How to Recover Data from Reformatted BitLocker Encrypted Drive

An overview of BitLocker drive encryption

BitLocker is a way to secure the whole hard drive that comes with Microsoft Windows versions after Windows Vista. It is available in specific versions of Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11, as well as Windows Server 2008 and later. BitLocker can encrypt both internal hard drives (with or without TPM embedded) and external storage media. Users can choose one or combine more authentication methods to decrypt BitLocker drives, including TPM, PIN, USB Key, and password.

In addition, BitLocker automatically generates a BitLocker drive encryption recovery key, a unique 48-digit numerical password stored in a .BEK, during the setup process. When other authentication methods fail or the BitLocker recovery screen triggers, this BitLocker recovery key unlocks the encrypted drive.

The BitLocker metadata on the secured drive stores both the password and the 48-digit key. We process the entered credentials and examine their conformity with the relevant metadata items. If we find a match, we can unlock the storage. After that, you can access your drive data as usual.

Common causes of data loss on the BitLocker drive

Although the drive is encrypted by BitLocker, it is not different from any other storage medium. In the same way, the BitLocker-encrypted drive can also lose data for a number of reasons, most usually these:

• Accidental deletion of files.
• Reformat the BitLocker drive by mistake.
• Accumulated bad sectors.
• Sudden power failure.
• Virus or malware infection.
• Hard drive corruption.
• Software/hardware failure.
• Physical damages.

Can I recover data from a BitLocker-encrypted drive?

Whether you can recover data from a BitLocker drive depends on the specific situation.

If the metadata is damaged or corrupted, the whole BitLocker encrypted drive will become inaccessible even with the correct password and recovery key., and it will be impossible to recover data from it. Reformatting will clear all contents on the BitLocker drive as well as the metadata; therefore, you cannot recover data from a reformatted BitLocker drive.

or other scenarios such as accidental deletion, virus attack, etc., it is possible to recover deleted or lost data from the BitLocker-encrypted drive as long as the data hasn’t been overwritten. Thus, stop using the BitLocker drive once you find any data loss, and do data recovery on it ASAP!

Then, you must have the password, or at least the BitLocker recovery key, so that you can decrypt the encrypted drive and continue recovering data from it. You can find the BitLocker recovery key in your Microsoft account, the USB flash drive, a .BEK file on your computer, the Active Directory, and your Azure Active Directory account.

That is to say, there are three requirements for BitLocker data recovery: intact metadata, reformatted data, and the correct password or BitLocker recovery key.

Ways to recover data on the BitLocker drive

If you made a copy of the BitLocker drive’s data before you lost it, it will be easy to get it back. That being said, not everyone backs up their important files on a daily basis, so when they lose data through BitLocker, they don’t have a copy to use.

If you lose files, videos, papers, photos, etc. on a BitLocker-encrypted drive, you can get them back with professional BitLocker data recovery software. It is possible to get back data from erased BitLocker drives, parts that can’t be reached or are damaged, and removed or lost BitLocker drives with the BLR BitLocker data recovery tool for Windows.

Steps to recover data from a BitLocker drive with BLR Tools Data Recovery for Windows:

To download the zip package of BLR Tools Data Recovery for Windows, click the green download button on your computer. When it completes, open the package and follow the on-screen guide to install and launch the software.

Connect the BitLocker-encrypted drive to your computer via the USB port if it is an external disk. On the main interface of the recovery software, choose the BitLocker Recovery module.

On the list of detected drives, select the BitLocker drive from which you lost data, then click the Next button in the right bottom corner, enter the password or recovery key, and click OK to start scanning the selected drive for deleted or lost files.

Once the scanning is complete, you can quickly find target items by filtering the results using the provided categories, right-clicking the item, and selecting Preview to view the content.

Tick the box for the wanted items and click Recover to save them to a different location. You should not save to the original BitLocker drive or partition to avoid data overwriting.

Have you successfully recovered data from a BitLocker encrypted drive with the above steps? If so, share BLR Tools Data Recovery for Windows to help more people!