Operation Manual

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What is plausible deniability?
See the chapter Plausible Deniability.
Will I be able to mount my VeraCrypt partition/container after I reinstall or upgrade the
operating system?
Yes, VeraCrypt volumes are independent of the operating system. However, you need to make
sure your operating system installer does not format the partition where your VeraCrypt volume
resides.
Note: If the system partition/drive is encrypted and you want to reinstall or upgrade Windows, you
need to decrypt it first (select System > Permanently Decrypt System Partition/Drive). However, a
running operating system can be updated (security patches, service packs, etc.) without any
problems even when the system partition/drive is encrypted.
Can I upgrade from an older version of VeraCrypt to the latest version without any
problems?
Generally, yes. However, before upgrading, please read the release notes for all versions of
VeraCrypt that have been released since your version was released. If there are any known issues
or incompatibilities related to upgrading from your version to a newer one, they will be listed in the
release notes.
Can I upgrade VeraCrypt if the system partition/drive is encrypted or do I have to decrypt it
first?
Generally, you can upgrade to the latest version without decrypting the system partition/drive (just
run the VeraCrypt installer and it will automatically upgrade VeraCrypt on the system). However,
before upgrading, please read the release notes for all versions of VeraCrypt that have been
released since your version was released. If there are any known issues or incompatibilities related
to upgrading from your version to a newer one, they will be listed in the release notes. Note that this
FAQ answer is also valid for users of a hidden operating system. Also note that you cannot
downgrade VeraCrypt if the system partition/drive is encrypted.
I use pre-boot authentication. Can I prevent a person (adversary) that is watching me start
my computer from knowing that I use VeraCrypt?
Yes. To do so, boot the encrypted system, start VeraCrypt, select Settings > System Encryption,
enable the option ‘Do not show any texts in the pre-boot authentication screen’ and click OK.
Then, when you start the computer, no texts will be displayed by the VeraCrypt boot loader (not
even when you enter the wrong password). The computer will appear to be "frozen" while you can
type your password. It is, however, important to note that if the adversary can analyze the content
of the hard drive, he can still find out that it contains the VeraCrypt boot loader.