BitLocker recovery key storage options
Recovery keystone may be saved in respective ways depending on the version of Windows installed. The trace list describes the corroborate options to save a key per each function system interpretation and may aid in locating a saved samara ( if present ) :
For Windows 7:
- A key may be saved to a USB flash drive
- A key may be saved as a file (Network drive or other location)
- A key may be physically printed
For Windows 8.1:
- A key may be saved to your Microsoft account (Access your Microsoft account from a different computer to retrieve the key)
- A key may be saved to a USB flash drive
- A key may be saved as a file (Network drive or other location)
- A key may be physically printed
For Windows 10:
- A key may be saved to your Microsoft account (search BitLocker Recovery Keys to retrieve the key).
- If you have a modern device that supports automatic device encryption, the recovery key will most likely be in your Microsoft account. For more, see Device encryption in Windows 10
- If the device was set up or BitLocker protection was activated by another user, the recovery key may be in that user’s Microsoft account.
- A key may be saved to a USB flash drive (Plug the USB flash drive in to your locked personal computer and follow the instructions. If you saved the key as a text file on the flash drive, use a different computer to read the text file)
- A key may be saved to your Azure Active Directory account (for business PCs where you sign in with an Azure Active Directory account, to get your recovery key, see the device info for your Microsoft Azure account)
- A key may be saved as a file (Network drive or other location)
- A key may be physically printed
NOTE: The option to save as a file is the most normally used option and can sometimes cause convalescence issues when the user saves the file on the drive of the calculator that is needing to be recovered ( recommend saving to a network drive or another physical hard drive to prevent hard drive corruption from preventing recovery of the recovery key.
Caution: If the convalescence cardinal is lost, the drive can not be unlocked by other means. To return the calculator to operation, reinstalling Windows is the only option ( this will lead to the loss of all data and configurations of the code hard drive ).
For extra information about BitLocker and the procedure of recovery, see the stick to articles :
Find my BitLocker recovery identify :
hypertext transfer protocol : //support.microsoft.com/help/4026181/windows-10-find-my-bitlocker-recovery-key
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