My Bitlocker Key ID is changed on my D: drive. How can I recover the new Key ID?

Question

Hello,

After installing Windows on my Dell laptop, my D: drive became locked by BitLocker, showing a Key ID (let's call it Key ID 1). At the time, I didn’t realize that the BitLocker key was saved in my Microsoft account, so I removed the hard drive and gave it to someone else to find the key.

After some research, I discovered the BitLocker key in my Microsoft school account, but when I reconnected the hard drive to my laptop, the BitLocker Key ID changed (let's call it Key ID 2).

Now, I have a BitLocker key saved in my Microsoft account that corresponds to the old Key ID (Key ID 1), but the new Key ID does not accept this key.

I’m trying to understand how it’s possible for the BitLocker Key ID to change.

I’m in a difficult situation because I have no idea where the new key is saved, and the data on the disk is extremely important to me—I cannot afford to lose it, nor can I format it.

I also checked my other Microsoft account logged into my laptop, but there’s no key saved there. Additionally, my previous school account has been inactive since the Windows update, so there’s no backup of the new key.

I have a couple of questions:

1. If I update Windows again, will it save a new BitLocker key in my account that I can use to unlock my D drive?
2. I found information on Microsoft support suggesting that disabling and re-enabling BitLocker can change the Key ID. Could this be a potential solution? Is there any way to regenerate the key on my D drive by disabling and enabling BitLocker?

I need assistance, as this is a critical situation for me.

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 10 / Windows update, recovery, and backup ***

Answer 1

Hi there,

I understand you are facing an issue with the bit locker key and would like to resolve it.

Based on the information you have shared. Please find insights and possible solutions to help you with your situation:

1. Why the BitLocker Key ID Changed

BitLocker Key ID changes can occur when you remove the hard drive or make significant changes to the drive or system configuration. When you reconnect the drive, the system may generate a new Key ID to reflect the changes. This is why the key in your Microsoft account corresponds to the old Key ID (Key ID 1), but the new Key ID (Key ID 2) requires a different key.

2. Recovering the New BitLocker Key

If the new BitLocker Key isn't saved to your Microsoft account, try checking any other accounts that may have been logged into your laptop at the time of the BitLocker activation (e.g., personal, work, or school accounts).

Unfortunately, Windows updates don’t typically generate new BitLocker recovery keys automatically. Updating Windows again won’t create a new key that would unlock the drive. However, disabling and re-enabling BitLocker could potentially generate a new Key ID, but this process could also result in the need to format the drive if a valid recovery key is not found.

3. Potential Solutions

Check the Recovery Key in Microsoft Account: If your laptop was logged into another account (e.g., personal or school), try logging into that Microsoft account and searching for the recovery key associated with Key ID 2. You can check for stored BitLocker recovery keys by logging in to

https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey.

BitLocker Recovery via Command Line:

NOTE: You can try running the following command in an elevated Command Prompt (Run as Administrator) to see if the key can be recovered from your device:

manage-bde -protectors -get D:

NOTE: This will list any BitLocker recovery keys stored locally on your machine.

Disable/Enable BitLocker: Disabling and re-enabling BitLocker could potentially generate a new Key ID, but be aware that this process requires the current recovery key to disable it. Without the recovery key for Key ID 2, it might not be possible to disable BitLocker without formatting the drive.

Professional Data Recovery: Since the data is extremely important, if the above steps don’t work, you might want to seek professional data recovery services that specialize in BitLocker-encrypted drives. They might have specialized tools to retrieve the encryption key or help you recover the data.

I hope this information helps! Please make sure to try accessing the recovery key through your Microsoft account or any linked accounts first, as this is the safest option.

Best of luck with recovering your data!

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

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

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