Encryption or not?

I noticed this evening that BitLocker encryption comes with my Win10 Pro. I sometimes fear that if my home was burgled and my PC was taken that the burglar would then have access to all my data. Would you recommend using BitLocker encryption and would it slow down my computer in daily use? If I installed BitLocker and sent a file to somebody would they need a key to read the file? If there was an alternative strategy to using BitLocker to thwart burglars accessing my files on the stolen computer, I'd appreciate advice on the matter.

Many thanks.

Lugwalker said:

I noticed this evening that BitLocker encryption comes with my Win10 Pro. I sometimes fear that if my home was burgled and my PC was taken that the burglar would then have access to all my data.
Would you recommend using BitLocker encryption? No, not on a home desktop, only on laptops.
Would it slow down my computer in daily use? Not enough to you to notice.
If I installed BitLocker and sent a file to somebody would they need a key to read the file? No. The folders or files are only encryped on the main disk.
If there was an alternative strategy to using BitLocker to thwart burglars accessing my files on the stolen computer, I'd appreciate advice on the matter. Have seen may people that lost ALL their data due to encryption and a some mistakes. Once the drive is encrypted it's almost impossible to have access to it without the de encryption key.
- Save the encryption key on a safe place in two manners: On paper and on a disk (CD / DVD or USB drive)
- Periodically do a a backup on a non encrypted disk and save it on a safe place
Many thanks.

Answers in red

Don´t encrypt the whole disk or whole partitions.

Keep your sensitive information encrypted using VeraCrypt containers, or encrypted VHDX (virtual disks encryped with Bitlocker), or both. Keep all your passwords encrypted using a password manager (I use KeePass 2).