Forgot BitLocker password? Here’s how you can use the recovery key to recover BitLocker encrypted drive and reset the BitLocker password.
To encrypt a drive in Windows, you can use the built-in BitLocker tool. It provides an easy and secure way to quickly backup any internal or removable drives with strong encryption. Once encrypted, you need to provide the password or a key file to decrypt and access the contents in the encrypted drive.
In case you wondering, if you ever lose the password, key file, or the smart card, it is impossible to decrypt the drive. This is by design as you don’t want others accessing your data without your consent or proper authentication.
That being said, unless you are using some kind of password manager, forgetting the password is a pretty common occurrence. That is the reason why BitLocker gives you a recovery key while encrypting the drive. Using that recovery key, you can decrypt the BitLocker drive with just a few clicks and reset the password. So, in this quick tutorial let me show how you can use the BitLocker recovery key to decrypt BitLocker drive in Windows.
Note: As I said before, you need to have the recovery key to follow the below procedure. If you don’t have the recovery key then you can kiss goodbye to the data in the BitLocker drive.
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Please don’t trust tools or software that promise to recover the password or unlock drive without a password or recovery key.
Steps to Recovery BitLocker Drive with Recovery Key
Before proceeding to unlock BitLocker without a password, have the recovery key handy. If you saved it to a text file or printed it to a document, you can find it right next to or under the “Recovery Key” heading (see image below). If you chose to save the recovery key to your Microsoft account, you can find it here or here. Once you have the recovery key, follow the below steps to recover the BitLocker drive.
1. First, find the recovery key, select it and copy it by pressing Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut. We are going to need it in the next steps.
2. Now, double-click on the BitLocker drive. You will be prompted to enter the password. Since we are trying to recover the drive, click on the “More Options” link under the password field. Now, click on the “Enter recovery key” link.
Note: If you are using some other form of authentication, you might see a different kind of prompt. Even then you should still see the “Enter recovery key” option.
3. In the blank field, press the Ctrl + V keyboard shortcut to paste the recovery key. Click on the “Unlock” button.
If the recovery key is correct, the BitLocker drive will be instantly unlocked.
Reset BitLocker Password
After decrypting the BitLocker drive without a password, it is important that you reset the password or remove it entirely.
1. Open the Control Panel by searching it for in the start menu. In the Control Panel, set the View By to “Large icons” or “Small icons”. Next, find and click on the “BitLocker Drive Encryption” option.
2. Here, find the drive and click on the little arrow icon appearing at the top right corner to see more options. Click on the “Change Password” link.
Note: If you want to remove BitLocker password, click on the “Remove Password” link.
3. In the Change Password window, click “Reset a forgotten password” link.
4. Now, type your new password in the two blank fields and click the “Finish” button.
That is all. You’ve successfully reset the BitLocker password.
Wrapping Up – Recover BitLocker Drive without Password
As you can see, as long as you have the recovery key, it is very easy to recover the BitLocker drive in Windows. The good thing is, even after you reset the password, the recovery key is still valid. So, you don’t have to create a new BitLocker recovery key. Just keep the one you already have safe and secure.
I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.
