Each of us sooner or later has problems with passwords! A familiar picture. You sit in front of your computer hoping to finish urgent work, you try to enter your Windows 10 login credentials, and then you realize to your horror that you absolutely do not remember your password!
The first thing that comes to mind is that you need to work less at night ... You go through dozens of options and nothing, there was still no access !!! And then the idea comes - you need to do a Windows 10 password reset! I think many people remember how to do this in old versions of "windows", but how to do it in the new one?
Fortunately, the reset procedure in Windows 10 is very similar to that in Windows 8 and older versions of that OS. Although with a few caveats. In this overview article, I will introduce you to the main ways to reset your password. They are suitable for both Microsoft Live account and local accounts.
1. Use the Password Reset Tool to Recover Your Microsoft Live Account Password
The first and most obvious solution is to use the standard reset feature available on Microsoft's dedicated password recovery service. A window opens on the service page asking why you can't log into Windows 10? You will be prompted to choose one of three options. In our case, the very first one is suitable - "I do not remember my password." But this is only if, during the installation of the system, you linked your account with the Microsoft account authorization network service.
I will not dwell on this reset option in detail. I will only note that the official password reset procedure in Windows 10 is standard and you should be ready to pass verification. To do this, you will need to provide your personal data, such as E-Mail and phone number.
If this option doesn't suit you, no problem. In our area, Microsoft accounts are still not popular. Fortunately, there are other ways to help regain control of the computer. Alternative ways to restore access in Windows 10 are not so obvious and use different workarounds. Let's look at them in turn.
2. Reset Windows 10 password via password reset disk
Using a password reset disk (Password Reset Disk) is another regular way to regain control implemented by Microsoft. The only disadvantage of this method is that the disk must be created in Windows 10 in advance, even before access is lost.
By creating a Password Reset Disk, you can easily restore access to Windows 10. In the near future, I will devote a separate article to this method.
3. We use alternative authorization methods to reset the main password
Perhaps you still have access to the operating system through alternate authorization? With a PIN code, a picture code, or through a second account? If this is the case, then you have a chance to log into the system in a roundabout way and reset the Windows 10 password through the command line.
- Log in to the system in one of the alternative ways, press the Windows logo key and the X key at the same time. Find the item “Windows PowerShell (administrator)” in the list of available system tools and run it. PowerShell is an updated edition of the command line shell, but with more features.
- Type the following in the utility window:
net user "account_name" "new_password";
Replace "account_name" with your account name,
Replace "new_password" with your new password (remove the quotes).
- Success will be indicated by the message "Command completed successfully"
4. How to reset password in Windows 10 via MSDaRT
The DaRT (Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset) toolkit has been released by Microsoft for a long time and helps IT professionals to restore the computer. The functionality of DaRT also includes the ability to reset the password. To do this, boot your computer from the DaRT Recovery CD and run the built-in Locksmith Wizard. It is in this utility that you can restore the login for any Windows 10 account.
Unfortunately, the DaRT toolkit is not free. This utility is only available to Microsoft enterprise customers, TechNet Plus, and MSDN subscribers.
5. Reset the Windows 10 password through the PCUnlocker utility
The PCUnlocker utility allows you to unlock a Windows computer that would be locked due to a forgotten password. It is a bootable image that must be written to a CD or flash drive using one of the appropriate programs. For example, UltraISO or Rufus. After booting from such a disk, you will see a complete list of local accounts used in the current installation of Windows 10.
- Select the required account from the list and click on the Reset Password reset button.
- The program will check the status of the selected account and offer you one of the options for solving the problem:
Remove the password if the Windows account was protected by it,
Connect an associated Microsoft account to a local account,
Raise the rights of a standard or limited user to the administrator level,
Activate your account if it has been disabled,
Unblock a blocked account and so on…
- Once you reset your password and sign in to Windows 10, be sure to set a new one and make sure you don't forget it in the future.
6. Reset password through rollback to the previous state of Windows 10
If you do not want to use any additional software to restore access, or if your hard drive is encrypted with BitLocker, you can use another technology. Just roll back Windows 10 to a previous state where old data is stored. Select the appropriate restore point and go through the standard steps to roll back Windows 10 system files to older versions. But do not forget that after that you will have to reinstall the software installed after the date the restore point was created.
