# How to add Bitlocker Encryption Key

**URL:** <https://sleuthkit.discourse.group/t/how-to-add-bitlocker-encryption-key/5401>\
**Category:** Autopsy Help\
**Created:** [March 15, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://sleuthkit.discourse.group/t/how-to-add-bitlocker-encryption-key/5401 "2025-03-15T14:16:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ArgyllA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@ArgyllA](https://sleuthkit.discourse.group/u/ArgyllA)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://sleuthkit.discourse.group/t/how-to-add-bitlocker-encryption-key/5401/1 "2025-03-15T14:16:45Z")

</div>

Hi folks,  
apologies, done the usual searching on this and coming up dry…

the online docs and search results suggest that if Autopsy encounters a Bitlocker protected volume, it should ask for the password/recovery key, but that is not the experience I see.

instead, when I add data source and select the disk, the disk is analysed, and i get an error in the log;

Errors occurred while ingesting image

1. BitLocker initialization failed (Password required to decrypt volume )

I have hunted, but cannot see a dialog to let me enter the Recovery key (which I have on hand for this device)

this particular device has a boot sector and small FAT volume, then a larger NTFS bitlocker volume; I am able to see the contents of the FAT volume with no issues, so happy that the basics are working as expected.

I assume the error is in my process, so what am I missing?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![apriestman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/sleuthkit.discourse.group/apriestman/32/24_2.png) [@apriestman](https://sleuthkit.discourse.group/u/apriestman)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 1:30pm UTC](https://sleuthkit.discourse.group/t/how-to-add-bitlocker-encryption-key/5401/2 "2025-03-17T13:30:41Z")

</div>

How exactly are you trying to add your disk image? You shouldn’t be able to get past the Select Data Source panel - it displays a warning if the image is BitLocker-protected.

 ![bl1](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/sleuthkit/original/2X/6/6dc3d65725ae38458bbdf42e8037c8dc953908ce.png)

Once you enter the correct password the warning goes away and you can continue.

 ![bl2](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/sleuthkit/original/2X/6/61d15a367c5cd56c3c6645d34d3f083bd72870ab.png)