How do I enter Bitlocker Key when I can't get Keyboard to work?

Question

There was an update on our desktop and now I cannot get past the Bitlocker screen. I have tried with a Bluetooth keyboard and a USB plug in keyboard and neither will let me type anything. What can I do to get past this screen so I can use my computer?

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Try turning off BitLocker Recovery encryption from the Command Prompt (Administrator) Window:

You can press the Esc key on your keyboard or select the "Skip this drive" option at the bottom of the screen to start your computer from the recovery environment screen.

Select Advanced Options > Open Command Prompt.

Execute the following command to unlock your hard drive.

manage-bde -unlock C: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-48-DIGIT-KEY

Replace C with the drive letter that is locked.

Also, replace 48-DIGIT-KEY with the actual BitLocker recovery key stored in your Microsoft account.

To check the drive letter, you can type

manage-bde -status

If the hard drive protection status is unlocked, you can disable BitLocker encryption by executing the following command:

manage-bde -off C:

You can check the decryption progress with manage-bde -status command.

If you are still having issues, try plugging in the USB keyboard into another port and see if it is being detected.

Let me know if you still need more help.