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HOW to enter BitLocker recovery ID on Windows 11 machine

Laurel Rhea 0 Reputation points
2026-05-25T15:00:52.8533333+00:00

Updated driver on Windows desktop/

PC was not able to load OS; is asking for BitLocker key ID.

Found recovery IDs and unable to enter recovery: there is no "field" to enter it.

Bought laptop to attempt to fix desktop.

Help?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Recovery and backup
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  1. Gunasekar N 70,050 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-25T15:36:51.71+00:00

    Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    You’ll need to enter the 48‑digit BitLocker recovery key, not the recovery key ID.

    In the example screenshot, the value highlighted in red is the recovery key ID. This ID is only used to identify which recovery key you need to use in your Microsoft account.

    User's image

    After you’ve located the correct recovery key in your Microsoft account using that ID, enter the full 48‑digit recovery key in the field above to unlock the drive.

    If you are having trouble entering the BitLocker recovery key, please take a picture of the screen you are stuck on and then upload it here for our reference.

    Let me know if you still need more help.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-25T15:01:05.5033333+00:00

    On the BitLocker blue recovery screen, the 48‑digit BitLocker recovery key must be entered, not the recovery key ID.

    The recovery key ID (the shorter number shown on the screen) is only used to identify which recovery key to use when there are multiple keys stored (for example, in a Microsoft account, Microsoft Entra ID, AD DS, or a helpdesk/BitLocker portal). Once the matching 48‑digit recovery key is found, that full key must be typed at the prompt on the blue screen.

    Steps to recover and enter the key:

    1. On the blue BitLocker screen on the desktop, note the first 8 digits of the recovery key ID that are shown.
    2. On the laptop (or any other working device), open a browser and go to https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey (this redirects to the BitLocker recovery keys page in the Microsoft account).
    3. Sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used on the desktop.
    4. In the list of recovery keys, find the entry whose Key ID starts with the same first 8 digits as shown on the desktop’s BitLocker screen.
    5. Copy or write down the corresponding 48‑digit BitLocker recovery key for that entry.
    6. Go back to the desktop’s BitLocker screen and type the 48‑digit recovery key (hyphens are optional). There is no separate field for the ID; the only field is for the 48‑digit key.
    7. After entering the 48‑digit key correctly, the device should unlock and continue booting into Windows.

    If the correct 48‑digit key cannot be found in the Microsoft account or any other backup location (printout, USB, organization helpdesk/portal), access to the encrypted data is not possible and the only remaining option is to erase the drive and reinstall Windows.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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