BitLocker PIN Forgotten Use Recovery Key and Reset the PIN
The startup PIN will not come back to you, no matter how long you stare at the screen. Good news — the PIN was never the only way in. Use the recovery key once, then set a PIN you will actually remember.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 7 minute guide
🎥 Watch the full process in the video — finding the recovery key and unlocking the drive, shown live step by step
First, stop guessing. The TPM has anti hammering protection — too many wrong PIN attempts and it starts delaying you and can push the PC into full recovery mode anyway. The BitLocker PIN screen itself offers the escape route: a link or key press that takes you to the recovery key entry instead. The recovery key outranks the PIN — it unlocks the drive completely, after which the old PIN can be replaced from inside Windows. Forgotten PIN plus saved recovery key is a ten minute problem, not a disaster.
BitLocker PIN Screen — the Two Ways Forward
Enter the PIN for this drive
Forgotten PIN optionShown below the PIN box
Recovery routePress Esc for BitLocker recovery
Repeated wrong PINsTPM delays increase
On most PCs, pressing Esc at the PIN screen — or choosing the recovery option shown there — opens the recovery key screen directly.
1
Switch from the PIN Screen to the Recovery Screen
At the PIN prompt, press Esc — on most systems this opens BitLocker recovery; some screens show a Forgot your PIN or recovery option you can select directly
You should land on the blue screen asking for the 48 digit recovery key
If the PC instead reboots back to the PIN screen, look again carefully at the options printed on that screen before typing anything
2
Unlock with the Recovery Key
The PIN being forgotten changes nothing about the key — it is the same saved key as always.
Open https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey on your phone and sign in
Match the Key ID from the recovery screen and take the matching 48 digit key
Type the full key and press Enter — Windows boots to the normal sign in screen
3
Set a New PIN from Inside Windows ⭐
Now replace the forgotten PIN while you are signed in — this needs administrator rights on the PC.
Open Command Prompt as administrator
Run manage-bde -changepin C:
Type the new PIN when asked, confirm it, and the protector is updated immediately
Restart the PC and test the new PIN before you need it in a hurry
Pick a PIN you will still remember after a long holiday — length beats cleverness, and never write it on a sticker attached to the laptop.
4
Office Laptop — the PIN May Belong to IT Policy
On a company machine, the startup PIN is usually enforced by policy. Changing it yourself with the command above may work, but if it refuses or resets back, that is the policy speaking — call the help desk and let them walk the official route with the escrowed recovery key.
Do not keep fighting repeated lockouts on a managed device
Give IT the Key ID from your recovery screen
Follow their PIN reset process so the device stays compliant
🔴 The one situation that is genuinely bad: forgotten PIN and no recovery key saved anywhere. Then the PIN screen cannot help you and neither can anyone else — the drive stays sealed. PINs are forgettable by design; the recovery key backup is the part you must never skip.
🎥 Watch the Complete Process in the Video
Finding the recovery key and unlocking a real BitLocker locked drive — complete knowledge, step by step.
Is the BitLocker PIN the same as my Windows sign in PIN?
No. The BitLocker PIN is asked before Windows even starts, and it unlocks the drive. The Windows Hello PIN comes later, at the sign in screen. Forgetting one does not change the other.
How many wrong PIN tries do I get?
The TPM slows you down progressively and eventually the PC can drop into full recovery mode asking for the 48 digit key. There is no benefit to guessing — switch to the recovery route early.
Can I remove the startup PIN completely?
On your own Pro edition PC, the PIN protector can be changed through BitLocker settings and group policy choices — but removing it weakens the protection the PIN was added for. Resetting it to a memorable PIN is the better fix for most people.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu video linked above • Stuck on a step, ask in the video comments and the community will help you 🙏