Find your BitLocker recovery key
If Windows asks for a 48-digit recovery key at startup, it’s stored online, not on the locked machine. Don’t panic.
- On another device (phone or another PC), go to aka.ms/myrecoverykey in a browser.
- Sign in with the Microsoft account linked to the locked PC.
- On the locked PC’s blue screen, note the first 8 digits of the Key ID shown.
- Match that Key ID to the entry online and read off the 48-digit key.
- If this is a work device, the key may sit in your organisation’s account instead, so contact your IT support to retrieve it.
Still stuck after those?
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