BitLocker is Microsoft’s built-in drive encryption for Windows. Many newer Windows laptops and Microsoft Surface devices turn it on automatically when you sign in with a Microsoft account, so a lot of people have it without knowing.

Yes, if you can give us the BitLocker recovery key or password. Our data recovery engineers fix or copy the drive first, then use your key to unlock the copy and get your files back.

No. BitLocker is strong encryption and nobody can break it. Without the recovery key or password the files can’t be read, even if the drive itself is repaired. Please find your key before you send us your device.

Check your Microsoft account at Microsoft account, look for a printout or a USB stick where you saved it, or ask your IT team if the computer belongs to a business or school. Microsoft’s guide is here: Microsoft’s guide

It’s a 48-digit number in eight groups of six digits, separated by hyphens.

The key ID is a short code that identifies which recovery key matches your drive. If you have several keys in your Microsoft account or your IT team holds many, the key ID tells you which one to send.

Check every Microsoft account you’ve used on that computer, including old or work accounts, then any printouts, USB sticks and your IT provider. If the key can’t be found, we can’t unlock the data.

Yes. Your IT team or IT provider can usually find the key in their management system, and they can email it to us.

Yes. We only use it to unlock the copy of your drive for your recovery. Please reply to our email with the key. We take keys by email only.

Often, yes. We see this a lot with Intel Optane SSDs. The drive is readable but the encrypted volume no longer shows up normally. This works in many cases: we make a full clone copy of the drive, then use your recovery key on the copy to get your files back.

Optane drives pair a small fast cache with a larger storage area. If that pairing breaks, for example after the drive is removed, a failed update or a repair attempt, Windows may no longer see the encrypted volume properly. Intel itself says there’s no official way to repair a broken pairing.

We suggest you don’t. Removing the drive or letting Windows try to repair itself can make the problem worse. Turn the computer off and contact us.

The drive may have a hardware fault, a corrupted volume, or the key may belong to a different drive. Stop retrying and check the key ID matches. Our data recovery engineers can copy the drive and try your key on the copy.

Not usually. Something has changed, such as a BIOS update or hardware change, and Windows wants the recovery key. If you have the key, enter it. If the drive has also failed, we can help, as long as you have the key.

Yes. BitLocker can be on hard drives too. We repair or copy the failed hard drive first, then unlock the copy with your key.

Yes, if you have the password or recovery key for that drive.

No. We don’t offer deleted file recovery on BitLocker encrypted drives. We recover files from drives that have failed or won’t unlock.

No. We’re a data recovery lab. We recover your files and copy them to a new external drive. We don’t fix the laptop for everyday use.

Usually the BitLocker recovery key is what we need. We’ll tell you if anything else is needed for your job.

You can send your device first. The assessment is free and we’ll ask for the key if we find BitLocker during the assessment. It helps if you have it ready.

We copy your recovered files, unencrypted, onto a new drive, so you can open them on any computer.

Yes. We work with many IT partners, and they can send both the device and the key.

We can’t create or recover a key. Microsoft can only show keys that were saved to your account. Your IT team may have it if the computer is managed.

The cost depends on what’s wrong with the drive, not on BitLocker itself. The assessment is free, and you get a written quote before any work starts. About 90% of our jobs are no fix, no fee. The hardest 10% carry an attempt fee.