Windows 10: EFS file Unencrypting

I'm a Windows 10 user. I right-clicked the folder and encrypted the content for attribute-general-advanced-data protection because it requires security. When I tried to back up the folder to D, format C, and move it back to C after Windows reinstallation, it was encrypted and I couldn't open it. My computer was formatted and recognized as another user, so I couldn't open it. Is there a way to unencrypt without a certificate when I didn't back up the certificate? Why didn't MS warn me about this result beforehand when I encrypted the folder? This wouldn't have happened if MS had told me to back

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Win 10 pro EFS Encrypting File System Problem (Dell)

Hi,

Thank you for being a part of Windows 10.

I appreciate you for providing details about the issue and we are happy to help you.

I suggest you to start the Encrypting File System (EFS) Service and check if it helps.

Follow the below steps:

• Press Windows key + R from the Keyboard.
• Type services.msc and hit Enter.
• Search for Encrypting File System (EFS) Service.
• Double click on Encrypting File System (EFS) Service and click on
  Start button.
• Click on the dropdown list and set the Startup type to
  Automatic.

If the issue still persists then, I suggest you to post the same question in TechNet forum for further assistance with this issue. Follow the below link to post your question in TechNet forum.

Microsoft Q&A

Kindly let us know if you need any further assistance with Windows. We are glad to assist you.

Thank you.

 

OneDrive Sync not encrypting files on a EFS enabled folder

Dear,

I use EFS and enabled encryption on the OneDrive folder. It always worked as expected: if I create a file on the folder it is locally encrypted and uploaded successfully to OneDrive cloud (unencrypted), if I create a file somewhere else and upload to OneDrive
cloud it is downloaded and then locally encrypted.

But some time ago downloaded files stopped being encrypted! So I have an EFS enabled folder... with unencrypted files!

I´m currently using 18.131.0701.0004, but previous versions had the same behavior... I would say the versions in use by the beginning of the year were working as expected, but that is a guess.

Thank you for your attention!

 

EFS on USB-drive by default

Hello,

I use EFS to encrypt specific folders on my computer. When I copy a file to a USB drive, the file remains encrypted.

However, when I save a file directly to a USB drive, the file is obviously unencrypted. Can I enforce encryption of all files and folders on a USB drive using EFS?