Recently, my hp laptop has been experiencing some issues, crashing during system startup some times. I consulted the after-sales service, and they suggested me reinstalling the system. When resetting the system, the computer keeps asking for the BitLocker password. Unfortunately, I can't remember it. So, what should I do? Can I disable BitLocker by resetting the system?
Calm down first, this problem can be easily solved.
Firstly, the answer for your question is no. If you want to disable bitlocker on your computer, there are two options for you. If the data on your computer is unimportant or you have already backup all files, you can choose to format entire computer disks to disable BitLocker. However, if you want to keep encrypted data with BitLocker enabled, you must find the BitLocker secret key back at first.
With your drive locked by BitLocker, and you don’t remember the BitLocker unlock key, you can only reinstall by formatting the disk. Formatting disk will remove the BitLocker lock, but your data on all disks, will be lost as well.
Follow the steps in How to Format a Drive with BitLocker Encryption to format your disk.
If you want to retain your data, you have two ways to find your password back.
(1) Retrieve via Microsoft account:
Visit the Microsoft official website to find your BitLocker recovery key.
During the reinstall process, a pop-up window will ask for the BitLocker recovery key. Enter password then the os reinstall process can keep on.After the system reinstall is complete, you can disable BitLocker.
steps to disable BitLocker:
Step 1Open your computer and select the encrypted disk.
Step 2Right click the encrypted drive, select "Manage BitLocker".
Step 3In the opened window, click "Turn off BitLocker".
Step 4Reconfirm to begin Decryption process.
Step 5Wait for the decryption process to complete.
(2) Retrieve via third-party software:
If you forgot your Microsoft account, iSunshare UBitkey is your optional choice. It offers various password retrieval options and can recover BitLocker passwords smartly.
After retrieving the password, you can use iSunshare BitLocker Genius to disable BitLocker. In this way, you won’t have to worry about your hp laptop getting locked the next time you reinstall it.
Note: Reinstalling the system will erase all data on your C drive but retain data on other disks. This is determined by the system reinstall process and is unrelated to BitLocker.
Tips: iSunshare BitLocker Genius for Windows helps us Open & read & write BitLocker encrypted drive on Windows computer.
BitLocker is a disk/volume encryption feature included in Windows systems since Windows Vista. It helps mitigate the risk of personal data leaks.
Benjamin
Rest assured, BitLocker Drive Encryption on Windows is widely considered of highly secure safeguarding utility, offering a strong defense for valuable data.
Lydia
First, you should know that BitLocker is not available on Windows 10 Home edition. Microsoft only supports it on Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise editions.
Michael
BitLocker only encrypts file system, instead of the physical hardware. It prevents others from stealing the contents of the files on the encrypted hard drive.
Lydia
