How to Unlock BitLocker Drive on Another PC | 2 Safe Guides

Sherly updated on Nov 22, 2024 to Partition Manager | How-to Articles

Can I unlock the BitLocker drive on another PC? Sure! You can. This post teaches how to enable BitLocker Encryption Startup Service and unlock BitLocker drive on Windows and Mac.

Is it possible to unlock a BitLocker encrypted drive on another computer? Of course! You can unlock BitLocker encrypted drives, or encrypted USB, external disks, etc., on another computer or Mac. This article from EaseUS Software will provide you with detailed instructions and also include a BitLocker secret key retrieval tool. Do not forget to share this post to help more users.

 

How to Unlock BitLocker Drive on Another PC

You can access the BitLocker encrypted drive on another PC only when you provide the correct BitLocker recovery key or password. Also, you need to make sure that the BitLocker service is enabled on the other PC and that you have enough permissions to access the locked drive. This section will provide you with detailed instructions.

Case 1. Remember BitLocker Password or Recovery Key

If the BitLocker service is not enabled on another computer, you may encounter a BitLocker Access Denied error when unlocking the drive on another computer. So, you need to enable the BitLocker service first.

1️⃣Stage 1. Launch BitLocker Drive Encryption Service

Follow these steps to launch the BitLocker drive encryption service on another PC:

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, type services.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2. Then, in the Services window, scroll down the list of services to the BitLocker Drive Encryption service and double-click it.

Step 3. Change the Startup Type to Automatic, and then click Start to start the BitLocker service. Then click OK to close the window.

Now, you can try to access the Bitlocker encrypted drive on this computer.

2️⃣Stage 2. Unlock BitLocker Drive on Another PC

Before you start, make sure your drive is properly connected to the computer you are currently using and have your password or secret key ready. Here's how to access the Bitlocker Encrypted Drive on another computer.

Step 1. Open a Windows computer, press Win + E to open Windows File Explorer, then right-click BitLocker Encrypted USB or Drive and select Unlock Drive.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, enter the BitLocker password and click Unlock to unlock the drive.

Case 2. Forget BitLocker Password or Recovery Key

BitLocker recovery keys are usually saved to your Microsoft account, a file on your computer, a USB drive, or printed on paper. The second scenario is that you can't remember your Bitlocker password or key; you can use EaseUS Partition Master Professional to help you retrieve your secret key from your local or Microsoft account. With a simple operation, you can retrieve your BitLocker secret key and open this encrypted drive on another computer.

How to Unlock Bitlocker Drive on Mac

Is it possible to unlock a BitLocker encrypted drive on another computer (e.g. Mac) that does not support BitLocker? The answer is yes. Although Microsoft has only developed and released a version of BitLocker for Windows, with BitLocker for Mac, you can easily open a BitLocker-encrypted drive and then read/write to it on your Mac. EaseUS Partition Master for Mac can help you unlock a BitLocker drive with simple clicks.

Here is how.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master for Mac, select your bitlocker encrypted disk, and click "Unlock".

Step 2. Enter your bitlocker password to browsw this encrypted drive. Click "Yes" to proceed.

Step 3. Then, the status of your disk volume is unlocked, you can lock it by clicking the "Lock" button.

Conclusion

This article describes how to unlock a Bitlocker encrypted drive/USB or other external disk on another computer (both Windows and Mac). You need to enable the Bitlocker encryption service on another Windows computer, and on MacOS, you need to use a third-party Bitlocker decryption utility to read the data on the drive. EaseUS Partition Master is available in two versions: Windows PCs and MacOS, which allows you to accomplish your current tasks easily. It can unlock BitLocker without password and recovery key.

FAQs About Unlocking BitLocker USB on Another PC

How to find BitLocker recovery key on another PC? Can you access a Bitlocker drive on another PC? Check the following FAQs to learn more.

1. Can I open a BitLocker drive on another computer?

Sure, you can. First, connect the BitLocker encrypted drive to the new computer, ensuring that the BitLocker service is enabled on that device. To do this, press Win + R, type services.msc, and check that the BitLocker Drive Encryption Service is set to Automatic and running. Next, open File Explorer, locate the drive, right-click it, and select Unlock Drive. Enter your BitLocker password or recovery key when prompted.

2. How can I get a BitLocker recovery key from another computer?

If your BitLocker recovery key is associated with your Microsoft account, navigate to https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey. Sign in with the same Microsoft account used on the locked device. Once logged in, you will see a list of devices and their corresponding recovery keys.

3. How to unlock BitLocker on the external hard drive?

Follow these steps, and you can unlock the encrypted external hard drive:

  • Connect the external hard drive to your computer.
  • Open File Explorer and locate the drive. Double-click on the drive or right-click it and select Unlock Drive.
  • Enter the required information and click Unlock to access the drive.