How do I get out of a BitLocker Recovery Key loop?

Question

Upon restarting my computer, I was prompted to enter the Bitlocker Recovery Key. I found the key in my account and entered it. However, it is not able to restart. I have tried all the different options and it seems to be in BitLocker recovery loop. I contacted my laptop company and installed an updated BIOS, but I am still having the same problem. I also searched up similar questions and have tried both enabling and disabling the secure boot, neither of which worked. I am now trying to unlock it through the command prompt, but there seems to be an issue with the syntax I am entering, even though I am following the instructions. Help! In my MS account, the recovery key goes with the OSV drive. I can literally do nothing because it constantly asks for the recovery key, but will never actually restart windows.

***Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Recovery and backup***

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Based on the description, I understand your question is related to unlock the Bitlocker recovery key.

It is recommended to double check if your bitlocker key is correct. Generally, we can refer to the following path to find out the BitLocker recovery key, because this is a personal information and will not be collected by Microsoft, so please kindly try to find carefully if the key was saved in below places:

1. In your Microsoft account: Sign in to your Microsoft account on another device to find your recovery key: If the device was set up or BitLocker protection was activated by another user, the recovery key may be in that user’s Microsoft account.
2. On a printout you saved: Your recovery key may be on a printout that was saved when BitLocker was activated. Look where you keep important papers related to your computer.
3. On a USB flash drive: Plug the USB flash drive into your locked PC and follow the instructions. If you saved the key as a text file on the flash drive, use a different computer to read the text file.
4. In an Azure Active Directory account: If your device was ever signed in to an organization using a work or school email account, your recovery key may be stored in that organization's Azure AD account associated with your device.

If you are unable to locate a required BitLocker recovery key, I am afraid you cannot access that drive.

Best regards,

Molly