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.

You can now restore lost or accidentally deleted favorites in Microsoft Edge with our new favorites recovery feature. You'll need to be signed in to your Microsoft account and have the sync setting turned on to use the favorites recovery feature.

Get help with a damaged or unreadable code. If you’re unable to read all 25 characters of your digital code, you’ll need to request a replacement code by contacting aka.ms/contactxboxsupport. When you contact support, make sure to provide the proof of purchase, the serial number, and a picture of the damaged code.

Learn how to remove malware from your PC. Use Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Windows 10 or Windows 11 to scan your PC for malware, viruses, or other threats.

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.

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.

To see where your browser is saving downloads, look in your browser's settings. For example, in the new Microsoft Edge , select Settings and more > Settings > Downloads . The file path for your downloaded files (for example, C:\Users\ [your name]\Downloads) is listed under Location.

Here's how to get the Recycle Bin on your desktop in Windows 10: Select the Start  button, then select Settings . Select Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings. Select the Recycle Bin check box > Apply. Notes: To get to desktop icon settings in Windows 8.1, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, then select Search.

PC Health Check app brings you up to date info on your Windows device health, helping you take action to improve your device performance and troubleshoot performance problems. It is periodically updated based on customer feedback to help you make the most of your Windows PC.