Unable to Access BitLocker Recovery Key on New Surface Laptop

Question

Hello,

I recently purchased a brand-new Surface Laptop, I was looking for virtualization to be able to run GNS3 on my surface laptop but when the laptop restarted it’s asking for a BitLocker recovery key that I never set up. I’ve checked my Microsoft account for the recovery key, but it’s not listed there. I also don’t have the key saved anywhere else.

Could you advise me on the steps I can take to recover my BitLocker key or reset the device? Is it possible the key was pre-enabled, and if so, how can I retrieve it?

Thank you!

***moved from Surface / Surface Laptop / Surface Laptop (7th Edition) / Performance and maintenance***

Answer 1

Hello Filimon Hailesilasse,

thank you for posting on the Microsoft Community Forums.

BitLocker is a full disk encryption feature included with Windows that helps protect your data by encrypting the drive. It's possible that BitLocker was automatically enabled when you set up your Surface Laptop, especially if you signed in with a Microsoft account. Since you mentioned you have checked your Microsoft but no keys there, it is recommended double-check all Microsoft accounts you may have used. Sometimes the recovery key might be stored under an alternate account. If still can't find it out, please try checking other locations by following the steps in Find your BitLocker recovery key - Microsoft Support.

Additionally, if you have other devices (like another PC, tablet, or phone) that you used to sign in with the same Microsoft account, check the OneDrive or device settings on those devices for the BitLocker recovery key.

Import ant: Microsoft Support is unable to provide, or recreate, a lost BitLocker recovery key.

Hope it helps.

Best regards,

Lei

Answer 2

Hello Lei,

I have already tried the solutions you mentioned above but I still can't able to find the keys. is there any other solution or if I re-install Windows 11 will I be able to solve this issue?

can I install Windows 10 on a Microsoft Surface laptop, if so please can you share with me the steps on how to do that?

regards

Answer 3

Hello Filimon Hailesilasse,

if you still can't find your recovery key out after these steps, unfortunately, you’ll have to reset your device using one of the Windows recovery options.

Please note reset your device will remove all of your files, so it is recommended that you make a backup of your important files and data in advance.