Many new laptops come with BitLocker enabled out of the box.
Once activated, BitLocker encrypts the entire drive where Windows lives. It uses the (128-bit or 256-bit, depending on your settings) to scramble data on the fly. When you read or save a file, BitLocker decrypts and re-encrypts it transparently—you’ll never notice it working. bitlocker for windows 10
You will need the Recovery Key if:
If you are on a Pro or Enterprise edition, you can manually activate encryption through the following steps: BitLocker overview - Microsoft Support Many new laptops come with BitLocker enabled out of the box