decrypt efs pictures without pfx certificate

Question

please help

i backed up my c drive bitlocker recovery key on my Microsoft account without saving my BitLocker pfx certificate of my efs files i format my c drive and install new windows on my c drive i log in with same Microsoft account where my key is stored now there is lock on my all pictures can Microsoft recreate pfx certificate from my BitLocker recovery key to decrypt my efs encrypted pictures or my pictures are gone forever please explain me with easy words i am not expert

note (when i encrypt my data i put password 3740 so i have my password i have my formatted c drive BitLocker recovery key all i need pfx certificate to encrypt my pictures please help)

Answer 1

The BitLocker recovery key you saved to your Microsoft account can't help unlock your encrypted pictures, this is because BitLocker and the system that encrypted your individual files (EFS) are separate things.

To open your encrypted pictures, you needed the PFX certificate.

But because it was on your old Windows installation, and deleted when you formatted your C drive, there's no way to decrypt your pictures, even with the password you remember.

Unfortunately Microsoft can't recreate your PFX cert from your BitLocker recovery key.

They're not connected to each other.

This means that unless you have a backup of the PFX certificate file from before you formatted your C drive, your encrypted pictures are likely permanently inaccessible.

For the future, it's important to back up both the BitLocker recovery key and the PFX certificate file before formatting or reinstalling Windows. This can help prevent similar situations.

Answer 2

Hello,

I'm sorry to say that without your EFS PFX certificate, you won't be able to decrypt your encrypted pictures.

Here’s why in simple terms:

• When you use EFS (the Encrypting File System) on Windows, the encryption is done using a special certificate (the PFX file) that was generated for that installation.

• The BitLocker recovery key you saved to your Microsoft account is only for BitLocker (which encrypts your whole drive) and is completely separate from the certificate used by EFS.

• Reinstalling Windows without a backup of your EFS PFX certificate means that the private key needed to decrypt your EFS files was lost when you formatted the drive, even though you still remember your EFS password.

• Unfortunately, Microsoft cannot recreate or recover your missing PFX certificate from the BitLocker recovery key or your password. Without a backup of that certificate, the encrypted files remain inaccessible.

For the future, it’s important always to back up your EFS certificate along with the BitLocker key. This way, if you reinstall Windows or something else happens, you’ll have what you need to decrypt your files.

I know this isn’t the answer you were hoping for, but unless you find a backup of your EFS certificate, the encrypted pictures are likely permanently inaccessible.

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