You’ve encrypted your flash drive using BitLocker To Go so your data is safe from prying eyes. To anyone without your password, your files will be jarbled beyond comprehension. Unfortunately, if you lose your password, you’re data will remain just as indecipherable to you too. Luckily, if you have the recovery key that you saved during the initial BitLocker configuration, you’ll have no trouble unlocking the drive and rescuing your data. Once the drive is unlocked, you can change your password to avoid this issue in the future. This tutorial will explain everything you need to know to work with your drive after losing your password.

Unlock Your Drive Using the Recovery Key

Insert your drive into a USB port on your computer. When the password window launches, click "I forgot my password."

BitLocker will now present a window that allows you to unlock your drive using the recovery key. Locate your printed or saved recovery key and click "Type the recovery key."

Enter the recovery key exactly as it appears on your printed image or copy it from your saved text file and click Next.

Once your key has been accepted, the AutoPlay window will launch granting you access to your drive. Without your password though, you’ll have to repeat this procedure the next time you plan to use your drive.

Change Your BitLocker Encrypted Flash Drive’s Password

After unlocking your drive using the recovery key, launch Windows Explorer. Right-click your encrypted flash drive, which will have an open lock icon over it and click "Manage BitLocker" in the right-click menu.

This will provide you with a list of options that you can use to change your BitLocker settings. Click "Change password to unlock the drive."

Enter your new password in both of the fields provided. It is recommended that you use a complex password that utilizes both upper and lower-cased letters as well as numbers and symbols. Be sure to enter the exact same password in both fields.

Click Next after entering your password. Provided you typed your password correctly, you’ll be presented with a window informing that you were successful.

Conclusion

Now that you understand how to rescue your data, even if you’ve forgotten your password, there should be little holding you back from protecting your data with BitLocker To Go. Provided you keep your recovery key safe, you’ll never have any issues getting to your data. If you have Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise edition, try this helpful feature out and feel free to leave comments about your experience or to ask questions.

Related articles:

Encrypt Files on a USB Memory Stick with BitLocker To Go
How to Unlock a BitLocker Encrypted Flash Drive
Managing Your BitLocker To Go Encrypted Flash Drive