BitLocker Data Recovery: How to Recover Data from an Encrypted Drive

What Is BitLocker

BitLocker is a built-in disk encryption tool provided by Microsoft for Windows to protect data on hard drives.

Once enabled, it encrypts the entire drive. Even if the hard drive is removed and connected to another computer, the files on it cannot be read without the correct authentication credentials.

Also read: Windows Device Encryption vs BitLocker Encryption – Differences.

How Does BitLocker Encryption Work

When BitLocker is enabled, Windows uses the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm with either 128-bit or 256-bit encryption to protect all data stored on the drive.

To manage the encryption process, BitLocker generates two encryption keys, each with a different role:

• Full Volume Encryption Key (FVEK): This key is responsible for encrypting and decrypting the data stored on the drive. It directly protects the contents of your files.
• Volume Master Key (VMK): This key is used to protect the FVEK. The system must first unlock the VMK before it can retrieve the FVEK and access the encrypted data.

To prevent others from directly accessing data by removing the hard drive, BitLocker protects the drive using the TPM security chip and multiple authentication methods, such as a password, PIN, or recovery key.

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Is It Possible to Recover Data from a BitLocker Encrypted Drive

In general, data recovery is possible if the BitLocker drive can be successfully unlocked. Without the correct password or recovery key, the data on the drive usually cannot be recovered.

The following table summarizes whether data recovery is possible under different BitLocker scenarios:

How to Recover Data from a BitLocker Encrypted Drive

Recovering data from a BitLocker drive generally involves two steps: unlocking the drive and recovering the data. This section explains how to perform these operations using MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Part 1. Unlock the BitLocker Drive

Before recovering data from a BitLocker-encrypted drive, you need to unlock the drive first. Once unlocked, you can access the drive and use BitLocker data recovery software to recover the data.

The BitLocker Manager feature in MiniTool Partition Wizard lets you easily enable/disable/lock, and unlock BitLocker-protected drives.

Follow the steps below to unlock a drive.

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Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard and locate the encrypted drive.

Step 2: Right-click the encrypted drive and select BitLocker Manager.

Step 3: Click Unlock in the pop-up window.

Step 4: In the small pop-up window, enter the password and click Unlock.

After that, click the refresh icon. The lock icon should now appear unlocked.

Part 2. Recover Data from the Unlocked BitLocker Drive

Once a BitLocker drive is successfully unlocked, Windows can access the data within it normally. If files on the drive have been lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, or file system corruption, you can use professional data recovery software to scan the unlocked drive and recover the lost files.

MiniTool Partition Wizard features a built-in Data Recovery function capable of scanning unlocked BitLocker-encrypted drives to recover various types of lost files, such as documents, images, and videos.

The following section explains how to use MiniTool Partition Wizard to recover data from an unlocked BitLocker drive.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard to its main interface, and click Data Recovery.

Step 2: Move your cursor to the unlocked hard drive and then click Scan to scan the selected drive.

Step 3: If you find the wanted files during the process, you can click the Stop or Pause icon to end the scan.

Step 4: Select the files you want to recover and click Save. You can use the Preview feature to verify that you’ve selected the correct files before saving them.

Step 5: Select a location to store the recovered files. Then click OK. Do not save them to the original drive, as this may overwrite recoverable data.

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Recover Data from Bitlocker Encrypted Drive FAQ

Bottom Line

Data recovery from a BitLocker-encrypted drive is usually possible if the drive can be unlocked using a password, recovery key, or TPM. Without these credentials, recover files from BitLocker drive is generally not possible due to strong encryption.

If you have any questions or feedback about MiniTool Partition Wizard, feel free to contact our support team at [email protected] for additional help.