Bitlocker Recovery

Question

How do I access this recovery key? I'm getting a BitLocker recovery notice and it is asking for me to enter the recovery key for my device. I have not ideal how to access this key?

Answer 1

If your drive is encrypted with Bitlocker, the only place the Bitlocker Recovery key is automatically stored is on the associated Microsoft account on the link below, be sure to check any Microsoft account that may have been used on the PC and also any work or school account that may be linked to the PC.

https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey

Are you able to find the Bitlocker Recovery Key on any account that may have been used or linked to the laptop?

If not, do you have a safe backup of your files, or use a cloud service like OneDrive to sync your files online.

If you are unable to find the Bitlocker Recovery Key on any account that may have been used on that device, then I am sorry for the bad news, the only way to access that device is to create a bootable Windows 11 USB on another working PC and use that to clean install Windows and at the start of the installation, delete all partitions on the drive to remove the encryption, which will sadly result in loss of all data on the drive.

Answer 2

BitLocker recovery keys are created when BitLocker encryption is turned on. The 48‑digit key is not shown on the recovery screen itself; it must be retrieved from where it was backed up when BitLocker was enabled.

Check these locations in order:

1. Microsoft account (most common for home Windows 10/11)
   • On another device, sign in to your Microsoft account and look for your BitLocker recovery keys as described in Find your BitLocker recovery key.
   • If the device was using a Microsoft account to sign in, the key is typically attached to that account.
2. Work or school account
   • If the device was ever joined to an organization (work/school):
     1. From another device, go to https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey.
     2. Sign in with the work or school account.
     3. Select Devices, expand the affected device, and choose View BitLocker Keys.
     4. Match the Key ID shown on the blue recovery screen with the entry in the portal and use the corresponding 48‑digit key.
3. Printed copy
   • Check any printouts made when BitLocker was first turned on. Many setups prompt to “Print the recovery key” and users file it with other PC paperwork.
4. USB flash drive
   • If the key was saved to a USB drive, plug that USB into another PC and look for a text file containing a 48‑digit BitLocker recovery key.

If the recovery key cannot be found in any of these locations:

• Microsoft Support cannot retrieve, provide, or recreate a lost BitLocker recovery key.
• If the device is managed by an organization, contact the organization’s IT support to see if they have the key.
• If no one has the key and changes that triggered recovery cannot be undone, the only option is to reset the device using Windows recovery options. This will remove all files on the encrypted drive because BitLocker is doing its job of protecting the data.

Once access is restored, back up the BitLocker recovery key in at least one safe place (for example, to a Microsoft account, work/school account, printout, or USB) to avoid this situation in the future.

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References:

• Find your BitLocker recovery key
• Back Up Your BitLocker Recovery Key
• BitLocker recovery process
• BitLocker recovery overview
• BitLocker overview
• Windows devices for home users, businesses, and schools with Microsoft-managed updates