This happened before, and it happened again: Windows PCs are booting into BitLocker Recovery after the recent security updates. Microsoft acknowledged the issue and confirmed BitLocker bugs after the October 2025 security updates for Windows 10 22H2, Windows 11 24H2, and Windows 11 25H2.
According to Microsoft, the issue primarily affects Intel-based PCs with Modern Standby, a special low-power mode that enables background activity when in sleep. Modern Standby lets your PC wake up instantly, remain connected to the network, receive important data, and more. Features like Modern Standby should not trigger BitLocker recovery, as the latter is supposed to occur when the system detects potential security threats like TPM, firmware, or hardware changes.
Fortunately, the problem does not seem to compromise or corrupt any data, as long as you know your BitLocker key. Microsoft says that users can mitigate the problem by entering their BitLocker key, after which computers should boot normally. Microsoft is already working on fixing the issue, and IT admins can undo problematic changes by applying the Known Issue Rollback group policies.
Interestingly, bugs like this occur quite frequently. One such issue happened only a couple of months ago, when the May 2025 Patch Tuesday update triggered BitLocker recovery on Windows 10 PCs. With Microsoft now encrypting drives with BitLocker by default on all Windows 11 editions, it is very important to know your BitLocker key and store it in a secure location. Drive encryption is a critical part of modern data security, but Microsoft"s careless approach and the lack of communication with the end user have already caused issues and data loss for some users.
You can check out our guide to learn how to find your BitLocker key. Alternatively, you can disable BitLocker or install Windows 11 with BitLocker turned off.