Bitlocker Recovery Key — How Can I Retrieve ?

If you lose your original BitLocker encrypted drive key, you can use a backup key, often known as a “BitLocker recovery key” or “Microsoft recovery key,” to unlock the encrypted disk. In this post, we go over BitLocker recovery in further depth and present many techniques for locating the recovery key.

BitLocker is an integrated encryption solution designed to encrypt all data on the drive. BitLocker encrypts the whole hard disk in order to prevent unauthorized access to any files or data. This functionality is included in all Windows versions released after Vista, including Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.

Section 1: BitLocker Recovery Key

When BitLocker drive encryption is enabled, access to the encrypted drive requires a password or smart card. No one can access your files without the proper authentication; however, if you misplaced your smart card or forgot your password or PIN, you can obtain your BitLocker recovery key.

With this key, you can regain access to your locked data. The BitLocker recovery key is a unique 48-digit code that is generated automatically after BitLocker drive encryption is enabled on a computer drive.

This key can be discovered in a variety of places, including your Microsoft account, a USB drive, a file, printed on paper, and others. The BitLocker recovery key, for example, could be saved in a.txt or.bek file, which often looks like this:

BitLocker Recovery Key: E41062B6–9330–459D-BCF0–16A975AE27E2.TXT

Section 2: How Do I find the BitLocker Recovery Key?

Have you misplaced your BitLocker recovery key? Consider your options for obtaining your BitLocker recovery key. However, this key can be stored in numerous locations and utilized to generate the duration of the BitLocker encryption.

Methods for Getting the BitLocker Recovery Key

Method 1: Look for the BitLocker Recovery Key in your Microsoft Account

If you saved your recovery key in your Microsoft account when you set up BitLocker, you can retrieve it fast. Follow the instructions provided to achieve this.

↠ After you have created an account with Microsoft, visit their website and log in.

↠ After you’ve entered your password and username, click “Sign in.”

↠ This brings up the “Devices” page in your Microsoft account. You may manage the gadgets associated with your Microsoft account from this page. Then, by clicking on your device’s name, select “info & support” from the menu.

↠ On the resulting page, select the second option under the “BitLocker data protection” section: “Manage recovery keys.”

↠ In order to authenticate your identity, Microsoft may request a security code or an OTP code sent to your phone. When you choose the ‘Text’ option, the last two digits of your phone number will be shown. Click that to confirm.

↠ Next, enter the last four digits of your phone number and click “Send code.”

↠ Following that, Microsoft will send you an email with an OTP security code that you must “Verify.”

↠ Once your identity has been authenticated, the BitLocker recovery keys page is displayed on the Microsoft website.

↠ A list of your recovery keys’ details, including the Device Name, Key ID, Recovery key, disk, and date of key upload, is presented.

That’s fine if you just have one recovery key; if you have more than one, the Key ID, device name, and upload date will help you find the correct key. The recovery key can be used to unlock your encrypted drive. The names of the recovery key files include the Key ID as well.

Method 2: Extract the BitLocker Recovery Key from a text document

↠ You have the option to “Save to a file” while creating a recovery key backup.

↠ As a result, it’s possible that you saved the recovery key in.txt or.bek file format on the same computer.

↠ This key could be on a network drive or a separate drive.

↠ You can use the file explorer to find all recovery keys by putting “BitLocker Recovery Key” into the search bar.

↠ You can rename it, but the image below shows what a BitLocker recovery key should look like.

You can also find the BitLocker Recovery key by entering the Key ID that the BitLocker password dialog box presents you with. The Key ID is made up of the first eight letters of each key, which appear after the three phrases “BitLocker recovery key.”

Once you’ve found the exact recovery key file you need, you can find information about it, such as “the Key ID” or “Identifier” line and the actual “recovery key,” therein.

Method 3: Locate the BitLocker recovery key using a USB flash drive.

To find the BitLocker recovery key, first insert the USB flash drive into your computer and open it. It is your backup, which, as previously said, can be kept in a.txt file type.

↠ Saving BitLocker recovery keys on a USB stick is a simple approach to ensure that they are always available. This text file can even be accessed and utilized on a separate PC at any time.

↠ Again, if you accidentally erased something, your USB was formatted, or its data was lost, BLR data recovery tool can assist you in recovering the lost data and key.

↠ BLR BitLocker data recovery tool is a useful tool for restoring data from virtually any device or storage medium, including hard disks, USB flash drives, SSDs, and others.

Method 4: Locate the BitLocker Recovery Key Using a Printed Document

↠ You may have printed your BitLocker recovery key instead of saving it on your computer,

↠ A USB, in your Microsoft account, or elsewhere.

↠ This one is straightforward. Look through your paper papers for any that include recovery keys.

↠ These keys can also be stored in a PDF file. In place of the real printer, you can use the “Microsoft Print to PDF” option.

Method 5: Obtain the BitLocker Recovery Key from Active Directory

If your computer is connected to a domain network, the BitLocker recovery key is most likely kept in Active Directory (AD).

↠ Installing BitLocker Recovery Password Viewer is all that is required for you to inspect the key in Active Directory (AD) as a domain user.

↠ To do so, open “Active Directory Users and Computers” (also known as ADUC) on your domain computer, then navigate to the “Computers” folder.

↠ After that, select “Properties” by right-clicking on the computer object. Select the “BitLocker Recovery” tab when it appears to see the BitLocker recovery keys.

Method 6: Log in to Azure Active Directory and retrieve the BitLocker recovery key.

It’s possible that you logged into an Azure Active Directory (AD) account using the email address of any organization you use (school or employment).

↠ When you enable BitLocker encryption, the recovery key is saved in the Azure AD account associated with your email address.

↠ By first logging in, just like you did with your Microsoft account, you may get the recovery key from the account profile.

↠ However, you may need to communicate with your system administrator to receive it.

Method 7: Run Command Prompt to get the BitLocker Recovery Key.

The next step is to locate the BitLocker Recovery key on a file saved on the same system and also use BLR Tools.

Here’s how to use the Command prompt to find the BitLocker recovery key:

↠ Start by logging onto your computer as an administrator.

↠ To do so, use the Windows search bar to look up “Command prompt” or “CMD,” then click the top result, “Run as Administrator,” and then click the top result, “Run as Administrator.”

↠ Enter the following command into the Command Prompt and press Enter to view your recovery key.

↠ bde-control -protectors H: -purchase

↠ In the command above, replace the letter “H” with the drive’s recovery key.

↠ When you type the aforementioned command, the recovery key will display beneath the password box. It is a series of 48-digit numbers, as shown below.

↠ Next, write down or jot down the recovery and keep it somewhere safe so you can refer to it later if necessary.

What steps can I take to ensure that my BitLocker recovery key is valid?

1.The BitLocker recovery key is a one-of-a-kind code composed of a random combination of letters and digits. The initial eight letters in the “Key ID” are followed by the three words in the actual “BitLocker recovery key.”

2. You can validate your key by comparing the recovery key ID value to the start of the BitLocker recovery key identifier.

3. Given that BitLocker is a Windows defense mechanism that encrypts data to protect it, no one without permission can access a BitLocker encrypted drive.

4. Even so, Windows will seek the BitLocker recovery key if it detects any unlawful attempts. This also happens if you modify any software, firmware, or hardware since BitLocker may consider those changes to be offensive.

5. Windows need all of these to improve security and ensure that encrypted drives are safe from potential attacks.