How to Find BitLocker Recovery Key [Top 4 Solutions Without Data Loss]

Brithny updated on Oct 08, 2024 | Home >Computer Instruction

Wondering how to find BitLocker recovery key? Before diving into this question, you must understand a BitLocker recovery key! It's a Windows or Microsoft recovery key, a special one spawned automatically while enabling BitLocker to encode an external HDD or a USB. Such a key unlocks the BitLocker encoded drive upon forgetting the BitLocker password or the "BitLocker password isn't working" condition.

Imagine yourself trying to log into your PC, and instead of asking for your PC's password, your system demands a BitLocker recovery key! What will you do now? Don't fret! This article will navigate you through the top 4 solutions to find your BitLocker recovery key:

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Find BitLocker Recovery Key via Microsft Account Launch the browser on a device and go to the address below to find the BitLocker recovery key...Full steps
Fix 2. Attach to Your Work/School Account to Find BitLocker Key Launch a web browser from another PC and head to aka.ms, then, sign in with your account...Full steps
Fix 3. Find BitLocker Recovery Key from a USB Flash Drive If you ever saved the BitLocker recovery key to a USB drive, insert the USB flash drive...Full steps
Fix 4. Find the BitLocker Recovery Key on a Printout You might have considered printing your recovery key when the BitLocker was activated...Full steps

Even if you can't find the BitLocker recovery key with the four methods mentioned below, don't worry! In the fifth part, we will introduce a proven way to recover BitLocker drive data without a recovery key or password.

Solution 1. Find BitLocker Recovery Key via Microsft Account

According to Microsoft, a BitLocker recovery key is an innovative 48-digit numerical password that can be used to unlock your PC if BitLocker can't confirm specifically that the attempt to access the PC is legitimate. One of the best ways to find the BitLocker recovery key is via a Microsoft account. If you set up your system and enable BitLocker yourself, your recovery key will be in your MS account.

You must launch a web browser on a device and type this URL into the address bar:

https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey

sign in Microsftt account

Then, you will find your BitLocker recovery key for each device as follows:

find your BitLocker recovery key

Warning
Microsoft support can't access or reset a misplaced BitLocker recovery key ID. What would happen if someone else set up your PC or activated BitLocker? In that case, the recovery key should be stored in their MS account. If you can't find your recovery key in your MS account, you may consider chatting with the MS support person or an IT professional who set up the BitLocker.

Solution 2. Attach to Your Work/School Account to Find BitLocker Key

In the event that your PC was ever logged into an organization with a work or school account, the company's account might include the recovery key. Your recovery key may be available to you immediately, or you might be required to get in touch with that company's IT assistance. Go through the steps below to attach to your work/school account to find the BitLocker key:

Step 1. Launch a web browser from another PC and head to:

https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey

Step 2. Sign in with your school or work account.

Step 3. Opt for "Devices" and broaden the device for which you must restore the recovery key.

choose Devices

Step 4. Opt for the option "View BitLocker Keys".

Step 5. Find the related recovery key using the key ID and utilize it to unlock the drive using the key ID.

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Solution 3. Find BitLocker Recovery Key from a USB Flash Drive

Have you ever saved the BitLocker recovery key to a USB drive? If so, you can recover the key from that USB flash drive! Simply insert the USB flash drive into the encrypted device and adhere to the prompts displayed. After connecting the USB flash drive to your computer, you have no trouble finding the BitLocker recovery key in this way.

find recovery key from usb drive

Don't worry if you can't find the Bitlocker recovery key or password; this post will guide you in unlocking the encrypted drive without the recovery key! Take a look if needed.

unlock BitLocker drive without recovery key and password free

Unlock BitLocker Drive Without Recovery Key and Password Free

Do you want to learn how to unlock the BitLocker drive without a recovery key? Explore step-by-step solutions, including disabling encryption and using CMD, and recover your lost data safely. Read more >>

Solution 4. Find the BitLocker Recovery Key on a Printout

You might have considered printing your recovery key when the BitLocker was activated. All you need to do is search where you store vital device-related papers. For instance, the key ID and the relevant recovery key are shown in the printout that follows:

find the key on a printout

⚠️What If You Can't Find the BitLocker Recovery Key

If you can't find your recovery key to unlock a BitLocker partition, to avoid data loss, consider using the professional data recovery tool, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, to recover BitLocker hard drive data. Unlike ordinary data recovery software, BitLocker data restoration needs a specific BitLocker password and metadata or BitLocker recovery key to decode data.

 Download for Win Recovery Rate 99.7%
 Download for Mac Trustpilot Rating 4.8

Sometimes, the BitLocker restoration key and the password won't unlock the BitLocker encoded drive. One of the most probable reasons for a locked BitLocker drive is corruption. In that circumstance, powerful EaseUS data recovery software is needed.

The EaseUS proficient BitLocker data recovery program assists in recovering a BitLocker encrypted drive, no matter if it's corrupted, unsuccessful, misplaced, or erased. Furthermore, as long as the BitLocker metadata remains functional, the recovery key or password is accessible, and the drive's data isn't erased, it permits data to be transferred from a formatted BitLocker-encoded disk.

Check out the following steps to recover a BitLocker encrypted hard drive:

Step 1. Choose the encrypted drive to scan

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and you will see the BitLocker encrypted drive displayed there.

Select the bitlocker drive to scan

When you click on the encrypted partition, a pop-up window will remind you to enter a password to unlock it. Input the key and click the "Search for Lost Data" button to look for lost files.

Note: If you forget the key, you can use "Try Automatically Decrypt", which may help you decrypt the drive. But if it failed, this program can't scan the drive.

Decrypt the drive with password

Step 2. Select and preview scanned files

The software will start a quick scan for deleted files and perform advanced scan for more lost files. When the process completes, you can apply the "Filter" feature or use the search feature to find the lost files in a short time.

scan the drive for lost drive

Step 3. Recover lost files from BitLocker encrypted hard drive

After previewing the file, click the "Recover" button to restore deleted or lost files from BitLocker encrypted partition on Windows. You can choose a cloud storage, such as OneDrive, Google Drive, etc., and click "Save" to save your recovered files.

restore and save lost data

Download this professional data recovery software now! If this software's efficiency enchants you, kindly share the information with your friends on social media.

 Download for Win Recovery Rate 99.7%
 Download for Mac Trustpilot Rating 4.8

Conclusion

It might be unsettling to lose ownership of your protected BitLocker storage. However, you can quickly find the BitLocker recovery key using the abovementioned methods. Here, the article has described the methods of finding the BitLocker recovery key using a Microsoft account, attaching it to your Work/School account or USB flash drive, and finding the key on a printout. If you have lost data while trying the fixes above, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the one-stop tool to restore the BitLocker recovery key in a jiffy!

How to Find BitLocker Recovery Key FAQs

To learn more about this topic, look through the following FAQs:

1. How do I find the BitLocker recovery key?

Using your Microsoft account, you might discover the BitLocker recovery key, which is backed up to your account when you use an MS account to log into the computer.

  • Open a web browser and type the URL in the address bar: https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey
  • Now, log in to your MS account.

2. What do I do if I don't have a BitLocker recovery key?

Resetting your device via a Windows recovery method will be necessary if you fail to locate the BitLocker recovery key and reverse the adjustments that made it mandatory. All of your files will be deleted if you reboot your PC.

3. How do you recover the BitLocker key without a Microsoft account?

You can restore the BitLocker key without an MS account with the help of PowerShell. Follow the steps below to restore the key:

  • Hit the "Win + X" and opt for "Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the popup menu.
  • Type Get-BitLockerVolume in the PowerShell window and hit "Enter," showing a broad list of every BitLocker encoded drive on your PC.
  • Run the command manage-bde -protectors -get [VolumeId] and hit "Enter" to check the recovery key. All you need to do is alter the [VolumeId] with the drive letter of the encoded drive, which will let you show the 48-digit recovery key.

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Updated by Brithny

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her game experience on Facebook or Twitter.

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