---
title: "USB bitlocker recovery key not working & Bitlocker doesn’t detect USB key"
description: "I have Bitlocker recovery keys saved to my USB drive. They unlock my SSD. I know these are the correct keys, because the Identifier in the recovery key text file on the USB matches the Identifier..."
url: https://extraproxies.com/usb-bitlocker-recovery-key-not-working-bitlocker-doesnt-detect-usb-key
date: 2024-02-13
modified: 2024-02-13
author: "ExtraProxies"
categories: ["Proxy User"]
tags: ["bitlocker", "detect", "doesn't", "recovery", "working"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# USB bitlocker recovery key not working & Bitlocker doesn’t detect USB key

I have Bitlocker recovery keys saved to my USB drive. They unlock my SSD.

I know these are the correct keys, because the Identifier in the recovery key text file on the USB matches the Identifier that pops up in Bitlocker when I try to open my SSD:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/go4yQ.png)

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RSWH6.png)

But when I copy/paste the keys, it tells me the recovery key is incorrect.

When I click "Load keys from USB drive", it tells me a valid USB key wasn’t detected…even though I literally have the USB open in a separate window with the files!

I tried following these steps to deactivate any USB partitions that aren’t in use, but command prompt tells me "The disk is not a fixed MBR disk. The INACTIVE command can only be used on fixed MBR disks."

What else can I do to make this recovery key work?