Encrypted Drive Data Recovery
BitLocker, FileVault, VeraCrypt and hardware-encrypted drives recovered in our Brisbane laboratory. When an encrypted drive fails, the encryption is rarely the problem: the damage is. With your key or password and our imaging tools, encrypted data is recoverable.
★ Google 4.8 · 95 reviews92% success rateBrisbane laboratory · Australia-wide mail-inFree diagnosis
The 20-second answer: if you have the password or recovery key, a damaged encrypted drive is treated like any other recovery: we image the failing media first, then unlock the image with your key. If you do not have the key, modern software encryption cannot be broken by us or anyone else, but check the exceptions below: many WD portable drives are hardware-encrypted on the USB board even when you never set a password, and those we recover without any key from you.
Encrypted storage we recover
Encryption protects data from outsiders, not from hardware failure. Drives with full-disk encryption fail exactly the same ways unencrypted drives do: mechanical faults, controller and firmware failures, deleted volumes, corrupted file systems and accidental formats. The difference is that every recovery step has to preserve the encrypted structures perfectly, because a single damaged sector in the wrong place can make an otherwise recoverable volume unreadable.
We work on BitLocker (Windows, including BitLocker To Go), FileVault (macOS), VeraCrypt and legacy TrueCrypt containers and volumes, hardware-encrypted external drives (WD My Passport and My Book, some Seagate and LaCie models), self-encrypting drives (SED and TCG Opal SSDs) and encrypted NAS volumes from Synology and QNAP systems.
Our engineers image the failing device on professional imaging hardware before any unlock is attempted, so the original media is read as few times as possible.
BitLocker drives
Failed or clicking drives, deleted BitLocker partitions, damaged volume headers and drives that ask for the recovery key after a fault. Recovered with your password or 48-digit recovery key.
FileVault Macs
Failing Mac drives and external APFS volumes. Note: on T2 and Apple Silicon Macs the keys live in the security chip, which changes what is possible; see the FAQ.
VeraCrypt and TrueCrypt
Damaged containers, lost partitions and drives with corrupted volume headers. VeraCrypt keeps a backup header at the end of the volume that often saves the day.
WD and Seagate hardware encryption
Many portable drives encrypt everything in the USB bridge even with no password set. When the drive or board fails, we recover using the original bridge and its keys.
Self-encrypting SSDs
SED and TCG Opal SSDs where the drive itself failed. Model-dependent: success depends on the controller fault, not the encryption.
Encrypted NAS volumes
Synology and QNAP encrypted shared folders and volumes from failed arrays, recovered with your encryption key or passphrase alongside our NAS recovery service.
The key rule: what we need from you
We are honest about this up front because it saves you time. Modern full-disk encryption done in software cannot be broken. Not by us, and not by anyone else offering data recovery. AES encryption with a key derived from your password is designed so that brute force is not practical for anyone.
What that means in practice
To return your files from a software-encrypted volume we need one of: the password, the recovery key (BitLocker 48-digit key, FileVault iCloud or institutional escrow, VeraCrypt passphrase and any keyfiles), or for business systems the key from Active Directory or Azure AD escrow. We only ever need it at the unlock stage, after imaging, and we handle it under our owner-authorisation process.
The two useful exceptions: hardware-encrypted portable drives that never had a user password (the key lives on the drive's own board, so we can recover without anything from you), and lawful forensic pathways for some device classes where our forensic recovery team assists authorised parties. Both are assessed case by case, honestly, before any money changes hands.
We never ask you to email a password. Keys are supplied through the secure intake form or by phone at the unlock stage, and never travel in the same package as the drive.
Can my encrypted drive be recovered?
Two questions, an honest answer. This mirrors the assessment our engineers make on intake.
Cases we see every week
Clicking drive, BitLocker enabled
A mechanical fault on an encrypted drive. We complete the physical work on the clean bench, image what the heads can read, repair the volume structures on the image and unlock it with your recovery key.
WD My Passport not detected
The USB bridge or drive has failed and the data was hardware-encrypted from the factory. We recover using the original board's encryption keys. No password needed because you never had one.
Formatted BitLocker partition
Windows reinstall or an accidental format over an encrypted volume. Recoverable in many cases if the drive was not filled with new data, using the recovery key plus logical recovery techniques.
Mac will not boot, FileVault on
Failing drive in an Intel Mac: image, then unlock with your password or iCloud recovery key. T2 and Apple Silicon Macs are chip-bound; we assess honestly before quoting.
VeraCrypt volume will not mount
Damaged primary header or partial overwrite. The embedded backup header and careful imaging recover most volumes when the passphrase is known.
Encrypted Synology share
Failed array or deleted encrypted shared folder. Array reconstruction first, then decryption with your key file or passphrase.
How an encrypted recovery runs
Free diagnosis
Fault identified and a fixed quote issued. No key needed at this stage.
Stabilise and image
The failing device is imaged sector by sector on professional hardware. Encrypted data stays encrypted.
Repair on the image
Volume structures are rebuilt on the image, never on your original media.
Unlock with your key
You supply the password or recovery key through the secure form or by phone. Decryption runs on the recovered image.
Verify and return
File listing for your approval, proof before payment, data returned on encrypted media.
Clear pricing, quote before any work
Every case starts with a free diagnosis and a fixed quote. The urgency tier is the only upfront cost, and Economy is free.
Economy
FREE
assessment, no upfront fee
Standard queue. Free diagnosis, fixed quote, no obligation to proceed.
