How to find your BitLocker recovery key | Microsoft

If your system is asking you for your BitLocker recovery key, BitLocker likely ensured that a recovery key was safely backed up prior to activating protection. There are several places that your recovery key may be, depending on the choice that was made when activating BitLocker. This video is designed to help you find your BitLocker recovery key.

If you are unable to locate the BitLocker recovery key and can't revert any configuration change that might have caused it to be required, you’ll need to reset your device using one of the Windows recovery options. Resetting your device will remove all of your files.

Table of Contents

0:00 Introduction
0:22 Find your BitLocker recovery key (personal Microsoft account)
1:00 Find your BitLocker recovery key (work or school account)
1:40 Conclusion

[dylana.]

Whoever thought of this bright idea deserves to be fired

[JackDaniels-rr]

Completely useless….got an exam tomorrow and I’m locked out of my laptop which had all my notes.
Asking for some useless bit locker key which I never even turned on or heard of….went to the Microsoft account connected to my laptop says there’s no bit locker key. Thank you Microsoft for helping in failing me in my exam

[tuuZhao]

Welcome to the Windows 11 experience! Where updating the OS leads to reformatting the computer! Amazing.

[vikramshenoy]

who asked MS to enable this bitlocker without user's permission... Just for this, MS does not deserve to be the #1 company when so many users are struggling by their nonsense security

[bishopw]

Absolute garbage if we’re being completely honest. Just had to factory reset my PC and now will have to manually reinstall and reactivate every app I was using. Forget the countless important files I for sure lost due to a Windows update fault.

How about getting the user to be aware of this security key and to have them save it somewhere when they FIRST set up their device instead of them being unable to locate something they never set up themselves to begin with.

and looking around online, this exact issue has been around as early as /018 from what I could find.

Unbelievable

[MahabharataIberoAmerica]

I have very important files in my HP Laptop and they will be gone forever.
I can't find the Bitlocker key because Windows was already installed in the laptop when I bought it on Best Buy. They don't have it neither. Whoever in Microsoft have think this was a smart idea... (lock off everything after an update)... should receive a Gold medal for stupidity.

[Katsuki--]

How do you expect me to see what my recovery key is when I can't even login to my laptop.. Like huh

[rorybouffe]

Well done Microsoft. This would be a brilliant idea if the verification code you send to verify that the Microsoft account I'm already logged in to actually sent to the email address with which I logged into Microsoft with in the first place. Genius!

[Funguyfights]

Im never buying a Microsoft related product again

[Sureiyzu]

hey Microsoft, the bit-locker screen is appeared on my PC, but i can't reach the sites you have indicated, it always responds as not available page. if I can't load the page how can I get the key?
Before you ask, it's my personal account and it requires the "myrecoverykey" page. Also, all the links you have send in this comment section are down. Can you please remove this feature or at least make it optional, because this is really wasting so much of our time here.

With the best regards.

[toddphelps]

Entering the bitlocker key in Windows recovery just says it can't unlock the drive. Third time bitlocker has locked me out on three separate computers.

[MiaEvangelineLora]

I CAN’T ACCESS MY PC !? I never setup this bitlocker key I was using windows 10, how can you do this. This is the most stupid thing I have ever seen

[sandhyaraut]

What if you are unable to get the bitlocker recovery key at all?

[marcusgarcia]

Why would you do this. Why didn’t you Atleast give us a BitLocker key before forcing us to input one

[chabot]

I thought the bitlocker thing was a scam or hack. this video helped calm me down

[dankirk]

To recap, if you can't boot into windows and you don't have your recovery key, wipe the hard drive and lose all of your data.

[danicadcosta]

I cannot find where my code is stored 😭

[vazkeft]

Microsoft won’t help you get the key but they will gladly give it to law enforcement to be used against you

[QuadrupleAAAA]

Hatts off really... I had this issue and i called my IT guy. He said if you dont remember the key then your data will be lost and new windows will be installed. I watched this video and i had the key. Thanks a lot. This video is really helpful.

[magnuslysfjord]

I am never purchasing a windows PC AGAIN! You guys DONT CARE