So what have we got in this article? I briefly walked you through how to reset a Windows 10 password that you forgot or lost the hint for. In the future, I will try to take a deeper look at each of the methods mentioned so that you do not have problems accessing the new OS.
Due to numerous requests from readers, I decided to write a detailed and simple instruction, how to reset a user account password in any version of Windows: 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP.
So, you turned on the computer, and the system asks you to enter a password to enter. You enter the user password, but it does not match: an “invalid password” error occurs. What to do if no password is suitable, but you need to log in? There is a solution - the password can be reset using a special program recorded on a bootable USB flash drive. Now I will tell you how to create such a flash drive. 
You will need to briefly use any others computer. To do this, you can contact a relative, friend, neighbor, maybe there is a computer at work - I think this is not a problem now.
So, we sit down at another computer or laptop. We insert any flash drive into it:
Download the free program to reset Windows passwords -. You can download it from the official site (or from my Yandex.Disk): 
Run downloaded file lsrmphdsetup.exe: Install the program as usual: i.e. we agree with everything and in all windows we press the button “ Next". In the last installation window, click the “ Finish” – the program will start automatically and its shortcut will be created on the desktop: 
In the start window, click the button Burn Bootable CD/USB Disk Now!(“Burn a bootable CD/USB disk now”): 
In the next window select Windows version, which is installed on the computer where we will then reset the password. Not in the list Windows 10, but it's not scary: if you have a "ten", then choose here Windows 8.1 with your grade.
By the way, on one of the forums I saw a message that you can create a bootable USB flash drive with Windows 8.1 64-bit, and it is suitable for resetting the password on any version of Windows (I checked on Windows 10 64-bit and on Windows 7 64-bit - so and is): 
After you have selected the desired version of Windows, click the “ Next”:
In the next window, put a marker on the item USB Flash and select the letter of our flash drive (it is already inserted into the computer). In my case, the letter of the flash drive: F.
Then press the button " start”:
The program will download the necessary components from the Microsoft website for some time:
After that, the program will ask: “ Format USB drive now?” All files, if they are on the flash drive, will be deleted. We press the button " Yes”:
Now we are waiting for the bootable USB flash drive to be created:
At the end of the process - click the " Finish”:
Everything! A bootable USB flash drive with a password reset program is ready. We take it out and carry it to our computer.
Insert a bootable USB flash drive into your computer. And now comes the most important, and at the same time the most difficult moment for those who will do it for the first time. We need set up computer boot from our flash drive .
Those who know how to boot a computer from a USB flash drive can immediately skip to the end of this article. For those who do not know how to boot from a USB flash drive, I will try to explain as clearly as possible:
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In order to “force” the computer to boot not as usual (i.e. from the hard disk), but from the device we need (in our case, from a USB flash drive), you need to enable a certain setting in Bios computer.
To get into this very Bios, we must immediately after turning on the computer, press a certain key on the keyboard (and press not once, but many, many times until we see Bios on the screen).
On different computers and laptops, this key is different:
- The most commonly used key Delete(or Del ).
- Also, often Bios can be called up with the key F2(and on some laptops Fn+F2 ).
- Less commonly used keys Esc, F1, F6 other.
In general, immediately after you press the Power button on your computer or laptop, do not wait until Windows starts loading, but immediately start pressing the key many times Delete on keyboard. After a few seconds (5-10) the screen should appear Bios.
If nothing of the sort appeared, but the loading of your Windows started as usual, then we don’t expect anything else: we restart our computer again (you can directly with the Reset button) and try to press another key many times already - F2.
If you didn’t get into the BIOS again, restart the computer again and try to press the next key - Esc. Then F6 etc. But I hope you don't have to experiment so much: in the vast majority of cases, either the Delete key or F2 works.
By the way, a hint about which key to load BIOS usually flashes at the bottom of the screen immediately after turning on the computer. But for some reason, no one looks at her, or does not have time to consider.
On different computers Bios different, and it looks different for everyone.
