Software >

(on Wikipedia)
https://veracrypt.io/ [ 1 ]

Encryption software.

Easy to use.

• This is the successor to the abandoned TrueCrypt.

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• Reddit > https://www.reddit.com/r/VeraCrypt/

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• 2024-12-04 – 1.26.15 on Windows 11

  • I heard the   secure desktop feature works again.
• ~2023-03-28 – 1.25.9 (64-bit) on Windows 11
• I had been using this continuously; no notes were taken.
• 2020-07-29 – 1.24-Update6 on Windows 10
• 2018-10-28 – 1.22 (64-bit) on Windows 10

• 2018-10-28 – (version not recorded) on Devuan-1.0.0-jessie-i386-DVD

~2023-03-28 – 1.25.9 (64-bit) ∞

After mounting, Secure Desktop has a black layer ∞

I’ve produced a problem twice, where I try to log in and it gives me the login screen but instead of a blue overlay there is a black one.

The whole desktop experience is thereafter gone, with no ability to alt-tab or windows-tab to get to another window.

control-shift-escape will bring up the task manager, and while it’s possible to figure out how to launch an explorer window it’s not possible to get back to the normal state or use any normal applications.

I can’t figure out what task to kill to go back to normal or even to log out. I did eventually do it by accident but I wasn’t taking notes. The only other option is to hard power down.

This is linked with the Secure Desktop option when typing a password.

2018-10-28 – 1.22 (64-bit) ∞

March 30, 2018

• When making an encrypted file, when the full path doesn’t exist, it gives an error; the user must manually create the path.

• VeraCrypt freezing on unmount from container on USB drive

Troubleshooting and tips ∞

Installing VeraCrypt on macOS ∞

Tested 2025-09-23 with VeraCrypt 1.26.24 on Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020) with probably macOS 15 and macfuse (osxfuse) 5.0.6 (releases) [ 2 ]

macOS has security in place to prevent tools like VeraCrypt from operating willy-nilly. This will stop that malware which encrypts your hard drive then asks for money to (maybe) decrypt it.

1. Shut down.
2. Close the lid.
3. Open the lid.

4. Press and hold the blank button at the top-right.

   • It’s not a power button but a fingerprint reader. You don’t have to read a fingerprint, just keep the button down.
5. It boots into a special mode.
6. Menu > Utilities > Startup Security Utility

7. [Security Policy]

   • (o) Reduce security
   • [x] Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers

VeraCrypt freezing on unmount from container on USB drive ∞

• VeraCrypt freezing on dismount

• Windows explorer crashes when dismounting

TODO – Resizing containers ∞

You can only increase a container, and only if it uses NTFS.

• VeraCrypt / Forums / General Discussion:Resizing an Encrypted File Container?
• Extend VeraCrypt Container Size

• public:resizing_and_moving_truecrypt_volumes

[cannot] – Formatting a container / changing filesystems ∞

• This cannot be done.

Which filesystem? ∞

• NTFS for regular stuff

  • Has better consistency checking

• exFAT for removable stuff

  • All magic and stuff

• ReFS

  • Has special requirements to actually be good; don’t use it.

For a veracrypt file, make the drive/partition format the same as your internal.

How to create a maximum-size encrypted file ∞

Apparently so few people want to do this that there is no feature. VeraCrypt won’t accurately tell you how much free space you actually have, there is no slider, and there is no way to give VeraCrypt a number in bytes or bits or with decimals.

2022-11-19 on 1.25.9 on Windows 11

As administator, determine how much free space you have:

fsutil volume diskfree B:

e.g.

Total free bytes                :              x,y,z (n TB)
Total bytes                     :              x,y,z (n TB)
Total quota free bytes          :              x,y,z (n TB)
Unavailable pool bytes          :                  0 ( 0.0 KB)
Quota unavailable pool bytes    :                  0 ( 0.0 KB)
Used bytes                      :              x,y,z (n TB)
Total Reserved bytes            :              x,y,z (n MB)
Volume storage reserved bytes   :                  0 ( 0.0 KB)
Available committed bytes       :                  0 ( 0.0 KB)
Pool available bytes            :                  0 ( 0.0 KB)

Take the very first line, and determine how many kiloBytes (kB) it is.

e.g. maybe it says

• x,y,z (n TB) then you take x,y

• x,y,z (n KB) then you take the whole line

Copy that text, remove the commas, and paste it into a convertor from kilobytes (what you know) to kibibytes (what you want)

Google will let you do this, like so: 100 kB in kiB

Take the resulting number and build your VeraCrypt container to that size. You will be using almost all of the available space. Veracrypt does not allow a finer accuracy so you can truly fill it 100% full; you will have under 100 kB free space.

VeraCrypt container integrity checking ∞

It’s not implemented and likely won’t be. Consider using Btrfs.

https://github.com/veracrypt/VeraCrypt/issues/681

VeraCrypt gives a black screen when decrypting a container ∞

• https://github.com/veracrypt/VeraCrypt/issues/1014

• https://sourceforge.net/p/veracrypt/discussion/general/thread/14bf57276d/

The workaround:

Settings > Preferences: Windows:

• [_] Use Secure Desktop for password entry

I don’t like this, as it’s a security problem.

Footnotes

1. was https://www.veracrypt.fr/ [ ↩ ]
2. macfuse is required for macOS Mavericks 10.9 and later. [ ↩ ]