How To Obtain Your BitLocker Recovery Key

Locating your BitLocker recovery key ahead of time prevents you from being locked out of your own drive after a hardware change, firmware update, or system reset.

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How To Obtain Your BitLocker Recovery Key

Method 1: From Your Microsoft Account Online

1. Open a web browser on any working device and go to account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey.
2. Select Sign in and enter the email and password for your Microsoft account.
3. If prompted, complete the verification step sent to your phone or recovery email.
4. Locate your computer in the list and find the Key ID that matches the one shown on the BitLocker recovery screen.
5. Write down the 48-digit recovery key listed next to that Key ID.
6. Type the recovery key into the BitLocker recovery screen on the locked computer and press Enter.

Method 2: From Within Windows

1. Select the Start menu and type Control Panel, then press Enter.
2. Select System and Security.
3. Select BitLocker Drive Encryption.
4. Locate your drive and select Back up your recovery key.
5. Choose Save to your Microsoft account, Save to a file, or Print the recovery key.
6. Select Save or Print to complete the backup.

Method 3: Using Command Prompt

1. Select the Start menu and type cmd.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. Select Yes when the permission window appears.
4. Type manage-bde -protectors C: -get and press Enter.
5. Write down the 48-digit password listed under Numerical Password.

Your recovery key has been retrieved!

Notes:

The recovery key is 48 digits long and is tied to a specific drive on a specific computer, so a key from another device will not work.
If the key does not appear under your Microsoft account, check any other Microsoft accounts you may have used to set up the computer.

On a work or school computer, the key may be stored with your organization instead, and your IT administrator will need to provide it.
Method 2 and Method 3 require you to already be signed into Windows, so back up your key before a locked screen ever appears.

Some computers save the key to a USB drive or a printed sheet during initial setup, so check any paperwork that came with the device.

Still have questions? Our in-house technicians offer one-on-one tech support by appointment!
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