On my computer it looks like this: 
On another computer it will look like this: 
On the third computer: 
That is, I say this to the fact that it is almost impossible to write a separate instruction for each Bios.
The main thing that anyone who needs to set up booting from a USB flash drive should know is that in Bios (no matter how it looks for you) you need to find a section where the word Boot(from English “Loading”). Using the arrows on the keyboard to go to this section, we put it in first place in the list of boot devices flash drive.
In BIOS, a flash drive can be displayed with its own name (for example, Transcend), or how USB-HDD; there are other options. One thing is important: it must be selected as the first device from which the computer will boot.
Usually, the flash drive is “raised” to the first place using the arrows on the keyboard, or with the keys +/- , or F5/F6.
Having set the setting we need in BIOS, we must leave it, not forgetting to save the changes made. To do this, go to the section exit(it is usually the last one) - and there select the item “ Save and Exit” (“Save and Exit”). And then once again confirm that we are exiting by pressing “ Yes”.
That's all: if you did everything right, the computer will reboot and the boot will start from the USB flash drive (press the Delete key again, or F2, or something else - no need!).
Many do not even want to mess with creating a bootable USB flash drive with any software, because. they are afraid that they still will not be able to configure the computer to boot from it. I tried to describe this whole process of booting from a USB flash drive in as much detail as possible. If you have mastered this text, I hope it has become at least a little clearer and now it remains only to practice.
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So, I created a bootable USB flash drive with a password reset program on another computer. I insert this flash drive into my computer and turn it on.
I immediately press the key many, many times Delete on keyboard. A few seconds later I'm in Bios.
Navigate using the arrows on the keyboard to the section Boot(although in my Bios you can also work with a mouse - in older versions of Bios this will not work).
Here I have the first device now HDD(ACHIPO: WDC WD50…): 
I select this line with the arrow on the keyboard and press the key Enter. A list of devices from which you can boot opens. In my case, this is a hard drive and my flash drive (it is listed here already twice). Raising to the top of the list - flash drive(if there is a choice: USB or UEFI, then select UEFI). We do this using the arrows on the keyboard, or with the keys +/-
, or F5/F6:
Now the flash drive is in first place in the list of bootable devices: 
Now we exit from here, saving the changes. To do this, move the arrow on the keyboard to the last section exit. Highlight a line Save Changes and Exit- press key Enter:
Then choose Yes:
After a while, a menu opens, in which the key Enter we choose the point Lazesoft Live CD:
Waiting for the download: 
In the next window, check that the item is selected Reset Windows Password(“Reset Windows password”) and press the button Next:
A window pops up with a message about the non-commercial use of the program - click Yes:
Click again Next:
In the next window highlight the username, the password of which will be reset and click Next:
Click on the button RESET/UNLOCK:
Password reset successfully - click OK. Then Finish:
We go to " Start” and press Reboot Computer("To restart a computer"): 
Click OK:
After the computer has restarted, we can login to windows without password!
Sometimes a situation may arise when it is necessary to remove the Windows login password. This is necessary when the user has forgotten the password on Windows and needs to remove the Windows password or in case of other emergency situations. We often receive questions: how to remove the password when logging into Windows, how to remove the password in Window, how to reset the password on Windows on a laptop or computer. There are several ways to remove the password when logging into Windows. An easy way to reset your Windows password is to remove your Windows login password using a program. In this article, we will tell you how to easily and easily remove the password to enter Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 using a program that is distributed free of charge and can be freely downloaded from the website of the program developer.
Windows password reset program
As mentioned above, there are many ways to reset the Windows login password, including by loading the installation disk and using the command line, while they are quite complicated for a simple user. It is easier to use a bootable CD / DVD disk or USB flash drive that was created using special programs to reset the account password in Windows. There are several password removal programs for Windows, and almost all of them are paid and their cost is quite high. To solve the problem of resetting the Windows logon password, the Free Windows Password Recovery - Lazesoft Recover My Password Home Edition program compares favorably with other programs, which can be freely and free of charge downloaded from the program developer's website and used by home users. The program is easy to install, has a convenient and intuitive interface. There is no Russian language in the program, for those who have not studied English much, its use will not cause problems. With the help of the program, you can reset the password in Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. The program supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. In addition to resetting the password, using the program, you can perform other manipulations with the administrator and user accounts on the computer. The program was tested by the authors of the article to reset the administrator password on a computer running Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7. In all cases, the passwords were successfully removed and access to the computer was opened.
