Easily Recover Your Bitlocker Recovery Key | Complete Guide

Let's quickly go over the basics of Bitlocker or bitlocker data recovery software and its recovery key before we start the step-by-step guide.

How does BitLocker work?

Some versions of Microsoft Windows have a tool called BitLocker that encrypts the whole hard drive. The whole hard drive is encrypted, even the system files, so that private data is safe and no one else can get to it without permission. Customers who want to make their personal computers safer can also use BitLocker, which is mostly used in business settings.

You might think you can never get your drive unlocked again without spending a lot of money on IT help if you lose your BitLocker Recovery Key. Relax. You can do something else. 

What is a restore key for BitLocker?

Microsoft says that your BitLocker recovery key is a unique 48-digit number password that can be used to unlock your system if BitLocker can't be sure that the attempt to access the system drive is allowed in some other way. 

Basically, it's a password. A long and somewhat difficult password that you won't want to try to remember. When BitLocker is installed, this restore key is given to the user in case they forget or lose their password and can't get into their hard drive. 

How do I recover my Bitlocker?

This shows how a BitLocker Recovery Key works:

• You lose your laptop while on vacation or work travel.

• Your laptop is password secure, as it should be, because you or the original manufacturer set up BitLocker on it. The person who found your computer tries to get into it but can't get to your files because BitLocker records their failed attempts to log in. 

• Windows BitLocker protocols let you stop a startup process from starting until the user enters a PIN or adds a removable device with a startup key and a TPM.

• If this doesn't happen, BitLocker will lock the data and your BitLocker Recovery Key is the only way to get it back.

Security at the airport finds your laptop and gives it back to you. You give them your BitLocker Recovery Key, which you have saved somewhere safe just in case, and they give you back your data safely.

Where can I find my BitLocker restore key?

If you have to access your secure data rapidly, BitLocker means you must have a backup key on hand. Obtaining the restore key is crucial since you can lose everything should you misplace it. Maybe you could even turn on your tool without it. Knowing what to search for and having the correct tools will help you easily locate your BitLocker recovery key.

You will need to find your BitLocker recovery key if your device starts up with the BitLocker recovery screen. We will show you how to do that.

Where can I find my Bitlocker key? 

It is important to keep your recovery key somewhere you can find it in case you need to use it after someone tries to break into your data protection.  

If you can't find it or don't have it in a safe place, now is a good time to look over these recovery options, since your laptop, PC, or server isn't locked and an emergency isn't happening right now.

Locate your BitLocker Recovery Key in these places.

DIRECTORY DOMAIN SERVICES THAT ARE ACTIVE

This is likely the simplest way to find your BitLocker Recovery Key if you work for a company big enough to have an IT staff.

You might have saved your BitLocker recovery key in Active Directory (AD). To get it back, you can talk to your supervisor or IT department. They probably have a copy of all the end user encrypted data.

You can find and look at the BitLocker Recovery Key that is saved in Active Directory (AD) with BitLocker Recovery Password Viewer if you want to push them in the right direction or if your business is small.

AZURE'S ACTIVE GUIDE

You can easily get the restore key if your company uses Azure Active Directory. All you have to do is look up the device information for your Microsoft Azure account.

ACCOUNT FOR MICROSOFT

Even if you registered all of your information with Microsoft when you bought your device or signed up for services like Office 365, the process is still pretty easy for you.

If you have a Microsoft account, you can get your recovery key by going to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey. 

How to check if a BitLocker restore key is real?

BitLocker restore keys need to be checked to make sure they work and can be used to get into an encrypted drive. So, you should check your recovery key before you need to use it in an emergency, because if it's not real, you might not be able to get your data back.

In Windows 10, follow these steps to make sure your BitLocker restore key is correct:

• You need to open the BitLocker Recovery Key Verification Tool in order to use it. It can be found in the Windows search box. Type "recovery key" into the box, and then click "Verify BitLocker Recovery Key."

• To get back, type in your key: After typing in the 48-digit reset key, click "Verify."

• Have patience until the proofing is done: This process could take a few minutes, depending on how fast your server is.

