BitLocker request

Question

I turned on my computer and it asked me for BitLocker.

I don't have that information, and I already checked Microsoft on my devices and it tells me it doesn't have it. Is there any other way to get it?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John!

Just to double-check, have you already checked this page? https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey

If you set up or used the device with a work or school account, you can also check here: https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey

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A few things to consider:

• If the device was purchased second-hand, gifted, or preconfigured (for example, by a store or organization), the BitLocker key might be stored under the original owner’s Microsoft account.
• If you set it up using a different Microsoft account in the past, try signing in with that account as well.
• During setup, you might have the key saved to a local file or printed copy, instead of the online account. It's worth checking your saved files or printouts.

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Unfortunately, if the key isn’t available in any of these places, it can’t be retrieved by anyone, not even Microsoft support. BitLocker is designed to protect your data through encryption, and without the recovery key, it can’t be bypassed.

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Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

The BitLocker recovery key for your computer was automatically stored in the Microsoft account that you used when you originally setup Windows.

If someone else originally setup Windows on your computer, the BitLocker recovery key is stored in the Microsoft account that they used when they setup Windows.

If and when Windows is reinstalled, a new BitLocker recovery key is generated, and it is automatically stored in the Microsoft account that whomever reinstalled Windows used when they reinstalled Windows.

These are the only Microsoft accounts where you will find the correct BitLocker recovery key for your computer. There is nowhere else to find the recovery key, unless a backup copy was made and stored outside the computer.

Without the correct BitLocker recovery key, I'm sorry to say that you will never unlock the computer, and there isn't anything that Microsoft or anyone else can do about this. If there was some way to bypass BitLocker encryption, hackers would eventually discover it and BitLocker would be worthless.

BitLocker was created to protect you from a thief who steals your computer. Someone with physical possession of your computer can tamper with it like no hacker is able to do. When Windows detects tampering, it locks the computer in a way that only the owner of the computer can unlock.

The person who originally installed Windows on the computer can unlock it, as can the person who re-installs Windows, because that person is presumed to be the owner of the computer, so the recovery key is stored in their Microsoft account, and no one else's.