I didn't save a recovery key because my laptop came from Best Buy ready to use

If your Windows 11 laptop arrived pre‑set up from Best Buy and BitLocker is now asking for a recovery key you never saved, the key was still created automatically when BitLocker Device Encryption was enabled during the OEM setup. It’s tied to the Microsoft account used at first sign‑in.

Check where the recovery key is stored

1. On another device, sign in to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey using the same Microsoft account you use on the laptop.
2. If the key was backed up there, you’ll see it listed by device name.
3. If not, check:
   • A printout or USB drive if you or the retailer exported it.
   • Azure AD or your organization’s account if it’s a work‑managed PC.

Why this happens

BitLocker Device Encryption is automatically turned on for most modern Windows 11 Home and Pro devices that meet the “Modern Standby” requirement. When you first sign in with a Microsoft account, Windows silently backs up the recovery key online (Microsoft Docs).

If you cannot locate the key

There’s no supported way to bypass BitLocker without the recovery key. The only option is to reset or reinstall Windows, which erases all data on the drive (Reset or reinstall Windows 11).

Next step

• Retrieve the key from your Microsoft account page.
• If unavailable, back up any accessible data (if possible from another partition) and perform a clean install using a Windows 11 installation USB.

That’s the only supported recovery path once BitLocker requests the key.

If your drive is encrypted with Bitlocker, the only place the Bitlocker Recovery key is automatically stored is on the associated Microsoft account on the link below, be sure to check any Microsoft account that may have been used on the PC and also any work or school account that may be linked to the PC.

https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey

Are you able to find the Bitlocker Recovery Key on any account that may have been used or linked to the laptop?

If not, do you have a safe backup of your files, or use a cloud service like OneDrive to sync your files online.

If you are unable to find the Bitlocker Recovery Key on any account that may have been used on that device, then I am sorry for the bad news, the only way to access that device is to create a bootable Windows 11 USB on another working PC and use that to clean install Windows and at the start of the installation, delete all partitions on the drive to remove the encryption, which will sadly result in loss of all data on the drive.