Bitlocker - how to completely disable

[GeekGirlInFurs]

I have a Surface Pro 4 running Windows 10 Pro, partitioned into a c: and a d: drive. The d: drive has started showing a Bitlocker icon with an "open lock" icon, indicating Bitlocker should be enabled. I do not want to use Bitlocker on this device and never have. I can't really account for why it suddenly showed up as an option on the d: drive

I see no way to disable this indication. When I follow the prompts, I see options to enable, but nothing to simple turn BL off altogether, or at least return the icon indications back to normal.

I have full admin privileges. Is there some way to fully disable BL, so that I am no longer seeing its icons, etc? I'd rather not fully enable it, then have to disable it, just to see if maybe that would work. Or is that the only way around this?

Any help here greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

[StuartR]

You should be able to turn off bitlocker altogether in Settings > Update and Security > Drive Encryption

[GeekGirlInFurs]

Thank you! That seemed to have done it. A follow-up or two, please....

As I mentioned, I never turned BL on for any drive on this device. Yet when I went to Settings > Update and Security > Drive Encryption, and clicked Turn Off, it started a "decryption" process with a progress bar, as though the drive had actually been encrypted. That process completed without any issue, and then the BL icon was no longer on the drive. So that's all good, apparently.

But, what was it actually doing during the supposed decryption? Had it pre-prepared the encryption, and was just waiting to finalize it with a BL pw and security key (or whatever it's called?) What I saw doesn't doesn't quite make sense.

Thanks again!

GGiF

[StuartR]

Sorry, I am not an expert on the inner workings of bitlocker