How to Recover Data After BitLocker Decryption Fails?

Updated on January 8, 2026 by Admin to BitLocker Data Recovery

I was trying to decrypt a Bitlocker protected external hard disk overnight and it seems to be stuck at 45%. I waited for another couple of hours, but the progress was still unchanged, then I paused and then resumed the decryption, the problem persists, so I realized that the decryption had failed. There's over 100 GB worth of some pretty important files on this drive, so I'm eager to get those files back. Can someone tell me how to recover data after Bitlocker decryption failed? I'd be willing to pay a reasonable amount for a software solution.

If you encounter a decryption failure, first try pausing the process, restarting your computer, and attempting decryption again. You may also try decrypting on a different computer. If the problem persists, it indicates that the file system or BitLocker metadata has been corrupted due to the failed decryption. Once Windows can no longer unlock the partition, standard data recovery software is ineffective because the drive remains encrypted. In this scenario, you need a specialized solution: Hasleo Data Recovery, professional BitLocker data recovery software designed to recover data after Bitlocker decryption failed. This tutorial walks you through the complete process of recovering lost data from a BitLocker-encrypted drive after a failed decryption using Hasleo Data Recovery.

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How to Recover Data After BitLocker Decryption Fails Using Hasleo Data Recovery?

Step 1: Choose BitLocker Data Recovery

Download, install, and run Hasleo Data Recovery. On the main interface, you'll see several recovery options. Please select BitLocker Data Recovery mode.

select bitlocker data recovery mode

Step 2: Select the drive to Scan

1. Please select the drive where you lost files, then click "Scan" to find all BitLocker-encrypted partitions on the device.

select drive to scan bitlocker partition

2. A pop-up window will appear asking you to enter the BitLocker password or 48-digit BitLocker recovery key. If you don't want to enter the password or BitLocker recovery key here, just click the "Skip" button to skip it.

enter bitlocker password before scanning

3. Hasleo Data Recovery will display all detected BitLocker-encrypted partitions on the target device. If you provided the password or BitLocker recovery key in the previous step, the password status will show whether they match the partition.

select bitlocker encrypted partition

4. Double-click the partition you want to recover data from. If you've already entered the password or BitLocker recovery key and the password or recovery key matches, Hasleo Data Recovery will start scanning lost files. Otherwise, a prompt will appear asking for your BitLocker password or 48-digit recovery key. After entering the correct credentials and clicking "OK", the scan will start.

enter bitlocker password

Step 3: Preview and Recover Deleted Files

After scanning, the software will display a list of found files. You can preview them by browsing their paths or types. Select the files you wish to recover, then click the "Recover" button to save them to a destination of your choice. If your desired files are not found, click "Deep Scan" to initiate the Deep Scan Recovery process. This process takes additional time but can recover many more lost files.

preview lost files

 

As a professional BitLocker Data Recovery software, Hasleo Data Recovery can not only recover data from an decryption-failed BitLocker drive, but also recover data from a encryption-stuck BitLocker drive.

 

Important Notes:

  1. You must enter the correct Bitlocker password or the 48-digit Bitlocker recovery key to successfully recover data from a BitLocker-encrypted drive.
  2. If the metadata area of a BitLocker-encrypted drive is severely corrupted, data recovery from that partition may fail—even with the correct password or recovery key.
  3. Do not save recovered files to the original partition where the lost data was stored. This prevents the data from being overwritten.
  4. You can export or save the scan results for later use or future recovery sessions.