how to disable bitlocker w/o edge

Question

I have had issues with my PC running windows 11. I had a tech get me going yesterday, now after startup my storage drives are locked and I have to unlock them every time. Originally they were not that way. The instructions I have found from MS take me down the wrong path. I have unlinked onedrive, edge but I still have a directory called "[Moderator note: personal info removed]"which relates to the onedrive. I do not want onedrive or edge. I am happy with everything local. All of my data is on the locked drives.

Additionally my windows key does nothing.

Answer 1

Hi @Ken Zeiszler

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.    

Regarding your issue, this occurs because system settings were changed during troubleshooting specifically drive encryption (BitLocker/Device Encryption) was enabled or reconfigured, causing drives to lock after restart. Unlinking OneDrive only stops syncing and does not remove existing local folders. The Windows key issue is a separate system or keyboard setting/driver change made during the repair process. 

Here are a few steps you can try: 

1. Disabling BitLocker 

• Open Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption. 
• Select the drives containing your data and click Turn off BitLocker. 
• Note: Decryption can take a while depending on the drive size. Do not power down the machine during this process. 
• For more details, please refer to: Disable BitLocker

2. Cleaning up the OneDrive folder 

• Open your C:\Users[your folder name]\OneDrive folder.  
• Select the entire OneDrive > Right click > Always keep on this device or copy your folders (Documents, Pictures, etc.) and paste them into the local parent directory (C:\Users[your folder name]).  
• Once the files are moved, the "OneDrive" folder is empty which you can delete. 
• Run appwiz.cpl > Uninstall OneDrive. 
• For more details, please refer to: Turn off, disable, or uninstall OneDrive

3. Troubleshooting the Windows Key 

• Many keyboards have a physical shortcut (often Fn + Windows Key or a button with a joystick/padlock icon) that disables the key for gaming. 
• Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. Ensure Filter Keys is toggled OFF. 
• Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart. 

Hopefully it will help work with your issue and if you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.    

---

Please understand that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to cover your personal information including your folder name in the description. Please notice to hide this personal information next time you post error or some information to protect personal data.    

I have moved the information to the Private message if you need to add any more privacy information please add it in the Private message. 

 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".      

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

To disable BitLocker on your Windows 11 device, you can follow these steps:

1. Open Control Panel: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type control, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to BitLocker: In the Control Panel, go to System and Security and then select BitLocker Drive Encryption.
3. Turn Off BitLocker: Find the drive that you want to disable BitLocker on and click on Turn Off BitLocker. Follow the prompts to complete the process.
4. Wait for Decryption: The decryption process may take some time depending on the size of the drive.

If you are unable to access the Control Panel or if the drives remain locked, you may need to use the Command Prompt:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Search for cmd in the Start menu, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Disable BitLocker: Type the command manage-bde -off X: (replace X: with the letter of the drive you want to decrypt) and press Enter.
3. Wait for Decryption: Similar to the Control Panel method, this will also take some time to complete.

Make sure you have backed up any important data before proceeding with these steps, as disabling BitLocker will remove the encryption from your drives.

---

References:

• BitLocker drive encryption in Windows 11 for OEMs
• BitLocker recovery: known issues