In this guide, we will show you the steps to disable Force Encryption on your Android device using DFE and TWRP. Having a custom recovery is the most powerful tool that one could have in their arsenal. Flashing custom ROMs, Magisk for root, taking a backup of numerous device partitions, well, the list goes on. However, there has been one issue bugging the users for ages.
Whenever they try to access their Internal Storage via TWRP, either all the data is encrypted [all the files will have random naming] or the storage will be shown as completely blank [although in reality, all the files are still there]. So, how to fix this issue? Well, one straightforward approach is to simply perform a factory reset.
While this will erase all the data from your device, but from the next time onwards, the data will remain decrypted and you can easily access it without any issues. However, there have been a few instances wherein the data gets encrypted again upon the next boot to the recovery, and users have to perform a factory reset every time they access the recovery.
This is neither the most viable way nor the feasible one to access the data on our device. So what else can be done? Well, there does exist a nifty workaround that should help you get this job done with ease, without having to perform a reset everytime you boot to recovery. So without further ado, let’s check how this could be carried out.
Benefits and Risks of Disabling Encryption on Android
Before you proceed to disable encryption on your Android device via DFE and TWRP, it’s extremely important to get yourself acquainted with the benefits and, more importantly, the risks of this process. Follow along.
Benefits
- Well, the first benefit is quite obvious- you’ll be able to access the Internal Storage and flash the required files without any issues.
- Moreover, with encryption disabled, data in /data is easier to back up and restore.
- Likewise, Disabling encryption prevents the need for full data formatting when switching firmware, thereby saving time and effort.
- Disabling encryption also allows access to data in imperfect versions of TWRP that do not support the decryption of encrypted data.
Drawbacks
- With encryption disabled, data becomes vulnerable to unauthorized access, increasing the risk of unauthorized access to your personal data by malicious users if they are able to get hold of your device.
So if that’s all well and good, then let’s get started with the process.
How to Disable Force Encryption on Android via DFE and TWRP
Before starting, please take a complete device backup. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device, and data by performing the below steps. [Credits: XDA Senior Member LeeGarChat]
- First off, download and extract the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC.
- Next up, download and transfer the dfe-neo.zip file onto your device.
- After that, open the Command Prompt inside that folder and type in
adb reboot recovery
- Your device will reboot to TWRP. Now go to Install and flash dfe-neo.zip.
- Now choose the desired configuration.
- Once installed, if the data is still encrypted, then you’ll have to format data ‘once’.
- For that, go to Wipe > Advanced Wipe > Format Data > type YES > hit the checkmark.
That’s it. These were the steps to disable Force Encryption on your Android device using DFE and TWRP. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible.
