If Windows detects a potential effort by an unauthorized party to access the data, it will demand a BitLocker recovery key. This extra step is a safety measure designed to keep your data secure. But it could be annoying if it keeps asking for the BitLocker recovery key.
Usually, if you have encrypted the operating system drive with BitLocker, it needs the PIN, USB startup key, or the TPM to unlock the startup process, and it requires the password or the USB flash drive to decrypt the BitLocker encrypted drive so that you can access it.
When Windows keeps asking for the BitLocker recovery key, it may be caused by these, including:
- Authentication errors like forgetting the PIN, entering an incorrect PIN too many times…
- Boot/BIOS changes such as changing the BIOS order, changes to the MBR on the disk…
- Hardware, software, and firmware changes like adding or removing hardware…
- ……
When the BitLocker recovery screen appears on your Windows computer, the BitLocker recovery mode is triggered, you have to enter the right BitLocker recovery key to continue to visit your computer.
To stop Windows from asking for a BitLocker recovery key, you can:
- Suspend BitLocker protection
- Remove the protectors from the boot drive
- Enable/disable secure boot
- Update your BIOS
- Use legacy boot
- Turn off the auto-unlock option
- Update/Reinstall Windows OS
- Uninstall the newly installed hardware
- Format the C: drive and reinstall Windows OS
For more detailed steps, read BitLocker Keeps Asking for Recovery Key on Windows 10 Laptop