bitlocker recovery nor working

Question

bitlocker recovery nor working

ludovico sehnem junior 0

I have 2 laptops. They have the same bitlocker recovery

I've trying to recover and doesn't work. i tried everything.

Need some help.

Please call me if possible.

Ludovico

Moderator: Moved from Microsoft System Center | Other

Elon 0 Reputation points

2026-07-26T15:16:17.01+00:00

Hi Ludovico,

If the BitLocker recovery key really doesn't work, and you originally unlocked the drive with a password (not just the recovery key), there is still one possible option.

You can extract the BitLocker password hash using Catpasswd Hash Extract:

https://github.com/dosoos/Catpasswd-Hash-Extract

Then upload the extracted hash to:

https://www.catpasswd.com/

It attempts to recover the original BitLocker password through password recovery techniques. Success depends on how strong your password was, but many users have successfully recovered weak or reused passwords this way.

If you only have the recovery key and it is incorrect, unfortunately the recovery key itself cannot be brute-forced because it has extremely high entropy and is designed to be computationally infeasible to guess.

Before trying password recovery, also double-check that the recovery key matches the correct drive and device, since using a recovery key from another BitLocker volume will always fail.

Good luck!

2 answers

Your answer

Elon 0 Reputation points

2026-07-26T15:16:17.01+00:00

Hi Ludovico,

If the BitLocker recovery key really doesn't work, and you originally unlocked the drive with a password (not just the recovery key), there is still one possible option.

You can extract the BitLocker password hash using Catpasswd Hash Extract:

https://github.com/dosoos/Catpasswd-Hash-Extract

Then upload the extracted hash to:

https://www.catpasswd.com/

It attempts to recover the original BitLocker password through password recovery techniques. Success depends on how strong your password was, but many users have successfully recovered weak or reused passwords this way.

If you only have the recovery key and it is incorrect, unfortunately the recovery key itself cannot be brute-forced because it has extremely high entropy and is designed to be computationally infeasible to guess.

Before trying password recovery, also double-check that the recovery key matches the correct drive and device, since using a recovery key from another BitLocker volume will always fail.

Good luck!

Answer 1

Hello,

The same bitlocker key cannot be used on two different laptops.

On the screen where it asks for bitlocker, it should show you the bitlocker ID, use that ID to help you look for the key when you go to your account. If the ID doesn't match, it is not the key it is asking for.

Is this where you looked? https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey

Any chance your laptop was purchased used, or already set up for you? Or was it gifted? Or have you set it up with a different account at first? The key is stored with the very Microsoft account used to set up the computer for the first time, even if you had got rid of that account and set it up with a different account. So, if your computer was set up by anyone at the store you bought it from, it would be that person's account.

If you set it up with school or work account, it is worth checking here as well https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey sign in with your work/school email credential in that case.

I assume you don't remember opting out of not saving it in Microsoft account, and saving it to a local file instead? That's another possibility.

If you can't find it at all, there's really no way to crack it. Bitlocker means business. If it can be cracked, then it means the encryption is not working. Your only option is to do a clean install of Windows. In that case, you do lose your files. I am very sorry. I hate to share this kind of information, but I rather give you the correct info.

Answer 2

If you are having trouble with BitLocker recovery and the recovery password is not working, here are some steps you can take:

Verify the Recovery Password: Ensure that you are entering the correct 48-digit recovery password. Sometimes, a simple mistake in entering the digits can lead to failure.
Check Recovery Key Storage: If you saved your recovery keys to Microsoft Entra ID or Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), you can retrieve them from there. For Microsoft Entra ID, visit https://myaccount.microsoft.com, go to the Devices tab, and select View BitLocker Keys for your device.
Use BitLocker Repair Tool: If the recovery password does not work, you can use the BitLocker Repair tool (repair-bde.exe) to attempt to recover the data from the encrypted drive. This tool can help decrypt the volume at the block level, which may allow you to salvage your data even if the recovery password fails.
Contact Helpdesk or Administrator: If your BitLocker is managed by an organization, contact your IT helpdesk or administrator for assistance. They may have additional recovery options or access to the recovery keys stored in AD DS.
Use Another Computer: If you have access to another computer, you can try connecting the drive as a secondary drive and see if you can unlock it that way.

If none of these methods work, you may need to consider professional data recovery services, especially if the data is critical.

References: