How to Find and Use Your BitLocker Recovery Key to reset Windows Password

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How to Find and Use Your BitLocker Recovery Key to reset Windows Password

24 July 2024 Amanda J. Brook Senior Product Manager

Summary
BitLocker is a Windows encryption technology that secures your data by encrypting your drive. You may need a BitLocker recovery key to access your system in certain situations. This key can be found in several locations, such as your Microsoft Account, depending on where you chose to store it when activating BitLocker. The article provides guidance on locating your BitLocker recovery key and explains how to reset the login password for BitLocker Encrypted Windows sytem.

Table of contents

What Is My BitLocker Recovery Key?

Where Can I Find My BitLocker Recovery Key?

In Your Microsoft Account
On a Printout
On a USB Drive
In a Work or School Account
Held by a System Administrator

How to Reset BitLocker Encrypted Windows login password with Renee PassNow

BitLocker is a Windows encryption technology designed to protect your data from unauthorized access by encrypting your drive. In some cases, you may be asked to provide a BitLocker recovery key to access your system or to repair your sytem. This article will guide you on how to locate your BitLocker recovery key and explain how to reset the login password for BitLocker Encrypted Windows sytem.

What Is My BitLocker Recovery Key?

A BitLocker recovery key is a unique 48-digit numeric password that can be used to unlock the system if BitLocker cannot verify that the attempt to access the system drive is authorized.

Why Is Windows Asking for My BitLocker Recovery Key?

Windows requires a BitLocker recovery key when it detects a possible unauthorized attempt to access your data. This extra step is a security precaution to ensure that your data is safe. This can also happen if changes are made in the hardware, firmware, or software that BitLocker cannot distinguish from a possible attack. In these cases, BitLocker may require a higher level of recovery key security, even if the user is the authorized owner of the device.

Where Can I Find My BitLocker Recovery Key?

Your BitLocker recovery key may be stored in several locations, depending on the choices you made when you activated BitLocker. Here are the most common places to check:

In Your Microsoft Account

The recovery key is often stored in the Microsoft Account that was originally set up on the device. You can access it by following these steps:

1. Open a web browser on another device.

2. Go to Microsoft Account Recovery Key to find your recovery key.

Tip: You can sign in to your Microsoft account on any device that has Internet access, such as a smartphone.

On a Printout

When you activated BitLocker, you might have printed your recovery key. Look for it where you keep important files related to your computer.

On a USB Drive

If you saved the key as a text file on a USB drive, insert the USB drive into the locked PC and follow the instructions. You can also use another computer to read the text file.

BitLocker recovery key in a txt file in USB drive

In a Work or School Account

If the device was signed in to an organization using a work or school email account, the recovery key might be stored in that organization’s Azure AD account. You can access it directly, or you might need to contact the organization’s IT support staff to access the recovery key.

Held by a System Administrator

If the device is connected to a domain (typically a work or school device), ask your system administrator for the recovery key.

Tips: If you can’t find your BitLocker recovery key and can’t revert any configuration changes that might have caused the key to be needed, you’ll need to reset your device using one of the Windows recovery options. Resetting your device will delete all your files.

How to Reset BitLocker Encrypted Windows login password with Renee PassNow

Tips: Renee PassNow can not reset Windows Login Password without the BitLocker recovery key.

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Step 1: Install the program, and create a Live USB/CD.

You can insert a USB stick to your PC and create a Live USB, CD/DVD device startup even better.

use renee passnow to create usb to reset passnword

How to create the boot media? Select one option from [Crate a Live USB] and [Create a Live CD]. Then, select [x64] or [x86] according to your computer. Next, click on [Download Now] to download the licensed ISO. Remember to activate the software beforehand. After that, click on [Create USB] to create the boot media.

Step 2: Boot your target PC and Change the boot order in BIOS.

First Insert the USB/CD in your PC.

Boot the target PC with the created password reset USB/CD/DVD.

Secondly, Change the boot order of the target PC in BIOS. If the optical drive is not first in the boot order, your PC will start “normally” (i.e. boot from your hard drive) and will not check your disc drive.

You must reboot the target PC and hold a Hotkey to Enter the BIOS menu. Click here to find your computer brand here: How to set your PC boot from USB/CD device

(Cannot find your brand? Please refer to your PC manual to find out the method.)

After successfully changing the boot order, please save the BIOS and reboot your PC.

Step 3:Enter the program and select ‘PassNow!’ function.

Please note that: If the account you want to reset password is in Windows 8 System, you need to enable the Administrator Account only (A local account, it does not require any online authentication). After that, you can completely control your PC without any password.