Bitlocker password

Question

I had my motherboard go out. I replaced the motherboard and when I went to restart the computer bitlocker came up asking for a key. I have never set a key and I don't have any keys in my microsoft account.

Is there a way to remove bitlocker and save my data?

Answer 1

If you are sure that you have never set BitLocker, then download Windows installation media format the drive and proceed with a clean installation of Windows.

But this method will erase all the data. (if Data is Not Critical).

Answer 2

Hello Setcoauto NA,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

When you replace a motherboard, BitLocker detects the hardware change and assumes it may be a security breach, which triggers the need for a recovery key. Even if you never manually set up BitLocker, it can sometimes be automatically enabled, particularly if you're using a Microsoft account on Windows 10 or 11 with default security settings.

To recover access to your data and possibly remove BitLocker without the key, you can try the following steps:

1.Check for BitLocker Recovery Key:

Microsoft Account: Even if you didn’t set it up, check again on Microsoft's BitLocker Recovery Key page while logged into your Microsoft account. The key might have been automatically uploaded when BitLocker was enabled

2.Use a Recovery Key from a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) backup:

If you have a backup of your TPM key from before the motherboard swap, try restoring it. This can sometimes bypass the need for a recovery key if the encryption was linked to the TPM.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

============================================

If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.