Microsoft broke BitLocker in the July Windows security update

Just days have passed since a bug in CrowdStrike’s software crashed 8.5 million Windows computers, and users of the Microsoft platform are faced with a new problem. It has become known that after installing the July security update for Windows 11 and Windows 10 and then rebooting, the computer may boot into recovery mode and ask the user to enter the BitLocker key.

Image source: Microsoft

The issue affects computers on which users have previously enabled BitLocker encryption. After reports of difficulties loading Windows began to grow rapidly on Microsoft support forums, the software giant was forced to admit there was a problem. The company warned users about the possibility of difficulties loading the OS after installing the July security update on the support page. The issue reportedly affects all supported versions of Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2008 and later.

If the user knows the BitLocker recovery key, then no special difficulties should arise. Recovery mode does not appear again on subsequent reboots. For those who don’t remember the key, you will need to go from the recovery screen to the online portal and sign in to your Microsoft account to find the key under Manage Recovery Keys.

Windows crashes after installing updates are not uncommon, and users have had to deal with more serious problems that security patches have brought at various times. Additionally, a small portion of Windows users use BitLocker encryption. Microsoft continues to study the situation, after which the software giant intends to release a patch to fix the error, which causes computers to boot into recovery mode.