VeraCrypt 1.26.31

VeraCrypt: Free Open-Source Disk Encryption for Windows, macOS, and Linux

VeraCrypt is free, open-source disk encryption software for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Developed by AM Crypto and based on TrueCrypt 7.1a, it protects data at rest by creating encrypted virtual disks within files, encrypting entire partitions or storage devices such as USB flash drives and hard drives, and encrypting the partition where Windows is installed through pre-boot authentication.

Key Features

• Encrypted containers: Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.
• Partition and device encryption: Encrypts an entire partition or storage device, including USB flash drives and hard drives.
• System encryption: Encrypts the partition or drive where Windows is installed, using pre-boot authentication.
• Real-time, transparent encryption: Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly), and transparent. Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written at speeds comparable to an unencrypted drive, and encryption can be hardware-accelerated on modern processors.
• Plausible deniability: Hidden volumes (steganography) and a hidden operating system allow users to conceal sensitive data if an adversary forces them to reveal the password.
• TrueCrypt compatibility: From version 1.0f, VeraCrypt can load TrueCrypt volumes and convert TrueCrypt containers and non-system partitions to the VeraCrypt format.

Security Enhancements

VeraCrypt strengthens the key derivation used in TrueCrypt. For system partitions, TrueCrypt used PBKDF2-RIPEMD160 with 1,000 iterations, while VeraCrypt uses 200,000 by default. For standard containers and other partitions, TrueCrypt used at most 2,000 iterations, whereas VeraCrypt uses 500,000 by default. Users can raise these counts with a custom PIM (Personal Iterations Multiplier), a feature available since version 1.12. The additional iterations add a delay when opening encrypted volumes but do not affect performance during use, which makes brute-force attacks substantially harder.

Recent Development

VeraCrypt 1.26.31, released on November 2nd, 2026, fixes Windows installation and upgrade issues and prevents programs launched on Linux, macOS, and BSD from inheriting privileged-service pipes and other open files or devices. Version 1.26.30, released on October 24th, 2026, fixes several security issues and Windows driver stability regressions. Version 1.26.29, released on June 9th, 2026, adds Argon2id support for non-system volumes and fixes two security issues. Earlier releases added screen protection on Windows, AppImage support on Linux, and ARM64 AES acceleration.

Platform Support

VeraCrypt runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The project also provides Android and iOS support, along with contributed resources for additional platforms such as ARM and Raspberry Pi. Release notes and the documentation list the platform-specific details for each version.