BitLocker Recovery Screen: How to Fix It After Windows Starts

What causes BitLocker to enter recovery mode?

Windows comes with the built-in BitLocker feature, which is designed to prevent data theft and unauthorized access. It's an excellent data protection tool, no doubt. But it can get tricky when you turn on your computer and it prompts you for the BitLocker recovery key, and you can't remember it.

The BitLocker recovery screen typically appears in the following situations:

• ？Your system hardware has been modified
• ？Your computer is in BIOS mode
• ❌You installed a problematic update

If you're also stuck because of a forgotten BitLocker recovery key and can't access your computer, read on. In this troubleshooting guide, we share eight effective methods to bypass the BitLocker recovery screen.

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How to fix the BitLocker recovery screen on startup?

As mentioned above, the BitLocker recovery screen can appear due to various reasons and block access to your Windows system. However, you can bypass the BitLocker recovery screen by attempting the methods outlined below. Before trying these methods, ensure that your data is safe.

Method 1: Suspend BitLocker protection

If you see the BitLocker recovery screen every time you start your system and don't want to see it anymore, we recommend that you suspend BitLocker protection on your Windows PC. Follow the steps below to learn how:

Step 1. Open the Windows Control Panel in your preferred way.

Click on Control Panel.

Step 2: In the Control Panel, head to the “System and Security” section.

Click “Turn off BitLocker” and “Suspend protection” to temporarily disable BitLocker.

That's it! The next time you start your PC, you won't see the BitLocker recovery screen.

Method 2: Enter the BitLocker recovery key

The simplest way to bypass the BitLocker recovery screen is to enter the correct recovery key. Most users store their recovery key on a USB drive.

Enter the BitLocker recovery key

As such, we also recommend that you check your USB drive to see if you can bypass this screen. If you don't have the BitLocker recovery key, contact your administrator.

When setting up BitLocker, you might have been prompted to save it to your Microsoft account and print it. If you chose that option, you might want to look there.

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Method 3: Switch to Legacy Boot

Another possible solution is to switch the system's BIOS mode from UEFI to Legacy, to get rid of the BitLocker recovery screen. You can also try this method on your Windows system to see if it works.

Here are the exact steps to easily switch your Windows system's BIOS mode to Legacy:

Step 1. Press Windows + R simultaneously to open the “Run” utility on your system.

Step 2: Type cmd in the “Run” dialog box, and hit “Enter” to launch it on your computer.

Step 3. Copy and paste the command below into the Command Prompt app, then hit Enter.

4. Restart the computer and check if the BitLocker recovery screen still appears.

bcdedit /set default bootmenupolicy legacy

Method 4: Uninstall the Recently Inserted Hardware

The BitLocker recovery screen typically appears when you change system hardware components. Therefore, if you have recently modified your computer's hardware, consider reverting those changes and check if the BitLocker recovery screen still appears.

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Method 5: Remove the protection from the startup disk

If you can't sign in to your computer after entering the correct BitLocker recovery key at the BitLocker recovery screen, consider using the BitLocker command prompt utility to unlock BitLocker.

Manage-bde is a command-line tool for advanced users that provides options not available in the BitLocker Control Panel.

Here are the steps to disable BitLocker using the CMD utility:

Step 1: On the BitLocker Recovery screen, press the Esc key, and then click Skip this drive in the bottom-right corner.

Step 2. On the next screen, choose the “Advanced” tile and then click on the “Command Prompt” option.

Step 3: After opening the Command Prompt, paste the following command into it and press “Enter”:

Manage-BDE -Unlock D: -Password

Note: Make sure to replace “yourpassword” in the command above with the additional password you set for the drive.

4. In the console, type the following command and press "Enter" to disable the protector:

BDE Administrator - Protect D: - Disabled

Step 5. Restart Windows and see if the BitLocker recovery screen is still showing up.

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Method 6: Reset Your Forgotten BitLocker PIN

If you're using an organizational account and you've forgotten your BitLocker recovery key, you might be able to reset it. It's easy to do, and the following instructions will walk you through it:

Step 1: Once you see the BitLocker recovery screen, press the “Esc” key on your keyboard.

Step 2: A recovery key ID will now appear on-screen, but only for a few minutes. So jot it down or take a picture before it vanishes.

Method 7: Turn Off the Auto-Unlock Feature

Windows might have Auto-unlock enabled, and if it remains enabled, the BitLocker recovery screen might continue to display.

