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.

Having a backup copy of your BitLocker recovery key helps to prevent serious issues later. It takes less than a minute to back up your key and this article will show you how.

If some Windows functions aren't working or Windows crashes, use the System File Checker to scan Windows and restore your files. Though the steps below might look complicated at first glance, just follow them in order, step-by-step, and we’ll try to get you back on track.

Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Device security . Under Security processor, select Security processor details. Select Security processor troubleshooting, and then under Clear TPM, select Clear TPM. You'll need to restart your device to complete the process.

Along with software updates for Windows 10 or Windows 11, it's important to make hardware updates, also known as updates for drivers and firmware. You can quickly check the health of your Surface drivers and firmware using the Surface app. Open the Surface app.

Your PC isn't working well and you recently installed an app. Restore from a system restore point. You suspect your device has been infected. Use installation media to reinstall Windows 11. Select one of the recovery options below and follow the steps to try to get things working again.

Learn how to redeem a gift card, code, or Office product key and spend your balance at Microsoft Store online, on Windows, or Xbox.

Hotmail is now Outlook.com. Learn how to sign in to access your Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, or MSN email account.

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.

Use the Add a language feature to install another language for Windows 11 to view menus, dialog boxes, and supported apps and websites in that language. To do this: Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region. Go to Preferred languages, select Add a language.