AOMEI Partition Assistant
[Windows 11/10] How to Turn Off BitLocker in Safe Mode
This post will share you with how to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode. If you can’t access to Safe Mode, you can also run AOMEI Partition Assistant to unlock, disable, or turn off BitLocker.
By Irene / Updated on July 15, 2024
User case: How to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode
Hello,
I've encountered a problem after interrupting the installation of Windows updates. The OS boots fine, but after logging in, I see an empty desktop and taskbar with only the date and time displayed, and nothing works. I've tried different hotkeys, but nothing happens. So, I decided to go into Recovery mode and tried to uninstall the latest updates, but without any luck. Then, I tried to boot into Safe Mode, but it requires a Bitlocker Recovery Key which I don't have. I don't remember enabling Bitlocker when I installed Windows a year ago.
Next, I tried to unlock it using the manage-bde command via cmd in Recovery Mode. The manage-bde tool says the C: drive is locked and has two protectors: TPM and Numerical Password, identified by their IDs only. I didn't create that password. So, I don't know how to disable Bitlocker. I can log into Windows, but nothing opens or reacts to hotkeys, so I cannot open cmd to disable Bitlocker or at least back up my data. I also tried to connect remotely via RDP from a different Windows laptop, but it didn't work because RDP must be enabled on the target machine. Are there any other hotkeys or methods to run cmd or PowerShell?
- Question from Microsoft Community
Safe mode only runs with basic and essential files, so it is practical and useful when you encounter problems and errors. When you find yourself locked out of your device and receive a notice saying "manage-bde: the drive C: is locked," you can boot into Safe Mode to turn off BitLocker. If you don’t know how, please follow our guide to learn how to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode.
How to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode
To turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode, you need to first enter the Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and then run manage-bde command to turn off the utility. In this section, we will show you how.
Stage 1. Boot into Safe Mode
To start Windows 11 in Safe Mode is possible even when the system is powered off. However, it's important to confirm that you have previously activated this fast boot key for the process to take effect.
Step 1. Open your computer and quickly press the F8 key or the Ctrl key to access the Startup Settings screen. Subsequently, use the F4/F5/F6 keys to select the desired safe mode for booting.
Step 2. After a few minutes, your computer will enter Safe Mode.
Note: To manually enable the F8 shortcut key, run the command prompt as an administrator and execute the following commands: bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes.
Stage 2. Run CMD to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode
After accessing to Command Prompt in Safe Mode, you can input these commands to turn off or unlock BitLocker in Windows 10 and 11.
Step 1. Run command prompt as an administrator.
Step 2. If your is locked, you need to type the following command to unlock it:
manage-bde -unlock F: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-BITLOCKER-RECOVERY-KEY .
Step 3. Then, use the following command to turn off BitLocker for a specific drive:
manage-bde -off X:
Replace X with the letter of the drive you want to decrypt (e.g., E:).
Here's an example: manage-bde -off E:
Step 4. The command will initiate the decryption process. Please note that this process may take some time, especially if you have a large drive or a significant amount of data. Wait for it to complete.
Turn off BitLocker with Powershell:
If you prefer using PowerShell, you can use the Disable-BitLocker cmdlet. Let’s see the steps:
Step 1. Right-click on the Start button and select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)".
Step 2. Use the following PowerShell command:
Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "X:"
Replace X with the letter of the drive you want to decrypt (e.g., E).
Step 3. Allow some time for the decryption process to finish. After completing these steps, BitLocker protection will be turned off, and the drive will be decrypted.
These are steps to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode.
How to turn off BitLocker with AOMEI Partition Assistant
Turning off BitLocker in Safe Mode may not always work. Sometimes, you may get stuck in Safe Mode due to corrupted system files, incorrect boot configurations, or software/hardware conflicts. At this time, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant, a multifunctional disk manager to unlock, disable, or turn off BitLocker.
This software allows you to create a bootable USB and then run its BitLocker function to effectively manage BitLocker drives including backing up recovery keys, changing passwords, and locking/unlocking encryption drives.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Tip: Prepare an external disk like USB drive of at least 13GB and insert it into your PC. If the target disk is not a system disk, you can skip the wiping steps (start from step 4).
Step 1. Install and open AOMEI Partition Assistant, on the main console, choose "Tools">"Make Bootable Media".
Step 2. Choose "USB Boot Device", select the disk you prepared, and click "Proceed" and it will note to you that the drive will be formatted, click "Yes" to continue.
Step 3. Insert the bootable drive to your computer, and enter BIOS to boot the computer from it.
Now, you can run its BitLocker function to manage the utility.
Step1. In the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant, click the "Tools" main tab and select "BitLocker".
Step 2. Find the encrypted drive you would like to decrypt and click the option "Turn off BitLocker".
🌟Tip: If you want to turn on BitLocker in the future, please convert FAT32 to NTFS first. It only supports encrypting NTFS partitions. Other partition file systems, for example, FAT or FAT32 cannot be encrypted.
Step 3. There are 2 ways available to decrypt the drive: Use password to decrypt the drive and Use recovery key to decrypt the drive. Please select either way as per your need.
If you select "Use a password to decrypt the drive", please enter the right password and then click the "Decrypt" button.
If you select "Use a recovery key to decrypt the drive", please enter the recovery key saved in the TXT file or printed when you encrypted the drive, and then click the "Decrypt" button.
Step 4. Then, the decryption process will start and it might take time to decrypt the drive. Once the decryption process is finished, please click "Completed". Finally, the BitLocker on the drive is decrypted.
Conclusion
This passage shares how to turn off BitLocker in Safe Mode. If you stuck in Safe Mode due to various reasons, you can run AOMEI Partition Assistant to unlock, disable, turn off BitLocker or manage it. With this tool, you can also clone BitLocker drive, rebuild corrupted MBR, extend drive space, and so on. For Windows Server users, please choose the AOMEI Partition Assistant Server edition.
