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Once you have encrypted your first file or folder, Windows will prompt you to back up your recovery key with a balloon on the bottom of the screen. Click on the balloon to export the encryption keys.
Doing so makes sure that the day your computer decides to go kaput and denies booting with a not-so-humble error message, you will have the keys by virtue of which you can take the hard disk out, attach it to another computer and retrieve the data. If you do not backup your key to a safe external location, your data will be locked in limbo. You cannot retrieve the data on other computer with the other computer’s certificates, even if you have the same user name and passwords on both.
We know how frustrating it can be to skip backing up the keys just when the balloon appears on the screen. Once you miss it and then you would have to stress out all the energy of your brain, just to find out where Windows have kept the keys. To ease you up, we have one the toiling part and here is how you export the keys even if you slipped off the first chance:
On the start menu search box, type “certmgr.msc” and hit enter. On the new certificate manager window that opens up, expand the ‘personal’ folder on the left pane and then open the ‘certificates’ folder. You will find your certificate resting there. Double click it to open the certificate properties. On the ‘details’ tab, click the ‘copy to file’ button and you are ready to export your keys.