Windows devices have tons of features for their users. Microsoft Recover Key is another useful option on Windows that we are going to discuss in today’s post. Using Microsoft BitLocker Recovery Key, one can access their encrypted BitLocker drives even if they forgot the password.
Microsoft Recovery Key or Windows Recovery Key or Bitlocker Recovery Key is a special key generated or created automatically on your PC when you use BitLocker encryption for any driver on your PC. If ever you forgot the password for your BitLocker drive, you can use this Recovery Key to access your data.
This Recovery Key is stored in your device in different locations with respect to the device and drive. Hence, Windows users aren’t able to find the Microsoft Recovery Key quickly. In this post, you can learn where to find the BitLocker Recovery Key and how to find it easily.
Bitlocker Recovery Key – aka.ms/myrecoverykey
Microsoft Recovery Key is an essential and useful Windows feature that is used to secure the data with two-factor authentication. Any drive encrypted with Bitlocker encryption will be safe and protected. Even if you forget the password for your drive, you can still access it by using the Microsoft Recovery Key.
You can find the Recovery Key of your drive on your Windows PC easily. To know more about the Windows Recovery Key in detail, you can read below.
What Is BitLocker Recovery Key?
Microsoft Recovery Key or BitLocker Recovery Key or Windows Recovery Key is a special key generated on your device automatically whenever a device drive uses a BitLocker encryption for its data. This key plays an essential role if ever you forgot the password for your BitLocker drives.
Sometimes, a software change, hardware change, boot mode modifications, and other changes on your Windows PC also raise suspicion for the BitLocker encryption software. In such cases, the recovery screen shows up on your device asking you to enter the key.
A BitLocker Recovery Key or Windows Recovery Key is stored in a .BEK file such as Bitlocker Recovery Key 444C8E16-45E7-4F23-96CE-3B3FA04D2189.BEK.
Bitlocker Recovery Key Format: 419595-387156-44334-315590-197472-399399-320562-361383. This key can be used when you forget the password for your Bitlocker drive.
Why Is Windows Asking My BitLocker Recovery Key
As mentioned earlier, a Windows BitLocker Recovery Key or Microsoft Recovery Key is used to protect the encrypted BitLocker drives on your computer. This recovery key is used to shield the data from all kinds of illegal sources. BitLocker Recover Key uses a one or two-factor verification to let a user open the BitLocker encrypted drives.
Whenever a Windows PC detects an unsafe condition that can illegally access the data on your device, Windows will show the BitLocker recovery screen and ask you to enter the Microsoft Recovery Key. Asking you to enter the BitLocker Microsoft Recovery Key is to ensure the user trying to access the data is not a threat and your data is completely safe.
Most of the time, Windows PCs show the BitLocker Recovery Screen after making some hardware changes, changing the boot mode in BIOS, software changes like a firmware update, etc. This step is to ensure the safety of your BitLocker encrypted drives once again.
Where Can I Find Microsoft Bitlocker Recovery Key
The BitLocker Recovery Screen asks you to enter the recovery key to ensure the safety of the BitLocker encrypted data. So, you must know where is the Recovery Key present or saved on your Windows device. This automatically generated special key can be saved in the following places.
Microsoft Account
The most possible location on your Windows PC to find the special BitLocker recovery key is your Microsoft account itself. Most of the time, the BitLocker recovery key is stored in your Microsoft account in the form of a .BEK file.
- On a different device, visit www.microsoft.com and sign in to your MS account by entering your login credentials.
- If you have a new Windows device that supports an automatic device encryption feature, then the recovery key can be found on your Microsoft account itself.
- If you set your device on another user-activated BitLocker protection device, then your recovery key may be stored in that Microsoft account.
USB Flash Drive
The place to store Windows Recovery Key has to be selected by the user while encrypting BitLocker on your device. You may have saved the key on a USB flash drive.
- Connect the USB Flash Drive to your computer’s USB ports and follow the on-page instructions to access the key.
- If you saved the key on a USB flash drive in the form of a text file, then you may have to plug the flash drive into another device or PC.
Printout
If you took a printout of the special recovery key of BitLocker while starting to encrypt the drive on your device, then the key will be present on that printout.
- Check all the important papers that you have kept safe in your files and get the Microsoft Recovery Key.
System Administrator
If you are a domain user for your device, then the BitLocker encryption recovery key or special key can be most possible with the system administrator (workplace or school) of your device.
Azure Active Directory Account
An Azure Active Directory Account may also hold your recovery key on Windows PC.
- If you have ever logged in or signed up for an organization using the work ID or student number, then the recovery key will be saved on the Azure Dragon directory account of that device.
- Either access it directly or ask a system administrator for help if you are a domain user.
Conclusion
Windows BitLocker Recovery Key or Microsoft Recovery Key is used to protect the encrypted BitLocker drives on your computer. Here, we have shown what is recovery key, how to find it, and where to find it successfully. We hope you liked this article. Please visit Techly Fire for more informative guides.