BitLocker helps secure your computer by requiring a personal identification number (PIN) or password to unlock the information that is stored on your computer. The PIN or password requirements are set by your organization and depend on the kind of drive being encrypted. Data on the encrypted drives cannot be viewed without entering the PIN or password. If your computer hardware includes an enabled Trusted Platform Module (TPM), the TPM chip prompts you for your PIN before Windows starts on your computer.
About Your BitLocker PIN and Passwords
Your company specifies the complexity required for your PIN or password. These requirements for your PIN or password are explained during the BitLocker setup process.
The password is used to unlock drives on your computer that do not contain the operating system. BitLocker will ask for your password after the PIN is requested during startup. Each BitLocker protected hard disk on your computer has its own unique password. You cannot unlock a BitLocker protected drive until you provide your password.
NoteYour Help Desk may set drives to unlock automatically. This eliminates the need to provide a PIN or password to view the information on the drives.
Unlocking Your Computer if You Forget Your PIN or Password
If you forget your PIN or password, your Help Desk can help you unlock BitLocker protected drives. To unlock a drive protected with BitLocker, contact your Help Desk if you need help.
How to unlock your computer if you forget your PIN or password
When you contact your Help Desk, you will need to provide them with the following information:
Your user name
Your domain
The first eight digits of your recovery key ID. This is a 32-digit code that BitLocker will display if you forget your PIN or password.
If you forget your PIN, you will have to enter the first eight digits of the recovery key ID, which will appear in the BitLocker Recovery console. The BitLocker Recovery console is a pre-Windows screen that will be displayed if you do not enter the correct PIN.
If you forget your password, look for the recovery key ID in the BitLocker Encryption Options Control Panel application. Select Unlock Drive and then click I cannot remember my password. The BitLocker Encryption Options application will then display a recovery key ID that you provide to Help Desk.
Once your Help Desk receives the necessary information, it will provide you with a recovery key over the phone or through e-mail.
If you forgot your PIN, enter the recovery key in the BitLocker Recovery console to unlock your computer.
If you forgot your password, enter the recovery key in the BitLocker Encryption Options Control Panel application, in the same location where you found the recovery key ID earlier. This will unlock the protected hard drive.
Changing your PIN or Password
Before you can change the password on a BitLocker protected drive, you must unlock the drive. If the drive is not unlocked, select Unlock Drive, and then enter your current password. As soon as the drive is unlocked, you can select Manage your Password to change your current password.
How to Change your PIN or password
Click Start, and then select Control Panel. Control Panel opens in a new window.
Select System and Security, and then select BitLocker Encryption Options.
To change your PIN, select Manage Your PIN. Type your new PIN into both fields and select Reset PIN.
To change your password, select Manage Your Password. Enter your new password into both fields and select Reset Password.
Click Start, and then select Control Panel. Control Panel opens in a new window. Select System and Security, and then select BitLocker Encryption Options. To change your PIN, select Manage Your PIN.
A Bitlocker recovery key is a unique 48-digit numerical password that's generated when you turn on Bitlocker Drive Encryption for the first time. It's not something that can be generated or retrieved through a third-party tool or software.
Whenever you connect a drive to your PC and it is detected in the boot list, BitLocker will ask for the recovery key. If you're not connecting any devices and it keeps asking for the recovery key, it is because the boot support for Preboot for TBT and USB-C/TBT is turned on by default.
Data on the encrypted volume can't be accessed without the startup key. TPM with PIN: in addition to the protection that the TPM provides, BitLocker requires that the user enters a PIN. Data on the encrypted volume can't be accessed without entering the PIN.
If you do not have the BitLocker password and recovery key, you need to format the encrypted drive to remove the encryption or turn to third-party tools, such as Passware Kit, Elcomsoft Forensic Disk Decryptor, or Elcomsoft Distributed Password Recovery. EaseUS will provide detailed guides on how.
To unlock their drives, users must open “This PC” (or “My Computer”, depending on the version of Windows), right-click on the encrypted drive icons with the locked yellow padlock icon, click "Unlock Drive" and provide the Password.
PIN: A user-entered numeric key protector that can only be used in addition to the TPM. Enhanced PIN: A user-entered alphanumeric key protector that can only be used in addition to the TPM. Recovery password: A 48-digit number used to unlock a volume when it is in recovery mode.
Open Command Prompt: Press the Windows key + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin)”. Input command: Input “manage-bde -protectors -get ” in the command, replacing “ ” with the actual letter of the encrypted BitLocker drive. Find Recovery Key: Notice the 48-digit recovery key displayed on your screen.
You can bypass the BitLocker recovery screen in various ways depending on the cause. You can turn off the BitLocker recovery screen in the Command Prompt, reset your password, turn on Legacy Boot, turn Secure Boot on or off, or turn off the Auto-unlock option.
The BitLocker recovery key prompt can be triggered by a variety of reasons, including hardware changes, software updates (especially if BIOS update is involved), etc. It is not necessarily alarming. The recent security update can be definitely a trigger here as well.
If you want to use BitLocker without a password, you can use a recovery password (randomized numerical password) and TPM. The TPM will store the numerical password for you. You can run Get-TPM to check if TPM is installed and enabled on the system.
If you experiences that the computer shows BitLocker recovery screen after power on, it means that the HDD/SDD has been encrypted. (HDD/SDD is locked.) Once PC hardware components have been replaced or BIOS settings have been changed, all may cause system shows BitLocker recovery screen after power on.
Your BitLocker recovery key is a unique 48-digit numerical password that can be used to unlock your system if BitLocker is otherwise unable to confirm for certain that the attempt to access the system drive is authorized.
A successful attacker could bypass the BitLocker Device Encryption feature on the system storage device. An attacker with physical access to the target could exploit this vulnerability to gain access to encrypted data.
In your Microsoft account: Open a web browser on another device. Go to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey to find your recovery key. Tip: You can sign into your Microsoft account on any device with internet access, such as a smartphone.
PIN: A user-entered numeric key protector that can only be used in addition to the TPM. Enhanced PIN: A user-entered alphanumeric key protector that can only be used in addition to the TPM. Recovery password: A 48-digit number used to unlock a volume when it is in recovery mode.
If the GPO setting Allow enhanced PINs for startup is enabled, the PIN may include numbers, letters, and special characters. Otherwise, only numbers are allowed. PINs for BitLocker are between four and twenty characters in length. You can define a higher minimum length through a group policy.
Press and hold the Windows button on the keyboard and R , type cmd and press Enter . Right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator." In the command prompt, type manage-bde -status and press Enter . View the status of BitLocker on the drives in the computer.
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