Microsoft deleted my devices from my account so I can’t decrypt mine anymore because the bitlocker key it showed is gone

Question

I used to have maybe 10 devices on my account, and now there’s only one, the device I’m currently using. Is it true Microsoft removes your devices if you don’t use them enough? I can prove this is a systematic error because I have another account which has at least 5 connected devices and now only 2, which is strange because the second device has not been connected in a long time.

This is a big issue for me because I have my bitlocker keys on a device I forgot the passcode to, and now the whole thing is gone.

Answer 1

I had a system which was actively in use, and I trusted Microsoft to save my BitLocker key for it. This system is always ON and never shuts down. I mostly access it remotely via RDP.

Today, when I accessed the system, it was showing some wizard with new features but then it was not able to automatically un-lock one of my drive. Earlier after restarts, it was able to unlock.

Also, my device got removed from my Microsoft account. This is absolutely absurd. Can't trust Microsoft for anything! Today it's devices from Bitlocker tomorrow, god knows it will start deleting file from OneDrive.

Answer 2

Hi there,

I’m Cherrelyn, and I’m here to help.

Yes, Microsoft may automatically remove inactive or unused devices from your personal Microsoft account after a certain period. When that happens, the associated BitLocker recovery keys stored with those devices can also be removed from the online dashboard. If those devices weren’t factory reset or manually deleted, and you didn’t save the BitLocker recovery key elsewhere (like on a USB, printed copy, or to a different account), unfortunately, there’s no way to retrieve it now. Without the recovery key, the encrypted drive cannot be accessed or decrypted. I truly understand how serious this is, and I wish I had better news but for now, the only available workaround is to check all of your accounts, physical backups, or connected cloud services in case the key was stored elsewhere.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 3

Didn’t upload the first time, really disliking how they changed the forums. Not sure if it even uploaded this time.

Edit: personal account, not work or school. My other account is a child account, but it doesn’t matter because there is still an adult account which has the same issue. I did not do this myself. None of these devices were factory reset.