This guide will show you how to reset a forgotten password in Windows 10. You need to log into your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, but you forgot your password. Don’t worry. Both operating systems allow you to reset a forgotten password, whether you use a Microsoft account or a local account, and here we will talk about the Windows 10. So, without any further delay let’s get started.
Resetting a password for a Microsoft account is fairly simple. However, for a local account, you need to have some security questions and answers already set up. If you forget your password, simply answer the three questions successfully and then reset your password. Another option is to create a password reset disk, which you can do on any USB flash drive
In addition to using a password, you should enable a backup authentication method for logging into Windows. With Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can create a PIN, picture password, security key, fingerprint recognition, or facial recognition. And with a Microsoft account, you should also set up two-step verification on Microsoft account(Opens in a new window). At some point, though, you’ll still need to log in with a password.
Steps to Reset a Forgotten Password in Windows 10
To regain access to your account after forgetting your password, create a Windows 10 USB media, and then use these steps:
Step 1: Start the computer with Windows 10 USB bootable media.
Step 2: Use the Shift + F10 keyboard shortcut on the “Setup” page to open Command Prompt.
Step 3: Type the following command to move from the X:Sources folder to the root folder of your Windows 10 installation and press Enter:
C:
Step 4: In the command, we’re using C: because it’s usually the drive letter to access the hard drive after booting the device with USB, but you may need to play around to find the correct drive letter. You can confirm the location using the dir command. If the result shows the “Programs Files” and “Windows” folders, ” you’re on the right path.
Step 5: Type the following command to navigate to the System32 folder and press Enter:
cd WindowsSystem32
Step 6: Type the following commands to replace the Utility Manager button with direct access to Command Prompt from the Sign-in screen and press Enter (on each line):
ren utilman.exe utilman.exe.bakren cmd.exe utilman.exe
Step 7: Type the following command to restart your computer normally and press Enter:
wpeutil reboot
Step 8: In the Sign-in screen, click the Utility Manager button in the bottom-right corner to open Command Prompt.
Step 9: Type the following command to enable the built-in Administrator account and then press Enter:
net user Administrator /active:yes
Step 10: Click the Power button in the bottom-right corner and select the Restart option.
Step 11: In the Sign-in screen, select the Administrator account.
Step 12: Open Start.
Step 13: Search for Computer Management and click the top result to open the app.
Step 14: Expand the Local Users and Groups branch.
Step 15: Expand the Users branch.
Step 16: Right-click the account to reset the password and select the Set password option.
Step 17: Specify the new password.
Step 18: Click the OK button.
Step 19: Sign out from the Administrator account.
Step 20: Sign back in using the account with the new password.
Step 21: Restart the device using the Windows 10 USB bootable media again.
Step 22: Use the Shift + F10 keyboard shortcut on the “Setup” page to open Command Prompt.
Step 23: Type the following command to move to the root folder of your Windows 10 installation and press Enter:
C:
Step 24: Type the following command to navigate to the System32 folder and press Enter:
cd WindowsSystem32
Step 25: Type the following commands to replace to restore the utilities to their original settings and press Enter (on each line):
ren utilman.exe cmd.exeren utilman.exe.bak utilman.exe
Step 26: Type the following command to disable the Administrator account and press Enter:
net user Administrator /active:no
Step 27: Type the following command to restart the computer normally and press Enter:
wpeutil reboot
Final Words
We hope that you understand this article about how to reset a forgotten password in Windows 10 so that you can solve any problems. It is important to note that this method should work if you are trying to reset the Windows 10 password from a local account without encryption. If you are using encryption like BitLocker, you will need the original password to access the account. Otherwise, you could lose your data. Did you know that you can even upgrade Windows 10 PC to Windows 11! So, if you like our article then do share it others.
I hope you understand this article, Reset Forgotten Password on Windows 10.