How to Mount Bitlocker Encrypted Windows Partition in Linux

If you dual-boot Linux with Windows and use BitLocker encryption on your Windows drive, you may have noticed Linux can’t access that partition by default. But with the right tools, you can unlock and mount BitLocker volumes in Linux just fine.

In this post, I’ll show you how to do it safely using dislocker.

🛡️ What is BitLocker?

BitLocker is Microsoft’s built-in full-disk encryption for Windows. It protects your data, but it also locks out other operating systems—like Linux—unless you manually unlock the drive.

🔧 What You’ll Need

• A BitLocker-encrypted partition
• Your BitLocker recovery key or password
• A Linux system (Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, etc.)
• Internet connection to install packages

Step-by-Step: Mount BitLocker Partition in Linux

Step 1: Install Dislocker

Dislocker is a tool that allows Linux to read BitLocker-encrypted drives. Install it using your distro’s package manager.

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install dislocker

On Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S dislocker

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install dislocker

Step 2: Identify the BitLocker Partition

Use lsblk or fdisk -l to list drives:

lsblk

Look for the NTFS partition that corresponds to your Windows drive—usually something like /dev/sda2.

Step 3: Unlock the Partition

Create mount points:

sudo mkdir /mnt/bitlocker

sudo mkdir /mnt/windows

Unlock the BitLocker partition using your recovery key:

sudo dislocker -V /dev/sda2 -u -- /mnt/bitlocker

Or if you have a recovery key:

sudo dislocker -V /dev/sda2 -k --recovery-password=YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY -- /mnt/bitlocker

Replace /dev/sda2 with your actual partition, and YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY with your full 48-digit key.

If successful, you’ll find a file called dislocker-file inside /mnt/bitlocker.

Step 4: Mount the Unlocked Partition

Now mount it like this:

sudo mount -o loop /mnt/bitlocker/dislocker-file /mnt/windows

You can now browse the contents of your BitLocker drive at /mnt/windows.

✅ To Unmount

When you’re done:

sudo umount /mnt/windows

sudo umount /mnt/bitlocker

⚠️ Important Notes

• Read-Only Mode: Dislocker provides read-write access, but be careful—writing to a BitLocker partition from Linux can corrupt data if done incorrectly.
• Always unmount properly before shutting down or rebooting.
• Don’t forget to relock your BitLocker volume from Windows if you need to ensure full protection.

Final Thoughts

Accessing a BitLocker-encrypted Windows partition from Linux isn’t hard—it just requires the right tool and some caution. With dislocker, you can mount and explore your encrypted files safely and efficiently.

Need help automating this or integrating it with your file manager? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll guide you through.