ssd hard disc p

Use another device to sign in to the Microsoft account used when the Lenovo was configured, then match the displayed recovery key ID to the corresponding 48-digit BitLocker recovery key.

Retrieve the recovery key

1. On the BitLocker prompt for the SSD, note the first eight digits of the recovery key ID.
   The key ID identifies the correct key; it is not itself the 48-digit key.
2. On another computer or phone, open:
   https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey
3. Sign in with every Microsoft account that may have been used on the Lenovo in 2023.
4. Find an entry whose Key ID matches the ID shown for the SSD.
5. Enter that entry’s 48-digit recovery key into the prompt on the other laptop. Connecting the SSD to another computer does not remove the encryption; the same key remains required. Microsoft documents this matching procedure for Windows 10 and Windows 11.^1^

Because the store configured the laptop

If the key is absent from your accounts, contact the store and ask:

• Which Microsoft account was used during setup?
• Did they enable BitLocker or device encryption?
• Was the recovery key saved to their setup account, printed, or placed on a USB drive?

If somebody else set up Windows or enabled BitLocker, the key may be stored in that person’s Microsoft account.^1^

Also check:

• Printed documents supplied with the laptop.
• USB drives used during setup.
• Saved text or PDF files containing “BitLocker Recovery Key.”
• If a work or school account was ever connected, sign in to that organization’s account and check Devices → the Lenovo device → View BitLocker Keys, or contact its IT administrator.^1^

After the SSD unlocks

Copy the important files to a separate drive immediately. If desired, decrypt the old SSD afterward from an administrator Command Prompt, replacing D: with its actual drive letter:

manage-bde -off D:
manage-bde -status D:

Allow decryption to finish before disconnecting the SSD. This procedure is supported when an encrypted drive from a failed computer is attached to another Windows computer.^2^

If the key cannot be found

Microsoft Support cannot retrieve, provide, bypass, or recreate a lost BitLocker recovery key. Without a saved recovery key, the encrypted data cannot be accessed.^1^

Do not format, initialize, reset, or repartition the SSD while trying to recover the files—those actions can erase the data. Formatting would make the SSD reusable but would not recover its contents.

References

1. Find your BitLocker recovery key | Microsoft Support
2. Wife's laptop motherboard failed, her hard dive is encrypted. Can I put that hard drive in an enclosure and connect it to her new computer? - Microsoft Q&A