Things happen - phones go for a swim or a tumble accidentally, cloud logins get forgotten, and papers are easily lost or damaged. Regardless of which options you choose, you should save your recovery key in a few locations. Alternatively, you could just file it away with the rest of your paperwork. If you have a safe for important files, documents, or photos, you could put it there. You can always make a physical copy of the key, either by printing it out or writing it down on a piece of paper.

RELATED: How to Password Protect a ZIP File on Windows A Physical Copy If you’re concerned about storing it in the cloud, you can always double up on your security by putting it in a password-protected ZIP file first. However, you can upload it to any reputable cloud service you like. You can always save the recovery key in a text file or screenshot and then upload it to the cloud - that is basically how Microsoft handles the situation automatically, anyway. These instructions are designed to be one-size-fits-all and will work regardless of your Windows version. Note: Users that have the Professional version of Windows 11 will have additional options associated with BitLocker. It is also saved locally - if you set up a local account, you’ll only have a local copy. In that case, your recovery key is stored on Microsoft’s servers. Most users who are running Windows 11 will have created their PC user account with a Microsoft login. Of course, that also means that you won’t be able to access your data either if you need to access your data and you don’t have your encryption key handy. RELATED: Should You Upgrade to the Professional Version of Windows 11? Generally speaking, that is a good thing - that means even if someone steals your computer and rips out the storage drive, they will not be able to access anything on it.

All Windows 11 devices will be capable of either device encryption or full BitLocker encryption, depending on which version of Windows 11 you’re running. Windows has been slow to adopt drive encryption, but that is gradually changing.

Windows 11 usb key