Windows 10 – How to Reset Bitlocker Recovery Key

The following steps detail how to change a Bitlocker recovery key in Windows 10.

This process does not decrypt the data on the hard drive – saving you A LOT of time.

 

NOTE: These instructions assume the BitLocker protected drive is the C:\ drive

1. In the taskbar, search for ‘Command Prompt’
2. When it appears, right-click on it and select ‘Run as administrator’
3. 
4. Run the following command:

5.  manage-bde C: -protectors -get -type RecoveryPassword

6. Locate the protector you want to change (probably the only one displayed) and copy its ID field (including the curly braces)
7. TIP: to copy you can select the text with your mouse then right-click to copy
8. 
9. Run the following command, including the ID you copied in the previous step

10. manage-bde C: -protectors -delete -id [paste the ID you copied here]

11. 
12. The old recovery key has now been removed, you now need to create a new one
13. Run the following command (leave last section blank to automatically generate a new key)

14. manage-bde C: -protectors -add -rp [optionally specify the new 48-digit password or enter nothing to have it randomly generated for you]

And you’re done! You’ve changed your recovery password.

Remember to save it somewhere safe!