BitLocker recovery and I have no key

Question

I recently rebooted my laptop running Windows 11 and on startup was greeted with a BitLocker recovery screen. I do not have a recovery key, and after watching numerous videos on the subject and looking everywhere (including my Microsoft account which is linked to the laptop) I cannot find this key anywhere. I'm even willing to do a system reset if needed, but i can't even do that without the key. I purchased this laptop from Best Buy several years ago and, on setting up the laptop do not remember seeing any dialog about BitLocker or saving a key for it.

This is ridiculous. It's basically the same as having a hard drive crash, but even worse. Is there any option to get past this, or has Microsoft just destroyed my computer?

***moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Performance and system failures***

Answer 1

Hello  ConfusedandFlustered，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

 If you do not have a recovery key, there are a few options you can try:

1. Check if your Microsoft account has a recovery key: If you have linked your Microsoft account to your laptop, you may be able to find the recovery key by logging into your Microsoft account and checking the "Devices" section. If your laptop is listed, you may be able to view the recovery key there.
2. Contact Best Buy: As you mentioned that you purchased the laptop from Best Buy, they may have a record of the recovery key. You can contact their customer support and provide them with the necessary details to see if they can assist you.
3. Use a data recovery tool: If you are unable to recover the recovery key, you may need to use a data recovery tool to recover your data from the encrypted drive. However, this may not be possible if the drive is damaged or corrupted.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan