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How to Find BitLocker Recovery Key in 4 Easy Steps

Your Microsoft account is your best bet to recover your lost key

5 min. read

Updated onJanuary 26, 2024

updated onJanuary 26, 2024

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Key notes

If you’re using a Windows 11 PC, then BitLocker is one of the built-in security features that are built-in. It can help protect your data from unauthorized access. This feature allows you to encrypt your hard drive to prevent unauthorized access to your device.

However, even you, as the user, can get locked out of your account and need to use the recovery key. SometimesWindows keeps asking for your BitLocker recovery keyand other times, you may have lost it. We show you how you can find it in this article.

Why is Windows 11 asking for a BitLocker recovery key?

The BitLocker recovery key is a 48-digit code. It can unlock the drive if you lose your password or forget it. You need to keep this recovery key safe because if you don’t have it, you won’t be able to recover your data if something goes wrong.

What do I do if I don’t have my BitLocker recovery key?

1. Use a Microsoft account

Have you wondered where to find the BitLocker recovery key in your Microsoft account? If you use a Microsoft account for your Windows log-in, your recovery key will be stored on Microsoft’s servers.

Here, you will see a list of devices and their associated recovery keys, including laptop, desktop, and mobile devices. You can click on any of these devices to see more details and download their respective BitLocker recovery key files.

2. Use a removable drive

If you saved your recovery key to a removable drive, such as a USB flash drive or external hard disk, you could use it to recover your BitLocker key. You should keep this drive in a safe place. This is in case you need it to unlock your disk if you forget your password.

When retrieving it, insert the USB drive into your PC. You’ll need to search for a .txt or .pdf file written BitLocker to find your recovery key.

3. Use a printable document

If you choose to print your recovery key, it will be printed on paper left in an accessible location, such as your desk drawer.

This can be extremely helpful, especially when you need the recovery key immediately. If you have a printable version of the BitLocker recovery key, you can use it to unlock your computer in no time.

4. Use cloud storage

We all know that cloud storage can be the perfect place to store all your important files. But it’s also a great place to save your BitLocker Recovery Key if you forget or lose the password.

It could be a cloud storage service such as Dropbox orOneDrive. When searching for it in the cloud, use keywords such as BitLocker and recovery key to retrieve it quickly.

5. Use an AD account

You can use your Active Directory (AD) account to access Microsoft Azure. This allows you to access your organization’s resources in the cloud, including BitLocker recovery keys.

You can use AD accounts to sign in to most Azure services, but not all services support this feature. If you can’t access it, contact your administrator to help you retrieve it.

If none of the above methods gets you your BitLocker recovery key, you may have to do a PC reset or clean install.

However, before you take any drastic measures, we recommend you firstget in touch with Microsoftand your PC’s manufacturer for additional help. They may have another option to recover your lost key.

If you find this situation tedious, consider disabling BitLocker on your Windows 11 to prevent issues like gettingstuck on the Preparing BitLocker recovery screenin the future.

You may also find yourself in a predicament where you retrieve the recovery key, but theBitLocker key fails to unlock your PC. If this sounds familiar, please check out our helpful guide for some solutions. And if you happen to face another common issue, it’s time tolearn how to retrieve the BitLocker Recovery Key using CMD.

Let us know which method you found easy to find your lost BitLocker recovery key in the comment section below.

How to Find BitLocker Recovery Key in 4 Easy Steps#

What do I do if I don’t have my BitLocker recovery key?#

1. Use a Microsoft account#

2. Use a removable drive#

3. Use a printable document#

4. Use cloud storage#

5. Use an AD account#