How to Find Bitlocker Recovery Key on Windows 11?

How to find the Bitlocker recovery key on Windows 11? This post covers retrieving the recovery key through a Microsoft account, USB flash drive, local disk, and third-party software.

This article will help you; EaseUS Software explains what the Bitlocker recovery key is on Windows 11 and offers you several ways to help find the Bitlocker recovery key. If you are stuck without a BitLocker recovery key, then read on.

What Is Bitlocker Recovery Key on Windows 11

The BitLocker Recovery Key in Windows 11 is an important 48-digit numeric cipher used to unlock encrypted drives in the event that BitLocker fails to unlock them automatically.

You can store your BitLocker Recovery Key in several places to ensure that it is easily accessible when you need it. You can print your Recovery Key when you enable BitLocker and keep it safe or save it as a text file so you can find it later. In addition, you can find and manage a Microsoft account by accessing it. Another safe option is to store the recovery key on a USB flash drive or smart card, ensuring that these physical media are secure and readily accessible.

However, many users have feedback that they have lost the Windows 11 BitLocker recovery secret key due to not saving the recovery key, saving it improperly, or not making a backup. Continue reading and learn how to find the Bitlocker recovery key on a Windows 11 PC.

How to Find BitLocker Recovery Key on Windows 11

The system may prompt you to enter your BitLocker Recovery Key during startup When you encounter the following:

• A potential security risk is detected.
• You have made hardware changes.
• Forgotten the common unlock password for the drive.

However, what if you can't find the BitLocker recovery key? This part lists five ways to help locate and find the Windows 11 BitLocker recovery key.

Way 1. Use EaseUS Partition Master

EaseUS Partition Master Free is a professional disk manager tool. Its "Retrieve BitLocker Password" feature can help you retrieve the recovery key of the BitLocker encrypted partition through local search and Microsoft ID search.

For beginners, it's an easier option since you do not need complicated steps during the process. It works smoothly on Windows 11/10/8/7. Follow the steps, and you can find the Bitlocker recovery key on your PC:

Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Partition Master. Navigate to the "Toolkit" section and select "Retrieve BitLocker password."

Step 2. EaseUS Partition Master will automatically list all the Bitlocker encrypted drives and find the corresponding Bitlocker recovery key from a local search if the recovery key is not stored on the local disks. It will automatically search it from your Microsoft account.

If there is no important data or you have created a backup in advance, EaseUS Partition Master can unlock the BitLocker partition without a password and recovery key.

Way 2. Use Microsoft Accounts

Microsoft account stores all necessary data, so accessing your Microsoft account is one of the easiest and fastest ways to access your BitLocker Recovery Key. Please follow the steps below:

Step 1. Go to account.microsoft.com > click "Sign in" and sign in with your details.

Step 2. Go to Devices and click View Details under PC.

Step 3. Scroll down and locate the BitLocker Data Protection section. Click the Manage Recovery Keys option. You will see your recovery key details.

Way 3. Use a USB Flash Drive

If you saved your BitLocker Recovery Key on a USB flash drive when you created it, you can use this method to find the Bitlocker Recovery Secret Key. However, since your hard drive is encrypted, you will need another Windows device to read your key.

Step 1. Insert the USB flash drive on another device.

Step 2. Search for BitLocker Recovery Key and open the TXT document. Then, you can find and locate the Recovery Key.

Way 4. Find BitLocker Recovery Key Offline

If the above methods fail to help you find the BitLocker recovery key, you can use the following offline options:

Check for printouts or saved documents: If you have ever printed a copy of your BitLocker recovery key, then try to find a printout or a paper document;

Ask your system administrator: the system administrator (in your work organization) may have your recovery key ID;

Way 5. Run Command Prompt as Administrator

Command Prompt can also help to find the BitLocker recovery key, but it requires administrator privileges. You can access BitLocker as an administrator and retrieve the key by following these steps:

Step 1. Search for Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

Step 2. Run this command: manage-bde -protectors H: -get. Then, the recovery key should appear on the screen.

In this way, you can get a BitLocker recovery key using CMD. Be careful when you type the command lines in case of any data loss.

What If I Can't Find the Bitlocker Recovery Key?

If you can't find the Bitlocker Recovery Key from any of these sources, you may need to do the following:

🛞Check for other recovery options: If you have multiple devices linked to your Microsoft account, check if any of them have the Recovery Key ID stored on them. Sometimes, your Recovery Key may be associated with another device that you have forgotten.

🛞Use a professional data recovery service: In extreme cases where all other options fail, you may consider using a professional data recovery service. These services specialize in retrieving data from encrypted drives and may help you recover your lost BitLocker Recovery Key ID.

🛞Windows Recovery Option to reset the device: If none of these methods work and you still can't find the recovery key, you may need to reset the current computer using the Windows Recovery Option, which will erase all files on the drive.

Conclusion

Do not panic if you have lost your BitLocker recovery key. This article provides five ways to help you RETRIEVE Bitlocker recovery key. For beginners, Way 1 is the quickest. If you have professional computer experience, you can also use CMD to find the Bitlocker recovery key. Do not forget to share this post to help retrieve the Bitlocker Recovery Key.

FAQs About How to Find Bitlocker Recovery Key

Besides the five ways how to find the Bitlocker recovery key on Windows 11, this post also mentions some other related topics. Check the following content and learn.

1. Where is the 48-digit recovery key for BitLocker?

You can find the 48-digit Bitlocker recovery key in several places:

• Microsoft account
• A USB flash drive if you saved it there, or a printed copy if you chose to print it during setup.
• If your device is managed by an organization, check with your IT department for assistance.

2. How to get a BitLocker recovery key without a Microsoft account?

If you do not use a Microsoft account, you can Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the command Get-BitLockerVolume to list all BitLocker-protected drives. Then, use the command (Get-BitLockerVolume -MountPoint X).KeyProtector (replacing "X" with Bitlocker encrypted drive letter) to retrieve the recovery key.

3. How do you unlock the BitLocker partition without the recovery key and password?

If you can't find the Bitlocker password and recovery key, you can wipe the encrypted partition. This will erase everything on the partition and cause data loss. If you do not back it up in advance, think twice before you do it.