If your system is asking you for your BitLocker recovery key, the following information may help you locate your recovery key and understand why you're being asked to provide it. Important: Microsoft support is unable to provide, or recreate, a lost BitLocker recovery key.

If you can't find a file on your computer or you accidently modified or deleted a file, you can restore it from a backup (if you're using Windows backup) or you can try to restore it from a previous version. Previous versions are copies of files and folders that Windows automatically saves as part of a restore point.

Select your version of Microsoft 365 below to learn how to activate Microsoft 365. Activate Microsoft 365 or a non-subscription version of Office. Activate Office that's pre-installed on a new Windows device. Activate an Office purchase or offer that's included on a new Windows device.

It's a good idea to create a recovery drive. That way, if your PC ever experiences a major issue such as hardware failure, you'll be able to use the recovery drive to reinstall Windows 11. Windows updates to improve security and PC performance periodically, so we recommend you recreate the recovery drive annually.

You can use installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows. To create installation media, go to the software download website, where you'll find step-by-step instructions.

Did this resolve your issue? Check the Xbox services, games, and apps for any service outages.

Booting from a USB device doesn’t refresh or reset your Surface. Instead, it lets you start your Surface using Windows or another operating system that’s on your USB device. For info about how to create a bootable USB drive for your Surface, see Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface.

Select Start > Settings > System > Sound. In Input, select a microphone to see its properties. In Input volume, make sure the blue bar adjusts as you speak into the microphone. If it doesn't, go to Test your microphone and Start test. This will help you troubleshoot any issues with your microphone.

Troubleshooting network problems in Windows. If you can’t get email, browse the web, or stream music, chances are you’re not connected to your network and can’t get onto the internet. To fix the problem, here are some things you can try. Windows 11 Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7.

How to start voice typing. To use voice typing, you'll need to be connected to the internet, have a working microphone, and have your cursor in a text box. Once you turn on voice typing, it will start listening automatically. Wait for the "Listening..." alert before you start speaking.