Windows Update Triggers BitLocker Recovery — How to Recover Data?

After installing the Windows October Update, my system unexpectedly triggered BitLocker recovery mode, and I’m now concerned about potential data loss. Microsoft has warned that this update may cause issues related to BitLocker encryption, and I don’t currently have access to the recovery key.

Has anyone else faced data loss or inaccessibility issues after this update? What steps can be taken to recover data safely from a BitLocker-protected drive in this situation, and are there any reliable data recovery tools or methods that can help restore files without risking further damage?

This topic was modified 4 weeks, 1 day ago by Sofia.

Tagged: Windows 11

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Mira Lennox Lennox

Participant

December 17, 2025 at 7:16 am

This is unfortunately expected behavior with that update and it doesn’t mean your data is damaged. BitLocker is doing its job and locking the drive because something about the boot environment changed. Without the recovery key, there is no safe or legitimate way to access the data on a BitLocker protected drive, and no recovery tool can bypass that encryption.

First check your Microsoft account, old printouts, USBs, work IT portal, or anywhere the key may have been saved automatically. If you do find the key, the data should unlock normally with no loss.

If the key is truly gone, recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery won’t help here, and the only option is to wipe the drive and reinstall Windows.

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