Quote:Microsoft has confirmed that the April 2026 security update for Windows 11, KB5083769, released on April 14, is causing some devices to boot directly into the BitLocker recovery screen instead of the desktop. Affected users need to enter their BitLocker recovery key before the system can start normally.

Microsoft says this is a one-time issue and that future restarts should proceed normally once the key is entered. The problem appears to affect only devices with a specific combination of BitLocker and Secure Boot settings, and most users installing the update are not affected.

What Triggers the Issue

The BitLocker recovery prompt appears on a device when several conditions are met:

• BitLocker is enabled on the operating system drive, the Group Policy setting for configuring the TPM platform validation profile includes PCR7 in the validation profile
  
• System Information shows "Secure Boot State PCR7 Binding" as "Not Possible." Additionally, the UEFI CA 2023 certificate must be present in the Secure Boot Signature Database, and the device should not already be running the 2023-signed Windows Boot Manager
  

Microsoft considers this an "unrecommended" BitLocker configuration that can trigger this behavior.

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