Bitlocker key

Question

Bitlocker key

Baiba Birzniece 0

Hello!

so i was using my moms laptop and i restardet it to check her bios options when i restarted it showed windows update, i entered bios changed performace mode turned the laptop on and it asked for Bitlocker key, and i dont know her microsoft account and she dosent know either.

Is there any posobility that i can get it working again

Thank you!

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi Baiba Birzniece,

The BitLocker screen may have appeared because changing the performance setting in the BIOS altered the configuration measured by the device’s security chip.

Before making any further BIOS changes, try returning Performance Mode to the exact setting it used previously, save the change and restart the laptop. Please avoid clearing the TPM or changing Secure Boot settings. Restoring the original setting may help if the prompt was triggered only by that BIOS change, although the recovery key may still be required.

If the prompt remains, check whether the recovery screen shows part of an email address associated with the key. From another device, your mother should try any Microsoft accounts that may have been used when the laptop was first set up and compare the key ID shown on the laptop with the key stored in the account: Find the BitLocker recovery key.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. My role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas.

If the recovery key cannot be located, the encrypted files cannot be unlocked or recovered. Reinstalling Windows would make the laptop usable again, but it would erase the data on the encrypted drive. Thank you so much for your understanding.

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Vikki-T 8,550 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-13T12:39:34.77+00:00

Hi Baiba Birzniece,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.

Answer 2

Yes, but only if the BitLocker recovery key can be found.

What likely happened:

Changing BIOS settings can trigger BitLocker recovery.
BitLocker asks for a 48-digit recovery key when it detects a hardware, firmware, or security-related change.

What to do next:

On the BitLocker recovery screen, note the first 8 digits of the recovery key ID.
From another device, check whether the key is in the Microsoft account at https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey.
If the laptop was ever signed into a work or school account, also check https://aka.ms/aadrecoverykey, then go to Devices and View BitLocker Keys.
Check whether the key was ever printed or saved to a USB flash drive as a text file.
If someone else originally set up the laptop or turned on BitLocker, the key might be stored in that person’s Microsoft account or work/school account.

Important facts:

Microsoft Support cannot retrieve, provide, or recreate a lost BitLocker recovery key.
If the device is managed by an organization, the organization’s IT department might have the key.

If the key cannot be found:

The drive cannot be unlocked without the recovery key.
The remaining option is to reset or clean install Windows.
Warning: this removes files on the device.

If access is restored after entering the key:

Since the recovery was likely triggered by the BIOS change, BitLocker protection may need to be reset to stop repeated recovery prompts.
If the issue becomes “asks for the key every startup,” one documented fix for a forgotten PIN scenario is to unlock the device, open the BitLocker Control Panel settings for the drive, and reset the PIN while signed in.