7 Important Steps to Protect Your Windows 11 PC

1. Update the system

Keeping Windows 11 up to date is essential to its security. The fact is that patches come with fixes for vulnerabilities in the system, as well as updates for the built-in Windows Security antivirus.

To install the latest version, click Start → Settings → Windows Update and select Check for Updates. Click "Restart now" if a window appears asking you to do so.

2. Customize the creation of restore points

Windows restore points are a convenient mechanism for protecting the system. They allow you to quickly roll back changes you don't need. Let's say you installed a program or driver that caused your computer to stop booting or slow down. There is no need to reinstall the system - just return to the previous checkpoint when everything worked.

Here's how to set up this feature. Click "Start" and start typing "restore point". Click "Create a restore point". Select the disk on which the system is installed, click "Configure".

Click "Turn on system protection" and specify how much disk space you don't mind for backups. It will take at least 20% of the space, more is better. Then click OK.

The next time something goes wrong with your system, you can fix it by simply selecting the desired point from the settings in the Start menu or in recovery mode.

3. Set up data backups

Now your Windows is protected from errors and inappropriate drivers, and in which case it can be easily restored. However, checkpoints only affect system folders, not your data. This means that if something happens to the files, Windows 11 will not be able to restore them.

So click "Start" and type "file history". Open the option of the same name and click "Change Disk". Specify where to back up your data. It is best to choose external drives or drives on a local network or on a NAS server so that if the computer fails, access to information is preserved. With the drive selected, click Enable.

Now, if your data is lost, it can be found in the backup storage. And if you accidentally mess up an important document, right-click on it, click "Properties" → "File History" and select the version of the file that suits you.

4. Turn on ransomware protection

Ransomware is a virus that encrypts your drive and then demands money for a decryption password. Naturally, no one guarantees that you will return your files, even if you pay scammers.

Windows 11, like Windows 10, has a built-in antivirus "Windows Security", which has ransomware protection. But it's disabled by default. To fix this, click the antivirus icon in the system tray, click Virus & Threat Protection → Ransomware Protection → Manage Ransomware Protection. Then click Protected Folders and select where you store documents.

Now the antivirus will block access to data in these folders for programs that are not included in its reputation database. Combined with the backups we set up in the previous step, this will keep your files secure.

5. Set up device search

"Find device" allows you to find your laptop or tablet on the map if the device is stolen or lost. However, this feature is enabled by default only if you linked a Microsoft account to your account when you created your Windows 11 account.

If you haven't, click Start → Settings → Privacy and Security → Find My Device. Enable the option and sign in with your Microsoft account. Now, if you need to find a computer, make this entry in any browser - and you can track the PC on the map in the "Search for devices" section.

6. Set up a login password

Most people do not bother with security much and when installing Windows, they safely leave the column with password blank. Because of this, anyone can access your data if you leave your laptop unattended.

Therefore, it is better to set up the password protection of your system properly. To do this, click "Start" → "Settings" → "Accounts" → "Login Options". Assign a PIN or password here, or scan your face or finger.

7. Turn on BitLocker encryption

Many people naively believe that the system password reliably protects their data from prying eyes. But in fact, it alone is not enough. If an attacker starts the computer with bootable flash drive or corny reinstall Windows, then your files will be right in front of it. To prevent this from happening, you need to enable disk encryption.

To do this, click "Start" and start typing the word bitlocker. Select Manage BitLocker. In the window that opens, specify on which drive you store your documents and other important files. Then click Turn on BitLocker.

Now, if someone steals your computer and boots the system from another medium, instead of files, they will see only unreadable gibberish. And to fix this, you will need to log into the system under your login.