Windows 11 performance!! Or lack of!

Yes. Encrypted storage can affect Windows 11 performance, but it depends on how encryption is being done.

• BitLocker can reduce performance impact on purpose by running encryption in the background with a less aggressive resource model in Windows 10 and Windows 11. That means the system may feel less impacted during active use, but encryption of existing data can take longer.
• Hardware-encrypted or self-encrypting drives can improve performance because the cryptographic work is offloaded to the drive hardware instead of the CPU. Microsoft states these drives can increase BitLocker performance and reduce CPU usage and power consumption.
• Some Windows 11 systems had a known issue where AES-based operations could be about 2x slower after certain 2022 updates on devices with newer processors using VAES instructions. The affected scenarios included BitLocker, TLS, and disk throughput. Microsoft later released updates to restore performance.
• Newer BitLocker hardware acceleration is available starting from Windows 25H2 and 24H2 with the September update, where bulk storage cryptographic operations can be offloaded to dedicated crypto engines on supported hardware.

So, encrypted storage could be part of the slowdown if:

1. BitLocker is actively encrypting a drive in the background.
2. The device is using software-based encryption instead of hardware offload.
3. The system was affected by the VAES-related slowdown described in Microsoft’s advisory.

If the drive is a supported encrypted hard drive/self-encrypting drive, encryption is less likely to be the cause and may actually help performance.

• BitLocker configuration: known issues
• Encryption and data protection
• KB5017259—Windows devices that have the newest supported processors might be susceptible to data damage
• Encryption and data protection