrypt. Make a file on your disk.

Don't want a storage file?

Make 2 partitions, put veracrypt portable exe on the first normal storage partition. (fat32 is likely ideal here) Second partition formatted with veracrypt.

[–] Deconceptualist@lemm.ee 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

This, except consider exFAT. It's more modern than FAT32 but also widely compatible.

https://www.howtogeek.com/235596/whats-the-difference-between-fat32-exfat-and-ntfs/

[–] Novi@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I would not just default to exfat because it is "newer," it does have compatibility issues on non-windows systems. The implementations differ wildly.

[–] Deconceptualist@lemm.ee 2 points 2 months ago

Back when I used Windows, it worked fine for me out of the box between Win7 and both Ubuntu-based and Arch-based Linux distros 🤷

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

I have had major issues with exFAT across a variety of platforms. But I also work with a bunch of niche gear. But my point is simply that being widely compatible isn’t the same as being fully compatible. And OP was asking for the best way to reach the widest compatibility. That calls for FAT32, even if it has issues with things like file size.

[–] scytale@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago

+1 for veracrypt. Very convenient.

[–] curry@programming.dev 3 points 2 months ago

I make 1 single partition for the entire drive and encrypt it with veracrypt. Veracrypt has portable executables for windows and if I lose the flash drive in the worst case people will think it's a corrupted disk (unrecognized partition) and reformat them probably.

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This was my immediate thought as well. Portable launchers for the various OS’es on a tiny (just large enough to store the launchers) FAT32 partition, then a large FAT32 partition (the majority of the drive) encrypted by VeraCrypt. As long as it can read FAT32 and run VeraCrypt, it’ll be compatible. And that covers Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi, and Mac ecosystems. It’s not as simple as just plugging it in and getting a password prompt, but it’s going to be the most compatible while still allowing for (nearly) the entire drive to be encrypted.

[–] Novi@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago