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BitLocker Passwords Should Be Less Than 100 Characters in Length

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Issue

You can specify BitLocker passwords using the following methods:

  • BitLocker Setup Wizard
  • Manage BitLocker Control Panel
  • Manage-bde command-line tool
  • Windows PowerShell cmdlet

When using either the setup wizard or the control panel the user interface limits passwords to 100 characters. However, the command-line tool and Windows PowerShell cmdlet do not enforce that limit and passwords up to 256 characters can be specified. However, if a password is specified that is greater than 100 characters, BitLocker truncates the password to the first 100 characters. If you attempt to use the longer password to unlock the drive,  you will receive the error message: "The password you typed is not correct" and will be asked to provide your recovery key to unlock the drive.

Resolution

Specify passwords that are 100 characters or less to avoid encountering this issue. If you have used a longer password, after unlocking the drive using the recovery key go to the BitLocker Control Panel and set a new password that is 100 characters or less.