How to disable BitLocker while being stuck in BitLocker recovery mode?

Question

Okay so I’ll give you the full backstory, 5-6 months ago my PC stopped turning on entirely so I took it to a computer repair store (it was the same store I bought the PC from) they were asking for a BitLocker password but I wasn’t sure what one they were talking about since I wasn’t in the same country and it was my brother who was asking me for them because they didn’t speak good English (we lived in Spain). I get the PC back just yesterday and I come back to the PC being stuck in BitLocker recovery mode and at this point it’s between my files or a whole new PC and right now I couldn’t care for my files so I want the PC power-washed if it means I don’t spent another £1000 on a PC.

If there is a way I am able to disable BitLocker through the recovery (I’ve tried through CMD using “manage-bde -protectors -disable C:” using it on both C: and D: however when I do it on D: it says “ERROR: The operation cannot be performed because the volume is locked” so I am totally stuck and am in need to instant help on disabling BitLocker entirely and being able to play games with my friends like I used to.

I pray that I’m able to get this sorted as it will save me from buying a whole new computer and having to throw the current one away.

Also I would like to add that I cannot reset my PC through recovery options as it gives me an error stating “Error resetting your computer” the only thing that it lets me do stuff on is CMD prompt. I’m wondering if I can do some CMD thingy to sort this out and disable BitLocker for good and/or reset the PC.

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

Answer 1

Hi TTCL_Microsoft,

to disable BitLocker, you will need to have the recovery key or the password that was used to enable it. If you don't have either of these, you will not be able to disable BitLocker and access your files. For more details about how to find your recovery key, please see Finding your BitLocker recovery key in Windows - Microsoft Support.

Important: Microsoft support is unable to provide, or recreate, a lost BitLocker recovery key.

If you have tried using the "manage-bde -protectors -disable C:" command and it didn't work, it's possible that the volume is still locked. You can try unlocking the volume using the recovery key or password by running the "manage-bde -unlock C: -RecoveryPassword [password]" command in the Command Prompt. Replace [password] with the actual recovery password.

Kind regards,

Lei