BitLocker is a powerful drive encryption feature on Windows 10 and 11 that helps protect your data from unauthorized access. When BitLocker is enabled, a BitLocker Recovery Key will be generated. This key is extremely important, because you will need it to unlock the drive in case something goes wrong. This article will guide you in detail how to find it BitLocker Recovery Key on Windows 10 and 11, along with troubleshooting solutions.

What is BitLocker?

BitLocker is a hard drive encryption feature that helps protect your data from unauthorized access. When BitLocker is enabled, it generates a 48-digit recovery key. This key is like a special password, you will need to use it to unlock your computer's hard drive if something goes wrong.

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How to find the BitLocker Recovery Key

BitLocker Recovery Key can be stored in a variety of locations, depending on the choices you made during encryption setup. The following are the two most widely used methods.

Method 1: Through Microsoft Account

Step 1: Access Microsoft account Recovery Keys website.

Step 2: Next, use your Microsoft account to sign in.

Step 3: Search for your device in the list and see the corresponding BitLocker Recovery Key.

Note: This only works if you chose to save your recovery key to your Microsoft account when you turned on BitLocker.

Method 2: Through text file

The BitLocker recovery key will be displayed in the file. Record this key carefully.

Step 1: Connect a USB or external hard drive containing the BitLocker Recovery Key text file.

Step 2: Open the file with a text editor to see the key. The BitLocker recovery key will be displayed in the file

Instructions for using BitLocker Recovery Key

When your computer crashes and asks for a recovery key, follow these steps:

Step 1: Check “Recovery Key ID” (first 8 digits) displayed on the screen.

Step 2: Find the BitLocker recovery key using one of the methods above.

Step 3: Find “Key ID” that matches “Recovery Key ID” on the screen to determine the correct recovery key for your computer.

Step 4: Enter the recovery key into the BitLocker blue screen.

Step 5: Click the “Continue” button.

After completing the steps, the computer will be unlocked and Windows will start normally.

Advice

Always back up your BitLocker recovery key to avoid losing important data in the event of a crash. You can save it to your Microsoft account, print it to paper, or save it to a file on USB.

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Conclusion

Protecting personal and work data is extremely important in today's digital age. BitLocker Recovery Key plays a key role in ensuring data security when using BitLocker encryption. Always remember to back up and store your BitLocker Recovery Key in a safe place to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future.

How to turn on BitLocker Encrypting Windows 11 hard drive is an important operation to keep your data safe from unauthorized access. In today's digital age, securing personal and business data is extremely necessary. This article AnonyViet will guide you step by step in detail on how to enable BitLocker on Windows 11, helping you feel more secure about the safety of your data.

What is BitLocker?

BitLocker is a data encryption utility built into the Windows operating system that allows users to encrypt their entire hard drive to prevent unauthorized access. This tool provides a high level of protection by encrypting information stored on the hard drive, preventing data from being accessed without the appropriate password or encryption key.

BitLocker uses the advanced AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm to encrypt your data, making it unreadable without a valid decryption key. This encryption protects your data even if someone gains physical access to your device or steals your removable drive.

BitLocker Encryption Types

There are two main types of BitLocker encryption offered on Windows 11:

• BitLocker: Designed to encrypt and secure the operating system drive and fixed data drives on your computer.
• BitLocker To Go: Ideal for encrypting removable drives such as USB flash drives, ensuring their data is protected even when accessed on other devices.

When should I enable BitLocker?

When you enable BitLocker encryption, you protect your device and the data stored on your hard drive. The encrypted information and decryption key are automatically saved in your Microsoft account, helping to protect your data from outside attacks. In the event of a computer failure, you will need a new decryption key to access your saved data.

For example, when you want to reinstall Windows, erase all data on the hard drive or want to access data when connecting to another computer, you will not be able to do these operations without the login password or “Key”.

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How to enable BitLocker to encrypt data on Windows 11 drives

Step 1: Go to Settings > System > Storage

Go to Settings > System > Storage

Step 2: Select Advanced storage settings > Click 'Disks & volumes'

Step 3: Select the drive to encrypt

Step 4: Select the volume to enable BitLocker encryption and click the 'Properties' button

Step 5: Click the Turn on BitLocker button

Step 6: Select 'Turn on BitLocker'

Step 7: Click the option to backup the recovery key. For example, you can use 'Save to your Microsoft account' > Click Next

Step 8: Select 'Encrypt used disk space only' > Next

Step 9: Select 'New encryption mode' > Next

If you want to encrypt a removable drive (like a USB drive), select Compatible mode.

Step 10: Check the box 'Run BitLocker system check'

Step 11: Click the Restart now button to begin the reboot.

After you complete the steps above, your computer will restart to enable BitLocker. However, depending on the data available on the drive, BitLocker will continue to encrypt the used space in the background. If you have chosen to use a Microsoft account to store your BitLocker recovery keys, you can find them later in the Device BitLocker Recovery Keys section of your account.

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Conclusion

So, we have learned How to enable BitLocker to encrypt your Windows 11 hard drive. By following the detailed instructions in this article, you can protect your data from unauthorized access, giving you peace of mind when using your computer. Remember to back up your data regularly to ensure the safety of your important information.