how do I find my bitlocker recovery key using a recovery key ID

Question

how do I find my bitlocker recovery key using a recovery key ID

Robert S.G 0

I have an old Surface Pro 3. Recently I received the BitLocker blue screen. I reset my security as advised. I now have the blue screen prompt: "Enter the recovery key to get going again (Keyboard Layout: US) [an empty field follows, and then ...] You need to enter your recovery key because Secure Boot policy has unexpectedly changed. Recovery Key ID (to identify your key): XXXX etc. Here's how to find your key: - Try your work or school account at: aka.ms/aadrecoverykey - For more information got to: aka.ms/recoverykeyfaq"

I have a Home Account (not a work or school account). I opened my MS account and found one of my devices, but not the Surface Pro. I added the Surface Pro and proceeded to Devices. But only the Bitlocker recovery key for my other device (laptop) shows. I've gone to MS Support and see the following:

To find your BitLocker recovery key, follow these steps:

Go to https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey and sign in with your Microsoft account to check if the recovery key is backed up there. Use the recovery key ID shown on your device to identify the correct key. [1]

So, I have the recovery key ID, and as stupid as this sounds, I do not know where to enter this "Recovery Key ID". I do not see any option for doing so in my MS Account. I must be missing the extremely obvious. A little help please. How do I proceed from here to "get going again"?

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Answer 1

Rodrigo Queiroz 77,755 Independent Advisor

Hi, I'm Rodrigo and I will help you.
On https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey you use the Recovery Key ID to identify which Recovery Key belongs to each computer, you don't need to insert it anywhere.

If there is no Recovery Key at the Microsoft Account page, the Recovery Key is not stored in that account.

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Answer 2

AI answer

The recovery key ID is only used to help match the correct 48‑digit BitLocker recovery key; it is not something that gets typed into a field in the Microsoft account portal.

To proceed:

On another device, open a browser and go to the consumer BitLocker recovery page: https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey.
Sign in with the same Microsoft account that might have been used when BitLocker was turned on for the Surface Pro 3.
The page lists all BitLocker recovery keys backed up to that Microsoft account. Each entry shows:
- A device name (if available)
- A Key ID (the first 8 digits are what matter here)
Compare the first 8 digits of the Recovery Key ID shown on the blue BitLocker screen of the Surface Pro 3 with the Key IDs listed on the web page.
When a Key ID on the web page matches the first 8 digits from the Surface’s Recovery Key ID, use the corresponding 48‑digit recovery key from that entry.
On the Surface Pro 3 BitLocker blue screen, type that 48‑digit recovery key (hyphens are optional). If correct, Windows will boot.

If no entry on https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey has a Key ID matching the first 8 digits shown on the Surface, then the recovery key for that device is not backed up to that Microsoft account. In that case:

Check whether BitLocker might have been turned on by someone else and backed up to a different Microsoft account (for example, a family member’s account).
Check any printed copies, USB flash drives, or other locations where the key might have been saved when BitLocker was enabled.

If the key cannot be found in any of these locations, the key cannot be retrieved or recreated by Microsoft or anyone else. The only remaining option is to reset the device using Windows recovery options, which removes all files on the drive.

References:

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how do I find my bitlocker recovery key using a recovery key ID

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