BitLocker problem

Question

After an upgrade of windows and probably of firmware, the pc was blocked with the bitlocker page.

Problem:

• i don't have the code for unlook
• if i enter on the account i didn't see the ID of the pc.

What i could do for understand what account it is connect to that pc if have have the ID from the bitlocker page?

Answer 1

Hi Andrea,

If your PC is locked by BitLocker after an upgrade and you do not have the recovery key, first carefully note the 8-digit Recovery Key ID displayed on the screen.

Then, using another device, sign in to each Microsoft personal account you may have used on that PC and check the recovery keys section at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey. If the device was signed in with a work account, check aka.ms/aadrecoverykey or contact your organization’s IT administrator so they can look up the key for you.

When you find stored recovery keys, compare the 8-digit ID shown on the locked screen with the IDs listed in the account to identify the correct 48-digit recovery key, then enter it on the BitLocker screen to unlock the drive.

If you cannot find the key in any account and your administrator cannot provide it, there is no way to unlock the drive without the recovery key, and the only remaining option is to reset or reinstall Windows, which will erase all data on the device.

Answer 2

BitLocker doesn’t provide any way to discover which account the device or recovery key is associated with, even if the Recovery Key ID is visible on the blue recovery screen.

To proceed, only these supported options exist:

1. Systematically check all possible accounts
   • Sign in to every personal Microsoft account that might have been used and check for keys:
     • For consumer accounts: follow the steps in Find your BitLocker recovery key to see if any device and key are listed.
   • If the device is (or was) managed by an organization (work/school):
     • Contact the organization’s IT/helpdesk and ask them to search for the BitLocker recovery key in Microsoft Entra ID or AD DS, as described in the BitLocker recovery documentation.
2. Check all possible storage locations According to the BitLocker recovery process, recovery keys may have been saved to:
   • A Microsoft account (personal)
   • Microsoft Entra ID or AD DS (work/school/managed devices)
   • A printed page
   • A USB drive
   • Another file location (for example, a network share)
   If none of these locations contain the key, it cannot be retrieved by anyone, including Microsoft support.
3. If the key truly cannot be found
   • BitLocker is designed so that, without the recovery key, the data on the drive cannot be decrypted or bypassed.
   • The only remaining option is to wipe/reinstall Windows on the device (for example, using a recovery image or Windows installation media). This will remove all data on the encrypted drive.

There is no supported method to map a BitLocker Recovery Key ID back to an unknown Microsoft account from the client side, and Microsoft support cannot generate or look up a recovery key if it is not already stored in one of the supported locations.

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References:

• BitLocker recovery process
• BitLocker overview
• BitLocker recovery: known issues
• BitLocker recovery key prompt on the Surface Book 2 13" after the August 2018 UEFI update
• BitLocker check after firmware update
• BitLocker problem – Microsoft Q&A
• Unable to recover Bitlocker key and unable to reload Windows 11 - Microsoft Q&A
• Request for Assistance with BitLocker Recovery – Surface Pro 2 - Microsoft Q&A