neccie/yellowkey-bitlocker-cve-2026-45585Manage BitLocker recovery keys, unlock encrypted drives, and monitor encryption status with this lightweight Windows utility.
YellowKey is a free open-source utility for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It helps you extract, backup, and view your BitLocker recovery keys. This is useful if you lost access to your encrypted drive or need to verify your security settings.
BitLocker is the built-in encryption tool in Windows. When something goes wrong - a hardware change, a BIOS update, or a forgotten password - Windows asks for a 48-digit recovery key. If you do not have this key, your data stays locked forever.
YellowKey finds these recovery keys on your system and shows them to you in a clear format. You can save them to a file, print them, or copy them to a safe location.
Visit the download page: Go to the YellowKey releases page
Choose the right file: Look for the file named YellowKey.exe or YellowKey_v1.0.exe. It is the only file you need.
Download the file: Click the file name to start the download. Your browser will save it to your Downloads folder.
Run the program: Double-click the downloaded file. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning. Click "Run anyway" or "More info" then "Run anyway" to continue.
Click "Scan Now": The program will scan all drives on your computer for BitLocker information.
View your keys: The program shows a list of all drives with their encryption status and recovery keys. You can copy each key to your clipboard or export all keys to a text file.
Run YellowKey. It will show you the recovery key for that drive. Use this 48-digit key to unlock your drive when Windows asks for it.
YellowKey shows the encryption state for every drive. You can see which drives are protected and which are not.
After scanning, click the "Export" button. Save the text file to a USB drive, a cloud storage service, or a printed paper. Keep this file somewhere safe but accessible.
YellowKey shows your TPM status. If the TPM is not ready or missing, you can address the problem before it locks you out.
When you run YellowKey, you see a table with these columns:
YellowKey does not send any data over the internet. All information stays on your machine. The source code is available for anyone to review. You can compile it yourself if you prefer.
This tool is for legitimate recovery purposes. Use it only on systems you own or have permission to access.
Run YellowKey as Administrator. Right-click the file and select "Run as administrator."
This means your drives are either not encrypted or do not have a recoverable key. YellowKey only finds keys stored in the system's BitLocker metadata.
Make sure you downloaded the correct file for your Windows version (64-bit). Some antivirus software may block the program. Temporarily disable your antivirus, run YellowKey, then re-enable it.
Your computer may not have a TPM chip, or it may be disabled in the BIOS. Check your computer's manual for instructions on enabling TPM.
YellowKey is released under the MIT License. You can use, modify, and distribute it freely.
This project welcomes contributions. If you found a bug or want to add a feature, open an issue or submit a pull request on GitHub.
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