Can Encrypted Hard Drive Convert to an External without Data Loss?

Hi All!

I have what I think is a conceptual question.

Situation: I was running Fedora 38 when I ran into a booting error. I think this is related to the recent kernel upgrade. I was basically stuck in a boot loop. Sometimes I could get to the decryption prompt, sometimes not; getting to BIOS was hit or miss and booting into recovery mode wasn’t working either. I decided to manually disconnect the battery in an attempt to get a hard reset, but in doing so I damaged the cables for my laptop screen and now don’t have a working screen.

Question: Is it possible to take my encrypted SSD, place it in an external housing, and somehow decrypt it and recover my files? I have a recent back up so it’s not critical, but there were a couple changes to files I didn’t back up and I’d like to get that back if possible.

Appreciate any help, or alternative solutions, anyone can provide.

Yes, So long as you know the passphrase then you can mount the partitions on the disk on another computer and access the data.

1 Like

Excellent, thanks @barryascott !