External USB Hard drive is locked with Bitlocker key but I don't have one

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External USB Hard drive is locked with Bitlocker key but I don't have one

Jenna Wilkinson 0

I haven't used this hard drive for a while but need to access some files - when plugging it into my laptop I am being prompted to enter my password or recovery key - I have neither of these.

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I saw on another thread the option given to "Disable Bitlocker" from the USB but I do not have this option User's image

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How can I access this?

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Answer 1

DaveM121 864.9K Independent Advisor

If your external 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 that external drive may have been connected to 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 PC?

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

Jenna Wilkinson 0 Reputation points

2026-03-24T11:16:34.4066667+00:00

I have already checked that and I don't have one for this device. It is the first time I have tried to use this external USB drive on this laptop.

I do not have a password or a recovery key available so cannot access this at all.
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-24T11:20:04.62+00:00

If you are unable to find the Bitlocker Recovery Key on any account that may have been used on any device that drive was connected to, then I am sorry for the bad news, the encryption on that drive cannot be bypassed, it is too strong, the only way to remove the encryption from the drive would be to remove all partitions from that drive and re-format it, which will sadly result in loss of all data on the drive.
Jenna Wilkinson 0 Reputation points

2026-03-24T11:40:45.2233333+00:00

If I re-format the drive, would I be asked for the key again though after formatting?
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-24T11:57:21.2433333+00:00

Please note, reformatting the drive will remove all data on the external drive.

If you use this process, this should remove the encryption and you should not be asked for the Bitlocker Key.

Right click your Start Button and open Disk Management.

In the bottom pane, right click the partition on that drive and select 'Delete Volume.

Then right click the resulting 'Unallocated Space' and choose 'New - Simple Volume' and accept the defaults.
Jenna Wilkinson 0 Reputation points

2026-03-25T10:03:38.05+00:00

Do I not just click "Format" when right clicking on the usb? As shown in the screenshots above?
DaveM121 864.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-25T10:05:13.63+00:00

Try the format option, if you are asked for the Bitlocker Key when you choose to format the drive, then you will need to use the method I provided.

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External USB Hard drive is locked with Bitlocker key but I don't have one

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