When is a USB stick the right medium, and how do you encrypt it if you must?

For data transfer a secure cloud link almost always beats a stick. A stick is only the right medium when the recipient has no internet, or specific offline requirements apply.

Try this first

1. 1First choice: a shared SharePoint, OneDrive, or WeTransfer link with password and expiry. No stick = no loss risk, and the link is revocable.
2. 2Stick is sensible for offline work (production floor, ship, weak network) or transferring a dataset a client requires to stay out of the cloud.
3. 3Must be physical? Hardware-encrypted USB stick with a PIN pad (e.g. iStorage or Apricorn). BitLocker-To-Go on a regular stick is a fine alternative.
4. 4Always encrypt before sending. Losing an unencrypted stick on the train is a breach, not an accident.
5. 5Quarterly: inventory the sticks floating around and wipe them. Sticks tend to be forgotten in a drawer.

None of the above fits?

Describe your situation below. We pass your input plus the steps you already saw to our AI and return tailored next-step advice. If it's too risky to DIY, we'll say so.