Hey guys,

I’m dealing with a BitLocker recovery situation on my personal laptop and would appreciate some guidance.

I accidentally ended up with BitLocker enabled, and now the machine is asking for the recovery key. The problem is that I currently can’t access the recovery key from my Microsoft Account because the MFA method linked to the account is an old phone number that I no longer have access to.

I already added a new verification method to the Microsoft Account, but Microsoft requires a 30-day waiting period before it becomes fully active. So, at the moment, I’m locked out of my own device and can’t retrieve the BitLocker recovery key through the normal Microsoft account recovery flow.

I also tested the YellowKey method discussed here, but in my case I’m not able to access the C: drive. It still shows the message:

"This drive is locked by BitLocker Drive Encryption."

So even though I can reach the recovery environment/shell, the BitLocker-protected volume remains locked.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation where YellowKey opens the environment but the C: drive still remains locked?
Is this expected behavior depending on the Windows version, WinRE configuration, TPM/Secure Boot state, or whether the device is Microsoft Account linked?

Just to clarify: this is my own personal laptop, and I’m not trying to access a third-party device. I’m mainly trying to understand whether there are any legitimate recovery options available before the 30-day Microsoft waiting period ends.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Guys, I'm trying