• Check the results of the verification: After you finish the verification process, the tool will let you know if your recovery key is still good. 

• If you are using a different version of Windows, the steps you need to take to prove a BitLocker recovery key may be a little different.

The best way to keep a BitLocker Recovery Key safe.

Here are some good places to store all the different kinds of encryption keys you might need in the future once you have your BitLocker Recovery Key. 

DOWNLOAD IT AND PRINT IT

Keep track of the key in a file and print it out. 

Put it away in an old-fashioned file box.

KEEP IT ON A DIFFERENT PHONE

Make a PDF of your BitLocker Recovery Key and print it. 

Keep that PDF file on a different machine.

STORE IT ON A USB DRIVE

Use your BitLocker Recovery Key to make a file or print it as a PDF.

Keep the USB drive and other important papers and items in a safe or other secure place.

Time-tested methods that work to get your BitLocker restore key

In addition to trying to keep your encryption keys in a place that makes sense and that you can remember in an emergency, keep in mind that things may not be lost even when they look very bad. You can actually give it one last try with a couple of easy, old-fashioned fixes if you are currently seeing the blue BitLocker recovery screen and can't see the recovery key.

Try restarting your computer. 

Naturally. An IT expert has probably said this a thousand times, but in this case, it really does work (sometimes).

Simply restart your computer.

• Your computer or laptop may have responded to what you might call a "false positive" if it believed there was a security issue when there wasn't one.

• After restarting, the startup process and routines will run again, and you may be able to enter your normal password or PIN and continue with your day.

• If you are an IT expert or just careless, you may have set off a protection protocol called BitLocker on your drive or device.

If you moved hardware or changed something in the BIOS, you can easily flip it back.

BitLocker may need to be turned back on and the fake positive detected after restarting your computer.

BitLocker restore key backup:

Keeping your encryption keys in too many places is not a good plan. If you haven't already, follow these steps to easily and safely store your BitLocker Encryption Key somewhere you will remember. Choose a system that works for you in terms of access and security (for example, on a flash drive, in a printed or saved document, etc.).

For BitLocker, press Windows Key + Q.

Choose the result that says "Manage BitLocker" or press "Windows Start" and type "BitLocker."

Within the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, find the drive for which you need the restore key.

Using the menu, choose "Backup your Recovery Key." You now have three options for saving a copy of your restore key. It can be printed out or saved as a text file in your Microsoft account. Saving it as a text file is the easiest thing to do. 

• Store the text file—like My Documents—where you will locate it most easily.

• You can also save a backup copy on a safe machine.

• Save the text file then open it and search for the restoration key close to the bottom.

• You have then safely preserved the restoration key for the machine.

• This method needs to be followed for every machine with BitLocker configured; each device and drive need a new restore key. Organize them all in one folder and properly mark each one so you may locate the recovery key compatible for every drive.

Key Points

It is very important for any business to protect data on desktop devices because they are usually the weakest points in any system. BitLocker and other security and encryption protocols and features that are easy to use can protect data and devices properly and effectively. As part of good business practices, they teach their workers where to keep BitLocker Recovery Keys so they can get to them when they need to. 

There are tools that can help businesses of all sizes make their BitLocker protection as safe as it can be. Let's say you want to use Windows BitLocker and AES encryption to protect data on your Windows fleet from afar. Then DRS Tools can easily turn the service on or off for any device from a single screen.

Encrypting your whole device is one of the easiest and most thorough ways to stop data theft, and DRS has made it easier than ever to turn on BitLocker. It can help your IT team in the following ways:

Protect company data, user data, source code, and other things from being lost by encrypting all files and removable drives.

Set up automatic responses for when people enter or leave Control Zones. This will help you stop theft and get more done.

Create timed or repeated actions, such a daily curfew for locked devices.

Meet government guidelines or security standards stating disk encryption is required, such as GDPR, HIPAA, ISO-IEC, or HIPAA.

Read More:

Quick Tips for Locating Your Windows Bitlocker Key

Best Practices for Partial Encrypted Bitlocker Data Recovery