Is There A Way to Format a Drive Encrypted With BitLocker?

My HDD is Bitlocker protected. I only want to wipe the entire drive because I don't know the login, password, or restore key. I cannot access the drive when I attempt to boot from a Windows installation CD because it requests a restore key, which I do not have. Is it possible to format the entire drive?

Bitlocker is a popular encryption tool developed by Microsoft that provides enhanced security for drives in Windows systems. In this article, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of formatting a drive encrypted with Bitlocker, ensuring you can securely erase your data.

Situation 1. Format BitLocker Encrypted Drive Without Password

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Step 1. Select "Format" with a right-click on the USB or external drive that you want to format.

Step 2. Click "OK" after setting the Cluster size, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and Partition label. Press "Yes" to proceed.

Step 3. To format the hard drive partition, click "Apply" after selecting "Execute 1 Task(s)".

Situation 2. Format BitLocker Encrypted Drive With Password

1. Unlock Bitlocker

Step 1. Enter the Windows File Explorer and find the BitLocker encrypted drive.

Step 2. Double-click the target drive and enter your password when a window appears.

Step 3. Select "Unlock" to disable the BitLocker.

2. Format Drive via Disk Management

Step 1. To find your disk partitions, open File Explorer by pressing the "Windows + E" keys.

Step 2. Choose "Format..." after performing a right-click on one of the disk partitions.

Step 3. Choose NTFS as your hard drive partition's new file system and check the option "Perform Quick Format."

Step 4. Click "Start" > "OK" to finish formatting.

If you need additional information, you can explore the following comprehensive guide post:

💡Further Information: How to Format BitLocker Drive/USB/SD Card With or Without Password

 

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