Reset Windows 10 password: 6 ways that work

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You don't have to be a hacker to break a security. It is enough to use our instructions.

1. Reset Windows 10 password using carrier key

If you are a forward-thinking person and prefer to have a solution to a problem that does not yet exist, create a USB password reset media in advance.

You will need a flash drive, not necessarily a large one. It will not be formatted, but Microsoft recommends that you still make a backup copy of the files from it - for safety reasons.

Plug your device into your computer. Then do this:

1. Open the "Start" menu and type "Control Panel" there.
2. In the “Control Panel” that appears, click on “User Accounts” → “User Accounts” → “Create a password reset disk”. Yes, the classic control panel assumes that you are still using floppy disks. But she also understands USB media.
3. Follow the instructions of the Forgotten Password Wizard by clicking Next.

As a result, the userkey.psw file will appear on the USB flash drive. If desired, it can be copied to another drive, in reserve. This is a universal key for your computer, it allows you to reset passwords as much as you like. Even if you change the code after you create the key file, userkey.psw will still work for your system.

Now, when you forget the code, enter any word in the password box to display the "Reset password" button. Insert the USB flash drive into your computer, click "Reset password" → "Use a password reset disk instead" and follow the instructions of the wizard.

This trick only works with local accounts. If you prefer to use Microsoft Live, skip to the next step.

2. Resetting your Microsoft Live account password

It's simple if you have an email, phone number or Skype account. Go to Microsoft and enter one of these three options, then click Next.

The system will offer to receive and use a secret code that will be sent to you by mail, SMS or Skype. Click "Next", enter the code and you can assign a new password for your Microsoft Live account.

This will not work with local Windows 10 accounts that are not tied to Microsoft Live.

3. Reset password through restoring Windows 10 to a previous state

Let's say you assigned a password, but sealed it when you created it (yes, twice). And now you don't know what it looks like and you can't log in. Use the Windows recovery tool and you will revert your PC to an earlier state, when there was no code yet.

Click on the shutdown button in the lower right corner of the screen and while holding down the Shift key, click "Restart". The system will show the Auto Repair menu. Click Advanced Options → Troubleshooting → Advanced Options → System Restore.

Select a restore point with a date before the moment you created the new password. Click "Restore", wait. When the computer boots up again, it will be in the state it was in before the code was assigned.

Please note: this will only work with new, recently set passwords.

4. Reset Windows 10 password through PIN or fingerprint login

Windows 10 allows you to log in at the same time in several ways, for example, not only with a password, but also using your fingerprint, PIN, or face recognition. If you have such an opportunity, use it. And then reset the forgotten password like this:

1. Press Windows + X and select Windows Power Shell (Admin).

2. Enter the command

   net user username new password

3. The forgotten access code will be replaced with a new one.

Only works with local passwords, not Microsoft Live.

5. Resetting your password using the Lazesoft Recover My Password utility

In fact, password protection in Windows 10 leaves a lot to be desired. This is confirmed by how easily third-party programs flush the system code. Let's take the Lazesoft Recover My Password utility as an example.

1. Download and install on another computer that you have access to.
2. Open the program and connect the USB flash drive to the PC (the system will format it, so don't leave anything important on it).
3. Click the Burn Bootable CD / USB Disk Now! and follow the instructions of the program.
4. Insert the USB stick into the locked computer and restart it.
5. Press the F2, F8, F9, F11 or F12 key at startup (the required one is usually displayed on the screen), open the BIOS and boot the PC from the USB flash drive - it will be called Lazesoft Live CD (EMS Enabled).
6. Select the Password Recovery option and follow the instructions of the program.

Please note that this and similar utilities will not work if the system is installed on a drive encrypted with the built-in BitLocker tool. Data cannot be retrieved from such a drive either. So make sure to remember your password well and prepare your USB flash drive to reset it as described above before encrypting your Windows 10 system drive.

6. Reset Windows 10 password through recovery mode

This method is complicated, but does not require additional programs. Works only with local accounts, not Windows Live accounts.

You will need a disk or flash drive with the Windows 10 installation image. You can find out how to get it in this article. Restart your computer, insert the media and boot from it - the key you need to do this is usually displayed on the screen. Or try pressing F2, F8, F9, F11, or F12. Then proceed like this:

1. When the Windows 10 setup interface appears, press Shift + F10. Or Shift + Fn + F10 on some laptops if the first combination doesn't work. A command prompt will open.

2. Enter the command

   regedit

3. and press Enter.
4. In the opened registry editor, select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder on the right. Then click File → Load Hive.

5. Open the file path

   C: / Windows / System32 / config / SYSTEM

6. … Please note that drive names can be confused in recovery mode, for example drive C is displayed as E. This is normal. You can find out on which drive you have the Windows folder by looking at their contents.

7. The system prompts you for a name for the registry hive. Enter any, so as not to match existing ones, for example

   lifehacker

8. , and click OK.
9. Open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder in the left panel, lifehacker in it, and in it the Setup section.

10. Find the CmdLine parameter, double-click and in the Value field enter

    cmd.exe

    click OK. Then in another SetupType parameter (it's below) specify the value

    2

11. and click OK again.
12. Highlight your lifehacker folder in the left pane and click File → Unload Hive.
13. Close all windows and restart your PC. Remove the USB stick so that it starts up as usual.

14. When rebooting, the system logo will not appear. Instead, a command prompt will open. Enter

    net user username new password

    and the password will be changed to the one you specified. If you want to remove the code altogether, write

    net user username ""

15. (two quotes without spaces or other characters). Hit Enter.

16. Enter the command

    regedit

    and open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / Setup section. In the CmdLine parameter, remove

    cmd.exe

17. , set the SetupType parameter to.
18. Reboot your computer. Then you can enter the system with a new password or without it at all.

Sometimes step 11 fails because the cursor is not working in the Registry Editor. In this case, just turn off your computer and turn it on again. Windows 10 will start as usual. Open the Registry Editor from the Start menu and change the CmdLine and SetupType parameters to normal values as described in step 11.

As you can see, anyone can get rid of Windows 10 password. So, if you want to really protect your data, it's better to use the encryption function.