[Article] Windows 10/11 Bitlocker Fixes & Recovery (2023)

📌 Note: This article was originally created by Greg Carmack Windows MVP 2010-20 (ret'd), a valued member on Answers Support Community. It provided meaningful insights and proved helpful to many. We're recreating it here on their behalf to preserve its value and ensure continued access for others.

This fix from Richard Dyer is reported to work recently by several people in the Comments section:

"Simplest solution: Log in to your Microsoft account on a different device, change your password, login again with new password, you will be on a page with your new recovery key, enter the new key on the bluescreen page on the computer that is stuck; done! Hope this works for all of you, best wishes, Richard Dyer"

1. If Bitlocker is pre-enabled on your hard drive this may have been done at the factory, which the manufacturer's Support should tell you and provide what you need to know. HP, Lenovo, and Dell have documents explaining this.
2. If done since then it should always store the Recovery key that unlocks it in your MS Account. See here how to find the Recovery key for Bitlocker:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026181/windows-10-find-my-bitlocker-recovery-key

3. Log in to your Microsoft account on a different device, change your password, login again with new password, you will be on a page with your new recovery key, enter the new key on the bluescreen page on the computer that is stuck. (Courtesy Richard Dyer from Comments section 3/21/24 below).
4. You can try removing or turning off Bitlocker by one of these methods:

https://www.repairwin.com/how-to-remove-bitlocker-protection-without-the-bitlocker-recovery-key-or-password/

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/turn-off-bitlocker-for-drive-in-windows-11.2900/

5. Manual for managing Bitlocker: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-bitlocker-encryption-windows-10
6. If you cannot find the key or turn off Bitlocker then you'll need to try to recover your data by one of the methods shown here:

https://www.howtogeek.com/263561/how-to-recover-your-files-from-a-bitlocker-encrypted-drive/

http://woshub.com/data-recovery-on-a-damaged-hard-disk-encrypted-with-bitlocker/

7. A few have tried this method successfully to Rescue files using bootable media so WIndows isn't running and has no say: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-update/rescue-files-when-windows-wont-start/862c143f-9239-4e63-8968-635e8ba9efd6
8. If nothing else works then wipe the drive to reinstall WIndows as shown here:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/85819-erase-disk-using-diskpart-clean-command-windows-10-a.html

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-windows_install/clean-install-windows-10-11-2023/1c426bdf-79b1-4d42-be93-17378d93e587?messageId=c71adb67-e6e5-42b9-9731-76d927020c36

9. Due to number of similar cases with files lost I would have a secondary backup just in case.

Here are easy, free (or cheap) real time backup methods so you never lose any files or changes in files again:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/easy-free-backup-suggestions-2023/48392b54-ac87-4feb-8581-e4d4aa1e2e24?tm=1671656016018

If you want to report this bug to Microsoft you may be able to help improve this product/experience by using the Feedback Hub in Start Menu. While they will probably not see this here in the forums, Microsoft developers DO read feedback from customers that comes in via the Feedback Hub, so that is a great way to share your thoughts on how to better serve you as a customer.

If you were referred here from another thread, please post back results in that thread. Otherwise you can ask questions and share information in the Comments section below, including any broken links.

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