# Creating Encrypted Images

You can create an encrypted image using an external image file or an encrypted ECS.

- Create an encrypted image using an external image file.

  When you register the external image file as a private image, select KMS encryption and select a key. For details, see Creating a Windows System Disk Image from an External Image File and Creating a Linux System Disk Image from an External Image File.

- Create an encrypted image using an encrypted ECS.

  When you use an ECS to create a private image, if the system disk of the ECS is encrypted, the private image created using the ECS is also encrypted. The key used for encrypting the image must be the same as that used for encrypting the system disk. For details, see Creating a System Disk Image from a Windows ECS and Creating a System Disk Image from a Linux ECS.

Parent topic: Encrypting Images