Is the BitLocker recovery key automatically generated and unchangeable?

Yes, recovery key is automatically generated by the system. And you cannot change it yourself, it can only be altered by re-enabling BitLocker encryption. Otherwise, it always remains the same.

How BitLocker generate recovery key?

When you enable BitLocker on a drive, a new recovery key is generated to replace the old one in the meantime. The BitLocker recovery key appears as a 48-digit random number, and its generation primarily relies on the creation of the Full-Volume Encryption Key (FVEK).

When BitLocker encryption is applied to a drive, the FVEK is then encrypted with one or more recovery key protectors to generate the recovery key. FVEK is crucial in the entire BitLocker system, with each encrypted drive has its own independent FVEK key.

How to safely save BitLocker recovery key?

BitLocker provides the option to save the recovery key in BitLocker Active Directory, such as a Microsoft account, or on a USB flash drive. And other alternative options as follows:

Save to your Microsoft account: It’s to save the BitLocker recovery key to Microsoft account for centralized management. Besides, it allows remotely access the recovery key to unlock your computer in case of emergency.

Save to a USB flash drive: This way provides an offline backup BitLocker recovery key. Note: Unlike using a startup key to unlock BitLocker, saving the recovery key to a USB flash drive, it’s in the form of a txt file, not a BitLocker bek file.

Save to file: You can choose a specific secure directory to store the file. When needed, you can quick search for the corresponding file. The file is typically named as follows, end with a string of characters representing the identifier.

Print the recovery key: Print the recovery key file and place it to a physical location, locking it in a safe deposit box, it will be difficult for hackers to find your key file through intruding into your computer.

Conclusion

A recovery key is to ensure that you can still access your data if you forget your password or experience other issues. As it’s too long to remember, therefore, you’d better to set a self-defined BitLocker password or PIN code for double insurance.