BitLocker recovery key page lists OSV and FDV, what's the difference?

Went to grab my BitLocker key from my Microsoft account and there are several keys labelled OSV and FDV. Which one do I need if the laptop asks for the recovery key at boot?
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1 Answer

michael_27 Nov 04, 2026
yvibe_fixes
OSV is the operating system volume, your C: drive. FDV is a fixed data volume, any other internal drive. At boot it's asking for the OSV one. Don't guess by the label though, the blue recovery screen shows a Key ID, and the page next to each key shows the same ID. Match the first eight characters. Several OSV entries just means the drive was encrypted more than once, the ID is what picks the right one.