Request for assistance to recover bitlocker key

Hi Enrico De Filippo,

Please visit Find your BitLocker recovery key for more information about finding your BitLocker recovery key. Additionally, you might have a backup on a file on an unencrypted partition, external drive, or cloud drive.

Please kindly check for BitLocker recovery key on all accounts that you have.

If you forget your BitLocker password and cannot find BitLocker recovery key, then no one even Microsoft can unlock your drive or restore BitLocker keys. It's how BitLocker was designed to protect your data.

The only option is re-initiating the disk or deleting whole partition. More information can be found on BitLocker overview.

I hope that you can find the backup of BitLocker keys somewhere.

We're sorry for any inconvenience may have caused and thank you for your understanding.

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, even if your device is not listed, the Bitlocker Recovery Key may still be available there, 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.

BitLocker encryption cannot be bypassed or unlocked without a valid BitLocker recovery key or another configured BitLocker protector.

Based on the documented recovery options, the only supported ways to obtain the BitLocker recovery key for the external drive are:

1. Check all possible locations where the key may have been saved when BitLocker was first turned on
   • Microsoft account: From another device, go to https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey, sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used on the original Windows 10 installation, and look for a key whose Key ID (first 8 digits) matches the one shown on the BitLocker prompt for drive D:.
     • If someone else set up the PC or enabled BitLocker, the key may be in that person’s Microsoft account.
   • Work or school account (if ever used): If the device or drive was ever associated with an organization account:
     1. From another device, go to https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey.
     2. Sign in with the work or school account.
     3. Select Devices, expand the relevant device, then select View BitLocker Keys.
     4. Match the Key ID from the BitLocker screen with the entry in the portal and use that 48‑digit key.
   • Printed copy: Check any printed documents from when BitLocker was enabled; the printout contains the Key ID and the 48‑digit recovery key.
   • USB flash drive: If the key was saved to a USB drive, connect that USB to another computer and open the text file containing the recovery key, then use it on the BitLocker prompt.
2. If the drive was managed by an organization
   • If the original Windows 10 device or the drive was ever managed by a company or school, contact that organization’s IT/helpdesk. The recovery key may be stored in their directory (for example, Microsoft Entra ID or AD DS) and can be retrieved by them.
3. If none of the above locations contain the key
   • Microsoft Support cannot retrieve, provide, or recreate a lost BitLocker recovery key.
   • If the recovery key cannot be found in any of the locations above and there is no Data Recovery Agent or other protector configured, the data on the encrypted drive cannot be decrypted.
   • The only remaining option in such a case is to repurpose the drive (for example, reformat it) and accept that the existing data is lost.

There is no supported technical method to recover BitLocker‑protected data without a valid recovery key or another configured BitLocker protector.

References:

• Find your BitLocker recovery key
• BitLocker recovery process
• Windows devices for home users, businesses, and schools with Microsoft-managed updates
• Surface Pro 3 blocked - Microsoft Q&A