HOW UNLOCK BITLOCKER

Question

My computer has been locked by BITLOCKER. I need 25 number code to unlock the computer.

---

Moved from Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

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.

Answer 2

BitLocker can only be unlocked with the correct BitLocker recovery key. If the recovery key cannot be found, the data on the drive cannot be decrypted.

Use these steps to try to locate the recovery key, then use it to unlock the drive:

1. Check where the BitLocker recovery key may be stored
   • Work or school account (if the device was ever joined to an organization):
     1. From another device, open a browser and go to https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey
     2. Sign in with the work or school account used on the locked device
     3. Select Devices, expand the affected device
     4. Select View BitLocker Keys
     5. Match the Key ID shown on the BitLocker recovery screen with the entry in the portal and note the corresponding 48‑digit recovery key
   • Printed copy: Look for a printout labeled with BitLocker recovery information among important device papers.
   • USB flash drive: If the key was saved to a USB drive, plug it into another device and open the text file containing the 48‑digit key.
   If the device is managed by an organization and the above steps do not work, contact the organization’s IT support/helpdesk. They may also use enterprise tools such as MBAM Self‑Service or Helpdesk portals, or recovery information stored in Microsoft Entra ID/Active Directory, as described in the BitLocker recovery process documentation.
2. Unlock the BitLocker‑protected drive once the recovery key is found The BitLocker recovery key is a 48‑digit numerical password (not 25 digits). Use it in one of these ways:
   • On the BitLocker recovery screen at startup: Enter the 48‑digit recovery key exactly as shown.
   • If the drive is connected as a secondary drive to another Windows device:
     • PowerShell:

              Unlock-BitLocker -MountPoint D -RecoveryPassword xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx
       

     • Command Prompt:

              manage-bde.exe -unlock D: -recoverypassword xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx
       

     Replace D with the correct drive letter and xxxxxx-... with the actual 48‑digit recovery key.
3. If the recovery key cannot be found
   • If the device is managed by an organization, contact the IT department to retrieve the key.
   • If the key is not available in any of the locations above and the device is not managed, the recovery key cannot be retrieved by Microsoft or anyone else. BitLocker is designed so that without the recovery key, the encrypted data cannot be accessed.
   • In that case, the only option is to reset or clean‑install Windows using the recovery options. This will remove all files on the drive.

For detailed guidance on where to look for the recovery key and what to do if it cannot be found, see the referenced articles.

---

References:

• BitLocker overview
• BitLocker operations guide
• Find your BitLocker recovery key
• BitLocker recovery process
• Use the Self-Service Portal to regain access to a computer
• Surface Pro 3 blocked - 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