How to close Bitloker or restore bitloker key?

Updated with November 27th, 2024

Introduction: BitLocker is a built-in full-disk encryption tool in the Windows operating system designed to protect data security and prevent unauthorized access. By encrypting the hard drive, it ensures that the data stored on the computer remains secure, even if the device is lost or stolen, making it difficult for others to access the data.

This article provides a basic introduction to enabling and disabling the BitLocker feature in Windows. For more detailed information, please visit Microsoft’s official website. As the developer of this feature, Microsoft offers additional solutions for recovering BitLocker keys.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/find-your-bitlocker-recovery-key-6b71ad27-0b89-ea08-f143-056f5ab347d6

 

一、How to Quickly Retrieve Your Recovery Key?

If you’ve been prompted to enter your BitLocker recovery key, you can quickly retrieve it by following these steps:

• Go to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey.
• Log in with the Microsoft account you used to set up BitLocker.
• Your recovery keys will be displayed if they were saved to your account.
• Check for a printed copy of the recovery key or notes you saved during the BitLocker setup.
• If you saved the recovery key to a USB drive, insert it into your computer. Open the file to view the recovery key.
• If your computer is managed by an organization, contact your IT administrator, as the key might be stored in their management system.
• For devices linked to an organization’s Azure account, you can retrieve the recovery key from the Azure Portal by logging in with your organizational credentials.
• Search your computer or external storage for a file labeled “BitLocker Recovery Key” if you saved it during setup.

二、Device Encryption Feature Toggle

Under normal circumstances, if you change hardware settings before booting up, BitLocker will automatically prompt you to enter the BitLocker recovery key:

If you need to enable or disable the entire encryption feature, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Windows with an administrator account (you may need to log out and log back in to switch accounts).
2. Press WIN + I to open Windows Settings. Navigate to Privacy & Security > Device Encryption. If “Device Encryption” is not displayed, this option is not available for your computer.
3. Depending on your needs, turn device encryption on or off to disable it.

三．Encryption function Bitlocker

A.Turn on BitLokcer hard drive protection

Open [Control Panel], select [System and Security], check [BitLocker Drive Encryption] on the left and open it, determine the hard disk partition you want to protect, and select the one on the right side of the hard disk [Enable BitLocker/Turn on BitLocker]. After turning it on, there will be a lock icon on the hard disk, as shown in the figure below.

B.Turn off BitLocker hard drive protection

1. Turn off BitLocker through the graphical interface

Set in Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption Options, select the hard disk partition protected by BitLocker, click [Turn off BitLocker], and then follow the system prompts.

2. Close Bitlocker via Command Prompt

1. Open command prompt (admin mode):
   • Press Win + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin)
2. Check drive status：
   • Enter the following command to view BitLocker status
     • CMD
     • manage-bde -status
   • Find the drive letter that needs to be closed
3. Close Bitlocker
   • Enter the following command to start decryption:
     • Cmd
     • manage-bde -off X:
   • Replace `X:` with your actual drive letter.
4. Check decryption progress
   • During the decryption process, you can repeatedly run the following command to check the progress：
     • cmd
     • manage-bde -status

Things to note

1. Decryption time: Turning off BitLocker and decrypting the drive may take several hours, depending on the amount of data and drive performance.
2. Data security: Ensure power and system operation are stable before decryption to avoid data loss.
3. Back up data: If there is important data on the hard disk, it is recommended to back it up first.

Thank you for watching. If there are any mistakes, your corrections are welcome.