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Jul 7, 2021 · In the search box on your taskbar, type the following: Create a password reset disk. Then click on "Create a password reset disk" in the results. This should open the Forgotten Password Wizard. If this seemingly does not open, on your keyboard press Alt + Tab. Can you see the Forgotten Password Wizard open?
Jan 27, 2020 · Please see option 5 on how to reset the password using Security questions: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/14699-reset... You can create a text file containing answers and keep them in the USB/phone so that you can quickly recover signing in.
May 9, 2023 · Click the Forgot password link from the screen where you enter the password. At the next screen, enter or confirm an alternative email address through which you can reset your password....
- Overview
- 1. Reset your Microsoft account
- 2. Reset your account password
- 3. Reset a PIN from the login screen
- 4. Reset a PIN in Windows 10’s settings
- 5. Use the elevated command prompt
- 6. Use another administrator account
- 7. Reset your PC
- 8. Create a password reset disk
- Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
How-to
By Alex Blake
last updated 19 April 2021
Get your Windows account back
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
If you don’t know how to perform a password reset in Windows 10, we’re here to help you. And, if you’ve ever lost or forgotten your password, you know how infuriating that can be. But, it doesn’t have to end in you abandoning your user account.
If you use a Microsoft account to log in to Windows 10 and find yourself locked out, head to Microsoft's account recovery website and enter your email address, phone number or Skype name, then click 'Next'.
Choose how Microsoft will send you a security code, then enter the missing info and click 'Get code'.
Try this suggestion first if it’s your local PC account password that you need to reset. If you’re using Windows 10 version 1803 or later, select the 'Reset password' link under your username on the login screen.
You’ll need to answer your security question, then enter a new password. This will then be saved as your new password from now on.
If you use a PIN rather than a password to access your Windows 10 account, there’s a different way to reset it. To get started, click 'I forgot my PIN' under the PIN sign-in box. Enter the password for your Microsoft account, then click 'Next'.
Choose how you want to be sent a security code (either as an email or SMS message), then fill in the missing information to verify the account is yours. Once you receive the code, enter it on your PC, then choose a new PIN and re-enter it to confirm. This will reset your PIN.
If you’re already signed in to your account and want to change your PIN, that’s simple enough. First of all, make sure you’re connected to the internet. Now, click Start, then the Settings cog and go to 'Accounts > Sign-in' options.
Click 'I forgot my PIN', then enter your account password and click 'OK'. You can then enter a new PIN, which can be simply numbers or include letters and symbols. When you’ve chosen one, enter it again to confirm, then click 'OK'.
A quick way to reset your local account password is to use an elevated command prompt, although it does require getting your hands a little dirty.
Click Start and, in the Windows 10 search bar, type “cmd”. Right-click the first entry, then click 'Run as administrator'.
Type the following phrase, replacing “account” with your account name and “password” with the new password you want to use:
net user account password
This method relies on you already having another Windows 10 account on your PC that’s been set up as an administrator. If you do, you’re in luck.
Restart your PC and sign in to the other administrator account, then in the Windows 10 search bar, type "Computer Management" and click the top result.
In the left-hand column, navigate to 'Local Users & Groups > Users', right-click the account you’ve been locked out of, then click 'Set Password' and enter a new password.
Note that Microsoft locks some files and information if a user’s password is reset this way. This method will also only work if the account signs in locally rather than using an online Microsoft account.
Using a version of Windows 10 before 1803? Things are a bit more drastic if you need to reset your password, as local accounts in early versions of Windows 10 didn’t have security questions allowing you to change a password.
If you’ve forgotten your local account password, you’ll have to completely reset your PC. That means losing all your data, programs and settings.
A password reset disk is useful if you’re on a pre-1803 version of Windows 10 that can’t use security questions, although it’ll only work for local accounts.
First, plug a USB drive into your PC. In the Windows 10 search bar, type “Create a password reset disk” and click the top result.
Click 'Next' in the Forgotten Password wizard, choose the USB drive, then click 'Next' again. Type your current account password and click 'Next'. Click 'Finish' when the wizard is done.
If you need to use the disk, enter it on the Windows 10 login screen, then click 'Reset password', then 'Next'. On the dropdown menu, select the USB disk, click 'Next', then enter a new password and click 'Finish'.
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Sep 27, 2021 · Here are the best tools for resetting your Windows password. 1. PassFab 4WinKey. PassFab 4WinKey is a brilliant Windows 10 password reset tool. It can reset or remove both local and admin passwords as well as help you create or delete windows accounts fast.
May 3, 2016 · The Password Reset Wizard is now started and you can use it to reset your local user account password in Windows 10.. How to start the password reset wizard in Windows 8.1. If you are using Windows 8.1 with a local user account and you have forgotten the password, Windows will say that "The password is incorrect.
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Apr 22, 2023 · By Mauro Huculak. last updated 22 April 2023. If you don't want ever end locked out of your account, you should create a password recovery disk, and in this guide, I'll show you how on Windows...
