Forum Discussion
Bitlocker key requested on the boot, but I don’t have any key
My laptop (Windows 10, version 22H2, build 19045), that I have been using more than 6 years already, suddenly started asking for the BitLocker recovery key at startup, which is blocking access to the system entirely.
What I've already checked/tried:
- Checked account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey while signed in with my Microsoft account, no key appears for this device.
- Contacted Microsoft Support directly, they said they can no longer assist with Windows 10 issues and suggested posting here instead.
Is there any way to recover access to this drive?
1 Reply
Hi Yann1,
If BitLocker is asking for the recovery key, it's because Windows detected a change that requires recovery verification (TPM, firmware/BIOS, Secure Boot, hardware changes, etc.). Unfortunately, the recovery key is the only supported way to unlock the drive. Since you've already checked your Microsoft account, I'd also check a few other places:
- Your organization's Azure AD (Entra ID) or Active Directory, if this was ever a work-managed device.
- A USB drive, printed copy, or another Microsoft account where the key may have been saved.
- Any backup or password manager where you might have stored it.
If the recovery key can't be found anywhere, there's no supported method to bypass BitLocker encryption. The only remaining option is to erase the drive and reinstall Windows, which will unfortunately result in data loss.
