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.

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.

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.

Find out how to submit a request for a refund for a purchase of digital Xbox content.

Learn how to activate Windows using a product key or digital license, check your activation status, and link your Microsoft account.

How to enable TPM. If you need to enable TPM, these settings are managed via the UEFI BIOS (PC firmware) and vary based on your device. You can access these settings by choosing: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Restart now. From the next screen, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart to make the changes.

If you are unsure if your device meets the Windows 11 minimum system requirements and have Windows 10 already installed, you can download the PC Health Check app, which will assess eligibility and identify components of your device that don't meet the minimum requirements.

Windows 10. The Windows 10 Update Assistant downloads and installs feature updates on your device. Feature updates like Windows 10, version 1909 (a.k.a. the Windows 10 November 2019 Update) offer new functionality and help keep your systems secure.

Use this app to try to recover lost files that have been deleted from your local storage device (including internal drives, external drives, and USB devices) and can’t be restored from the Recycle Bin. Recovery on cloud storage and network file shares is not supported.