The second and most common way to bypass the BitLocker Recovery screen is using a recovery key. This key is 48 digits long and can be found in whichever source you used to activate BitLocker.

BitLocker recovery key is a full-disk encryption feature in Microsoft Windows Pro and Enterprise operating systems. It is a unique 48-digit numerical password that can lock or unlock the data.

If you set up Windows 11 normally with a Microsoft account, your BitLocker recovery keys will automatically be backed up to your Microsoft account, which is frankly, the best way to do it.

BitLocker is one of the simplest ways to encrypt an external drive on Windows, as long as you're using it with Windows devices. It's just one of many security features in Windows 11.