VeraCrypt: when to install it, and when not to
Full-disk or container encryption for a machine that travels, or for a portable drive holding client work. It is the strongest answer to a lost laptop.
The short version
VeraCrypt: Creates encrypted containers and can encrypt a whole drive, including hidden volumes. The successor to TrueCrypt. Keep the password and the rescue disk somewhere you will still find them in two years.
| Licence / price | Free · Open source |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Category | Privacy & Security — 10 programs |
| Official download | https://veracrypt.fr/en/Downloads.html ↗ |
What it is for
Full-disk or container encryption for a machine that travels, or for a portable drive holding client work. It is the strongest answer to a lost laptop.
When to pick something else
It is not a backup, and the recovery consequence is absolute: lose the passphrase and the data is gone. For encrypting individual files before they go to cloud storage, Cryptomator is a narrower and more everyday fit.
What independent reviewers found
We do not run lab tests or benchmarks. These summaries are written in our own words, with the publisher named and the original linked. Our citation policy explains what we will and will not reproduce.
German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) / Fraunhofer SIT — 2020
What the source says. A BSI-commissioned analysis by Fraunhofer SIT found no serious vulnerabilities in VeraCrypt but flagged the development process and code quality, and the project had already begun applying suggestions before publication.
What we take from it. We cite both halves. 'Audited and fine' loses the useful part, which is that the review found process issues worth addressing.
BSI security analysis of VeraCrypt (Fraunhofer SIT) ↗ (German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) / Fraunhofer SIT · 2020 · Government-commissioned security analysis)
How it compares in Privacy & Security
These are the alternatives we would consider for the same job. The notes are the same ones used on the main list, so there is no separate ranking hiding on this page.
| Program | Licence / price | Platforms | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptomator Publisher's site ↗ | Free + paid tiers | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Encrypts files before they reach Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive, so the cloud provider stores scrambled data. The right tool if you must use a mainstream cloud but do not want to trust it. |
| KeePassXC Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Open source | Windows, macOS, Linux | A password database that is just an encrypted file on your own disk. No company, no account, no server to breach. You are responsible for your own backups, which is the trade you are making. |
Practical notes
- Write down the recovery information and store it somewhere other than the encrypted volume.
- Test mounting the container with the written-down passphrase before you move anything important into it.
Questions people ask
Will it slow the machine down?
On modern hardware the overhead is usually small. The larger risk is operational, not performance.
Where it appears in our guides
- A privacy-first setup that does not break your computer
- Moving off browser-saved passwords in one sitting
See the full Privacy & Security explainer for the other 9 programs in this category.
How to read this page. How to read this page. Platform, licence and publisher details come from our directory data. Where an independent review, audit or survey is mentioned, it is summarised in our own words with the source named and linked; our /sources page sets out that policy. The recommendation, the trade-offs and every 'skip it if' line are our editorial judgement. We do not run benchmarks, publish measured performance figures or host installers, and every download link goes to the publisher's own site. If a detail is out of date, our About page explains how to tell us.