Dirve locked with bitlocker and no recovery key

Question

Unable to access Harddrive from old computer. due to bitlocker and no recovery key available.

Answer 1

If you're unable to access a hard drive from an old computer because of BitLocker encryption and no recovery key is available, your options are unfortunately very limited due to the nature of BitLocker’s security design. BitLocker encrypts the contents of the drive using a cryptographic key. Without the recovery key or original unlock credentials (like a TPM unlock, password, or USB key), the data remains inaccessible — by design — to protect against unauthorized access.

• You cannot bypass BitLocker encryption.
• There is no "master key" or backdoor. Not even Microsoft can recover it for you without the key.
• You cannot brute-force the key — the encryption is very strong (AES-128 or AES-256), making brute force attempts computationally infeasible.

What you can try:

1. Search for the recovery key. You might have saved it somewhere. Try these places:

• Microsoft account: Visit https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey
• Printed copy: Check physical documents or paper backups.
• USB drive: You may have saved it to a flash drive during setup.

2. Use the original PC/OS (if possible)

If the drive is still in its original computer, and the OS is still working:

• Try booting the machine — BitLocker may unlock automatically using TPM or stored credentials.
• If it unlocks, back up your data immediately.

3. Check for backups

If the drive is truly inaccessible, your only hope of data recovery is:

• Restoring from a cloud backup (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)
• Looking through physical backups or external drives

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hth

Marcin