Critical
$650 +GST
upfront, priority intake
Time-sensitive business data, deterioration risk or a deadline. Your case moves to the front of the bench queue.
Emergency 24/7
$1,400
upfront, immediate response
After-hours engineer response and laboratory mobilisation for genuine emergencies.
Mail-in and Brisbane collection
Australia-wide intake with a free tracked AusPost Express label, or free direct collection from you in the Brisbane area. Power the drive off, do not run recovery software against an encrypted volume, and follow our packing guide: anti-static wrap, a rigid box and padding on all sides.
Never include your password or recovery key in the package. Supply it through the secure intake form or by phone at the unlock stage. This keeps your key and your media physically separated in transit.
Before you send an encrypted drive
1. Stop using the drive immediately.
2. Find your recovery key now, not later: Microsoft account for BitLocker, iCloud or a printed sheet for FileVault, your password manager for VeraCrypt.
3. Start a recovery and note your key location in the brief.
4. Ship with the free Express label or book Brisbane collection.
Encrypted drive recovery FAQ
Can you recover an encrypted drive without the password or key?
For software encryption such as BitLocker, FileVault and VeraCrypt: no, and neither can anyone else. That is the entire point of the mathematics behind AES. The honest exceptions are hardware-encrypted portable drives where the key lives on the drive's own electronics (recoverable without your password), and lawful forensic pathways for authorised parties on some device classes, assessed by our forensic team. Be cautious of anyone who promises to break full-disk encryption for a fee.
My BitLocker drive failed. Where do I find the recovery key?
Check your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com under Devices then BitLocker keys, a printout or USB you saved when enabling BitLocker, or your workplace IT team (Active Directory and Azure AD escrow keys for business machines). The key is 48 digits in groups of six. Find it before the recovery starts and store it somewhere safe; we only need it at the unlock stage.
The drive is physically damaged and encrypted. Does encryption lower my chances?
Not meaningfully, provided the imaging is done properly. We recover the encrypted sectors first, exactly as we would any failing drive, then decrypt the image with your key. Encryption punishes sloppy work: sectors lost in the wrong place can cost more data than they would on an unencrypted drive, which is why imaging on professional hardware matters.
Can you recover a dead MacBook with FileVault?
Intel Macs with removable or standard storage: yes, with your password or recovery key, treated as image-then-unlock. T2 and Apple Silicon Macs are different: the encryption keys live inside the security chip on the logic board, so if that chip or board is destroyed the data is not recoverable by anyone, with or without your password. If the board still powers on there are supported pathways. We assess honestly before quoting.
My WD My Passport asks for no password but the data will not read. What is going on?
Most WD My Passport and My Book drives hardware-encrypt everything through the USB bridge at the factory, even when you never set a password. If the bridge or drive fails, the data cannot be read on another interface without handling those keys. This is a routine recovery for us using the original board, and it is the single most common encrypted case in the laboratory.
A VeraCrypt volume stopped mounting after a power cut. Is it gone?
Often not. VeraCrypt stores a backup of the volume header at the end of the volume. If the primary header was damaged, the backup header plus your passphrase usually restores access. If the underlying drive is failing we image it first. Do not run repair tools against the raw device; they can overwrite the very structures that make recovery possible.
Can you recover deleted files from inside an encrypted volume?
Yes, with your key. Once the volume is unlocked on our recovered image, deleted-file recovery proceeds like any logical recovery. Time matters: keep the volume unmounted and the device powered off.
What about self-encrypting SSDs (SED and Opal)?
Success depends on what failed. If the controller or firmware failed, recovery is model-dependent and assessed case by case. If the drive works but the ATA or admin password is lost, the data is generally not recoverable by design. We will tell you which case yours is at diagnosis, for free.
Do you handle encrypted phones?
Phones are a different discipline with their own hardware-bound keys. See mobile phone data recovery for supported owner-authorised pathways, including locked iPhone and Samsung devices.
What proof of ownership do you need?
Encrypted recoveries run under our owner-authorisation process: the device owner (or an authorised representative for business and legal matters) signs off before any unlock. For disputes, estates and legal matters, our forensic recovery service handles chain of custody and reporting.
How long does an encrypted recovery take?
Diagnosis within 24 to 48 hours of arrival. Straightforward logical cases typically run 1 to 3 days after quote approval; mechanical faults longer because imaging a failing encrypted drive is deliberately conservative. Critical and Emergency tiers shorten the queue, not the physics.
How much does encrypted drive recovery cost?
The same as the equivalent unencrypted recovery: the fault determines the work, and you receive a fixed quote after the free diagnosis, before anything is done. The only upfront costs are the optional urgency tiers: Critical at $650 +GST and Emergency 24/7 at $1,400.
What does your 92% success rate mean?
It is our overall laboratory figure from real job records across all recovery types, not a per-category marketing number. An encrypted case with a known key has the same prospects as its unencrypted equivalent; a case with no key and software encryption is declined honestly at diagnosis rather than counted as a recovery attempt.
Is my data private during recovery?
Yes. Encrypted data stays encrypted until the unlock stage, keys are taken through the secure form or by phone rather than email, recovered data is returned on encrypted media, and our privacy policy covers handling and retention. You can track every stage in the Client Portal.
Technical references: Microsoft BitLocker documentation, Apple Platform Security guide, VeraCrypt documentation, TCG Opal specification.
Encrypted drive failed? Keep it powered off.
Free diagnosis, a fixed quote before any work, and honest answers about what is and is not possible with your key situation.