Therefore, we recommend checking if the Auto-unlock feature is enabled on your Windows system. If it is, please try disabling it by following these steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the “Search” box, and then type Control Panel.

Step 2. Select “Control Panel” from the “Best match” section to open it on your system.

Step 3: In Control Panel, go to System and Security, and then click BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Step 4: In the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, click Turn Off Auto-unlock.

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Method 8: Enable or Disable Secure Boot

Some users mentioned bypassing the BitLocker recovery screen by enabling/disabling Secure Boot on the system. Taking that into account, we recommend you do the same and check the status of the issue. To enable/disable Secure Boot, follow these steps:

Step 1: On the BitLocker recovery screen, press the Esc key on your keyboard and then click Skip this drive.

Step 2. On the next screen, click on “Troubleshoot” and then choose “Advanced options.”

Step 3: In the Dell website's “UEFI Firmware Settings” page, look under “Boot” for “Secure Boot.”

Step 4. Set Secure Boot to another available option. For example, if it's currently enabled, try disabling it and then verify the status of the issue.

Recovering Data from a BitLocker-Encrypted Hard Drive

When you suffer major data loss from your encrypted hard drive, use the best data recovery software to retrieve your data. Tools like Data Recovery Wizard Pro can decrypt your hard drive and restore your data.

Here are some reasons why you should use this data recovery software:

• The redesigned user interface makes starting a recovery session effortless, with no technical knowledge required.
• It conducts a comprehensive scan of the device without compromising the original data.
• It is compatible with almost all Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP.

Now, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the encrypted drive to scan

When you launch the Data Recovery Wizard, you'll see your BitLocker-encrypted drive there.

Click on the encrypted partition, and a window will prompt you to enter the password to unlock it. After typing in the password, click on the “Scan” button to start searching for your lost files.

NOTE: If you forgot the password, you can try "Auto Decryption" to help unlock the hard drive. However, this may not work. If it fails, the program will be unable to scan the drive.

Step 2: Select and preview the scanned files

The software will quickly scan the deleted files and perform a deep scan to find more lost files. Once the scanning process is completed, you can use the "Filter" feature or click on the "Search for Files or Folders" button to locate the missing files in a short time.

Step 3: Recover Lost Files from BitLocker Encrypted Hard Drive

After previewing the files, you can click on the “Recover” button to restore deleted or lost files from BitLocker encrypted partition.

Conclusions

The BitLocker recovery screen is one of the most common yet annoying issues you may encounter while logging into your Windows system. It gets worse when you don't know the BitLocker recovery key, leaving you with no access to the system.

Fortunately, in this guide, we share some effective methods to bypass the BitLocker recovery screen that requires the BitLocker recovery key. Hopefully, one of the troubleshooting steps we shared helps you with the issue. Let us know which of the listed fixes worked for you if it does.

Frequently Asked Questions about BitLocker Recovery Screen

Here are some common questions about the BitLocker recovery screen. Read through all the questions listed for more details.

How do I exit the BitLocker recovery screen?

If you see the BitLocker recovery screen frequently when you start your Windows computer, consider temporarily turning off BitLocker protection in Control Panel.

How do I get my BitLocker recovery key with a key ID?

On the BitLocker recovery screen, press the Esc key. You'll see a Recovery Key ID on the screen that you can use to obtain the recovery key.

How can I start my laptop without a BitLocker recovery key?

You can start your laptop without using the BitLocker recovery key by disabling BitLocker through Control Panel. Another way to sign in without the recovery key is to enable or disable Secure Boot.

4. How do I remove BitLocker from the BIOS?

If you're stuck on the BitLocker recovery screen and can't bypass it, you can follow the steps below to enter your system's BIOS directly from that screen and disable BitLocker there.

Step 1. Press the Esc key, then click Skip this drive in the bottom left corner to proceed.

Step 2. On the next screen, click Troubleshoot, and then choose the UEFI Firmware Settings option.

Step 3. Click the “Restart” button to reboot your computer and enter the UEFI firmware settings.

Step 4. In the BIOS or UEFI, navigate to the “Security” section and look for a TPM state option.

5. Use the arrow keys to highlight “TPM Status,” then disable it. Disabling the TPM will also render BitLocker unusable.

If you're logged in to your computer, follow the instructions below to enter your system's BIOS or UEFI and disable it:

Settings > Recovery > Restart Now > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Security > Disable the TPM state