Bitlocker startup

Question

Hello,
After a Windows 11 update my pc keeps booting on Bitlocker. If I choose N it would boot up normally. I checked my drive and its not encrypted. I tried disabling it on services.msc but it still boots on bitlocker. Any advice how can I startup normally without going through bitlocker? Thanks :)

Answer 1

Hi Casper,

I wanted to follow up and see if you've had a chance to try the AI Answer's suggestions yet. If so, could you let me know how it went and whether the TPM/fTPM prompt still appears on every startup?

As an additional check, I recommend opening Run (Win + R), typing tpm.msc and confirming whether Windows reports that the TPM is ready for use or displays any warnings or errors. You can also check Settings > Privacy & Security > Device Encryption to confirm whether Device Encryption is enabled on the device.

Since you mentioned the issue started after a Windows 11 update, could you also share your Windows version and OS Build by pressing Win + R, typing winver and posting a screenshot of the result?

If you have not made any hardware changes and the issue began immediately after the update, it may also be worth checking whether a BIOS/UEFI update is available from your PC or motherboard manufacturer, as TPM-related startup prompts can sometimes be resolved through firmware updates.

I look forward to your update.

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Answer 2

That screen is a TPM/fTPM reset prompt from firmware, not Windows BitLocker asking to unlock an encrypted drive. The command output shown confirms the C: drive is fully decrypted, Protection Off, and has no key protectors.

The prompt appears because TPM-related boot measurements changed. BitLocker recovery can be triggered by changes such as:

• changing boot configuration settings
• changing BIOS or UEFI firmware or other early boot components
• adding or removing hardware

Since the drive is not encrypted, disabling the BitLocker service in services.msc will not stop this firmware TPM prompt.

Use this path:

1. Check BIOS/UEFI settings
   • Open firmware setup during startup.
   • Verify TPM/fTPM is enabled.
   • Verify boot mode is UEFI.
   • Verify the internal hard drive is first in boot order.
   • If the system is used with removable media attached, disconnect it and test again.
2. If the prompt continues and no encrypted drives need old TPM keys, reset the TPM
   • This is the action the firmware screen is offering.
   • In Windows, the documented path is Windows Security > Device security > Security processor details > Security processor troubleshooting > Clear TPM.
   • Warning: clearing/resetting TPM can remove TPM-stored keys. Only do this if there is no BitLocker-protected drive or other needed TPM-protected data that depends on the current TPM state.
3. Restart and test normal boot
   • After TPM reset and with stable BIOS settings, the repeated startup prompt should stop.
4. If this started right after a BIOS/firmware update
   • That aligns with documented BitLocker/TPM behavior. Firmware and boot-environment changes can trigger recovery-related prompts.

If access to advanced startup options is needed during troubleshooting, Windows startup settings are available through Windows RE > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. On encrypted devices, a BitLocker key is required to continue there, but the shown manage-bde output indicates the OS drive itself is not currently encrypted.

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• BitLocker FAQ
• BitLocker FAQ
• BitLocker FAQ
• BitLocker FAQ
• Windows startup settings