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BitLocker recovery screen
The Microsoft BitLocker disk encryption mechanism combines software-based algorithms with hardware-level encryption protocols to secure all data using high-strength cryptographic methods. Under normal circumstances, attempting to recover the data through brute-force attacks is virtually impossible. Before encryption begins, users may receive a recovery key or other forms of recovery media.
When logging into Windows 11 using a Microsoft online account during the OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience) setup, BitLocker encryption is enabled by default—especially on systems equipped with TPM and UEFI boot. Typically, no interface appears prompting users to save the recovery key, as it is automatically stored within the Microsoft Account Center.
However, for various reasons, the recovery key may sometimes fail to save or later become inaccessible. In some cases, logging in with a different Microsoft account prevents the key from being associated with the user’s active account. When this happens, reinstalling the system can permanently lock all data on the encrypted drive.
In most scenarios involving multiple drives, reinstalling the operating system only affects the system drive, while other data drives remain intact. Based on experience, once the system is reinstalled, non-system drives can typically be accessed without issue.
A Reddit user known as Toast_Soup reported that after noticing a slowdown in their PC, they decided to reinstall Windows. The user had five data drives and one system drive, with two of the data drives containing over 3TB of backups.
After reinstalling Windows, both data drives disappeared. Upon checking through the Disk Management utility, the user discovered that the two drives had been automatically encrypted by BitLocker, despite never having manually enabled the feature.
In an attempt to resolve the issue, the user reinstalled Windows once again but was still unable to decrypt the drives. When trying to unlock BitLocker, the system requested a recovery key, but the key provided corresponded only to the newly installed system drive, not the original data drives.
Although the Microsoft Account Center displayed a recovery key, it was once again linked to the new system drive rather than the previous data drives, leaving the user unable to recover their data. To this day, it remains unclear why the original BitLocker recovery keys were never saved to the account.
Therefore, before reinstalling Windows, users should always verify whether any drives are encrypted. The safest practice is to transfer important data to external storage before reinstallation, and then restore it afterward.
Discussions of such incidents have become increasingly common. Many users argue that BitLocker should not be enabled automatically, as over the past decade countless data-loss cases have stemmed from BitLocker lockouts. While Microsoft’s intention is to enhance security, the feature has also caused significant inconvenience for ordinary users.
Despite this, Microsoft has never issued updated guidance for users locked out by BitLocker. Perhaps the company believes that, in the balance between data loss and data security, the latter remains the higher priority.
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