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.

Restoring files from previous versions. Restore deleted files and folders or restore a file or folder to a previous state. Navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or folder, right-click it, and then select Restore previous versions.

For Windows 8.1, see Create a USB recovery drive. To download Windows 11 installation media, see Recovery options in Windows. Create a recovery drive so you can reinstall Windows 10 or Windows 11 in case you experience a major issue such as hardware failure.

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.

Installing Windows 11 on devices that don't meet minimum system requirements. If you changed your hardware in order to upgrade to Windows 11 and the system is not recognizing the change in a timely manner, this article explains how to initiate the assessment manually.

Get started with Copilot. To get started, open the Copilot app from the Start menu or use the Copilot icon if present on your Windows taskbar. If your device keyboard includes a dedicated Copilot key, you can also use it to launch Copilot.

Possible causes. Make sure your PC, the external display, and the cable all support DisplayPort or MHL alternate modes. Make sure the device or dongle is connected directly to your PC. Make sure the device or dongle is connected to the USB-C port on your PC that supports the correct Alternate Mode.

If you're having problems with Windows 11 on your PC or you want a fresh copy of Windows 11 without the clutter of old files or apps, you can reinstall Windows 11 to try and fix your issues and return your PC to a cleaner state.

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.

Windows will let you know if you need to restart your device to complete an update, and you can choose a time that works best for you to complete that update. The latest Windows update is Windows 11, version 23H2, also known as the Windows 11 2023 Update.