Forum Discussion
Ozo123123
Nov 01, 2021Copper Contributor
Locked out of my PC! BitLocker was enabled on it's own and I have no key
Hi all,
This happened on my dad's Acer 5 A515 laptop. as far as I can tell - he just opened the laptop one day and was locked out of his PC with the Bitlocker screen on. He never enabled it or set up a recovery key, let alone saved the key somewhere. perhaps some rogue update behavior or smthng.
Is there anyway around that? what's important is to save some files that are on the PC - other than I can format and reinstall.
- kkeerthanagokavarapuCopper Contributor
What should we do to backup our device after reset...is it possible to backup without storing anything in usb
- muabdullah2526Copper Contributor
I have Windows 10 enterprise edition in my Laptop and was updated on Sunday evening. later that one of drive other than C drive (windows drive) is locked by Bitlocker and i cant access the data on that drive. I didnt install the Bitlocker, it was at its own. Now whats the way to get back my drive / data from the locked drive. Any suggestion pleasekkeerthanagokavarapu
- johnhattenCopper ContributorI share responsibility for 3 laptops used by our county search and rescue group. One day, they all had the bitlocker turned on and all data was unaccessable. 😞 Given the comments that I've read here, it seems a Microsoft update got pushed that caused the problem. That's the only thing that makes sense given that, A. It happened randomly, B. It was on new laptops that might not have been registered with a Microsoft account. 😞
- kelidoscope12Copper Contributor
This happened To me. I have tried opening a second drive which was not installed by me but locked by bitlocker. I have downloaded the key but can't use it cos it keeps saying insert USB drive. I hardly usr my laptop except to store my huge files I can't keep on my fone, however I accidentally deleted all the files by right clicking worngly. Thsts wen I discovered this mysterious second drive that is bitlocker enabled. I was alarmed and researched a bit and found my device encryption was turned on so I had to turn it off. Now the problem is this drive has been like this for mont hs stopped me from finding recovery apps as I was worried it could be a problem and yet still unable to open it. I really need help. This thing is driving me crazy
- AsusdadCopper ContributorDid you end up finding a solution?
- SmithchowCopper ContributorGo and check if the recovery key is stored in your Microsoft account. Otherwise, you have to format the drive and make a fresh install of Windows 10 from a bootable USB drive.
- subodh720xrCopper Contributor
Same problem on my Acer aspire a515-56,
My laptop is locked by bitlocker and i have a recovery key but it is not workingOzo123123
- ddhoff21Copper ContributorI am having the same issue. It sounds like I will need to back up my data somehow and reinstall my computer. Is there a way to access the harddrive and save data while the computer is reinstalled?
- SalmanAhmedSteel Contributor
Hi Ozo123123
Please login to your Microsoft Account from another computer, Devices, select your device and click See detail, from Bitlocker data protection, select Manage recovery keys.
Please share your feedback, do not hesitate to contact me for further assistance, I will welcome all the questions you may have.
- lee-richardsonCopper Contributor
SalmanAhmed posted 3 yrs ago but i must thank you for this Salman.
i reinstalled windows 11, and i didn't realise all my partitions on my second drive were encrypted. i panicked myself after installation when all the drives were locked..
thank you so much for this
- tahoejerrCopper Contributor
SalmanAhmed i am locked out by bitlocker. I never set it up and have no key. I go to device and said i do not have a key. Why did this come up anyways when i did not set it ip? Was i hacked?
- ummzubayrCopper ContributorI did exactly what you said, but it reads:
You don’t have any Bitlocker recovery keys you’re looking for might be on their account.
When I click “Learn more” it explains that the key must be with the previous owner, which clearly shows my husband’s computer was not new. We were mislead to believe this. He order a “new” lab top from Best Buy.
So now what do I do? I have to redo his whole computer? From scratch losing all his files?
- amarioguyCopper ContributorDo you remember if there was a setting enabled on your device called "device encryption"? It has a distinct name from BitLocker but internally it uses BitLocker and so the protection from BitLocker was likely always active even if you didn't realize it.