Unlock Bitlocker Drive without Recovery Key and Password (9 Ways)

Many usersenable Bitlocker drive encryption to prevent unauthorized access to data, but unfortunately, they may forget the Bitlocker password and lose access to the recovery key. So is It possible to unlock Bitlocker drive without password and recovery key?

The answer is no, without both, the only way is to format the drive or reinstall Windows. This will definitely cause data loss, which you don’t want. This article collects some useful methods from forums, and it is suggested to try them out first.

About BitLocker and Encrypted Drive Data Recovery

Usually, you will be able to access the Bitlocker encrypted drive as long as you can remember the Bitlocker password or find the recovery key. If not, you can’t access your drive and data within it. Here are some key elements you need to know:

How to Unlock Bitlocker Drive without Recovery Key and Password

Knowing more about BitLocker and encrypted drive data recovery, you can be more aware of the fact that you can't unlock your hard disk without a password or recovery key. Please think carefully about the password, or where the recovery key is stored.

Way 1: Attempt Your Usual Password

Although Bitlocker prompts you to create a unique and strong password, many users use the usual passwords or combine them with common ones, such as your Microsoft account, Google account, WeChat, email address, etc. You can attempt their password to unlock the Bitlocker drive.

Way 2: Search for BitLock Recovery Key

Microsoft allows you to save the Bitlocker recovery key to Microsoft account, USB flash drive, file, or directly print the recovery key, especially useful when you forget the BitLocker password.

Step 1. Search for the file started with the “Bitlocker Recovery Key” in the Microsoft account, computer, or USB flash drive and double-click the text to open it.

Step 2. In the Notepad window, look for the Recovery Key and copy it for decryption.

Step 3. In File Explorer, double-click the Bitlocker drive to access the password window. Or right-click the BitLocker drive and select Unlock Drive.

Step 4. Then, click More Options > Enter Recovery Key.

Step 5. Paste the Recovery Key and click Unlock to decrypt the BitLocker drive.

Way 3: Recover Deleted BitLocker Recovery Key

If you can’t find the Bitlocker recovery key anywhere, it may be deleted accidentally. You can check the Recycle Bin or attempt using powerful data recovery software AOMEI FastRecovery to recover the recovery key in 3 easy steps, whether it’s on the computer or USB drive.

Now, free download AOMEI FastRecoveryto get started. Please select a new location to avoid data overwriting as well as bypass the recovery key.

Step 1. Select the drive to scan

Open AOMEI FastRecovery after installing. You’ll be prompted to select the drive where your recovery key were lost. Select it and click the Scan button to get started. If it’s a USB drive, please connect it to the computer first.

Step 2. Scan for recoverable data

It will automatically scan the drive for any deleted or lost files. By default, in this situation, it uses the Quick Scan mode, which works fast. So you won’t have to wait too long. It can find files even if they are deleted from Recycle Bin.

Step 3. Find the recovery key quickly

It has 3 options to find the recovery key, namely, using the search box, file filters, or sidebar directories. Among them, the fastest and easiest one is to type “BitLocker Recovery Key” in the search box to search for the recovery key precisely and preview the file in a clear thumbnail. You can also type the extension (.txt) in the search box to narrow your search.

Step 4: Recover and save your recovery key

Once found, you can select the desired file and click the “Recover” button without waiting for the final result. Choose a different location to save the recovered file, ensuring you don't overwrite any important files.

Way 4: Exploit KB5034441 Vulnerability

Microsoft released security patch KB5034441 in response to BitLocker vulnerability, which leaves Windows 10 users vulnerable to hacking. By exploiting it, you can bypass the BitLocker recovery key from the Windows recovery environment and access your files. Note this is possible if you use the TPM-chip only for encryption.

Way 5: Use the BitLocker Cracking Tools

Also, some users report BitLocker Cracking tools, such as Passware Kit, Elcomsoft Forensic, Disk Decryptor, etc., which can analyze the computer memory and extract the Bitlocker recovery key for decryption.

Way 6: Try the New Hacking Method

The new hacking method can access the BitLocker drive physically and extract the recovery key from the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip of your computer by hard-wiring the motherboard using a field programming gate array. For more info, click the link below:

https://pulsesecurity.co.nz/articles/TPM-sniffing

How to Remove or Bypass Bitlocker without Password and Recovery Key

If you still can’t find the Bitlocker password or recovery key, it’s necessary to format the Bitlocker drive and start over. Usually, there are 3 options in the following.

Way 1: Format the BitLocker Drive in File Explorer

Step 1. Open File Explorer. Right-click the Bitlocker drive and select Format.

Step 2. In the Format window, specify the file system and be sure the Quick Format option is checked.

Step 3. Then, click Start and Yes to confirm you want to format this drive.

Way 2: Format the BitLocker Drive using CMD

Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type diskpart and press Enter to access this tool.

Step 3. Then, type the following commands one by one and press Enter afterward.

• list disk
• select disk X (X is the disk number of the Bitlocker drive)
• clean
• create partition primary
• format quick fs=NTFS
• assign

Way 3: Format the BitLocker Drive in Disk Management

Step 1. Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter to access Disk Management.

Step 2. In Disk Management, find the Bitlocker encrypted drive. Then, right-click it and select Format.

Step 3. In the Format window, select the file system, i.e.NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, exFAT, etc., and click OK twice to confirm.

Closing Words

It’s difficult to unlock BitLocker drive without password and recovery key unless you don’t care about the data on it. Please think carefully about your usual passwords or find the recovery key in all possible locations, such as your Microsoft account, the computer, and USB drive.

If you can’t find the recovery key, it may be deleted. You can use the powerful Windows data recovery software AOMEI FastRecovery to recover the BitLocker recovery key from where it’s stored. It still offers some useful features to recover specific files or folders quickly.