How to use a Windows login password reset program
First you need to download the program from the official site and install it on a computer on which a bootable CD / DVD disk or bootable usb media will be created. If you are creating a CD/DVD disc, your computer or laptop must have a CD/DVD drive. You don't need a disc burning program, Lazesoft Recover My Password Home Edition burns discs with its own built-in tools. After downloading the program, you need to install it on your computer. The installation of the program is standard and will not cause difficulties if the user has ever installed any program on the computer before. The program contains a reference manual in English.
We start the program. Next, the program asks you to select the Windows version of the target computer (the computer on which the login password will be removed). When testing the program, we did not select the version of Windows and left this setting unchanged, as in the picture below (Do not specify the operating system version of the target computer). With this setup, we were able to remove login passwords for Windows 10, 8.1, 7 64-bit without any problems. Perhaps the choice of operating system is important for other manipulations with accounts that the program allows you to do. Press NEXT and move on.
Next, we choose on which media we will create a boot disk. If we are going to create a boot disk on a CD/DVD blank, select CD/DVD as in the picture below. The program itself will determine the speed of the disc recording. You can manually reduce the speed so that the disc is recorded with better quality.
If a bootable USB drive is being created, select USB Flash, as in the picture below. The program will select the drive letter that is displayed in the system for removable media (in the picture H, you may have a different one). If several removable media are connected to the computer, you need to select the one on which the bootable usb media will be created.
You can also create a disk image by selecting ISO Image, which can then be burned to a disk on another computer using a disc burning program or used to create a multiboot USB flash drive. Next, press Start and we get a ready-made bootable CD or DVD, depending on the disc used (196 MB is removed on the CD without problems) or a bootable USB flash drive.
After that, you need to set the boot from the CD / DVD drive or USB in the BIOS of the computer or laptop in the BOOT section. In some laptops and computers, you can call up the Boot Devace Option boot selection with a separate key (which you need to look in the instructions for your computer or laptop). We select the necessary device and boot the computer or laptop from the boot disk we created.
In new laptops and computers, there may be a problem with booting from a disk or flash drive due to the secure boot option in the BIOS, which prevents the computer from booting from other devices. To solve this problem, you need to disable (disabled) secure boot in the BIOS and enable (enabled) Legacy Support. After that, the laptop or computer can be booted from other devices. When the password is reset, you can return the original settings in the BIOS.
After we have configured booting from our media, we boot the computer from the disk we created. When loading, a choice appears, in our case we select Live CD, when booting from a USB flash drive, we select USB.
The program starts to load, we see the loading process on the screen.
After loading, it starts from the Windows disk and we see this picture. Reset Windows Password task selected, press NEXT
The program asks us if we are using it for non-commercial purposes and says that for commercial use it is necessary to purchase a license. Click Yes (use for non-commercial purposes).
A window appears, the program is looking for accounts on the computer.
There is one administrator account on this computer, Account Name 1. This window will display all accounts that exist on the computer. Select the account for which you want to reset the password and click Next.
A window appears showing the password reset.
After the password is reset, we get to the menu where we can open the file manager or reset the password on another computer account.
To exit the program, click the Start button, then Shut Down Computer
The program asks for confirmation of the exit, click OK. The computer turns off.
After exiting the program, we remove the boot disk or USB flash drive from the computer, configure the BIOS to boot from the computer's hard disk. Everything, the login password has been removed, the computer boots up and does not require a password to log into the user account.
The password is the most important tool to protect user data from being viewed and used by third parties. However, an unlearned password can also turn against the user himself. And if, for example, it is not difficult to recover the password from the account of any website, then questions may already arise with gaining access to the Windows account. But there is a solution, and that is the Windows Password Recovery utility.
In fact, quite a few users find themselves in such a situation as losing their Windows login account password. In most cases, users resort to a complete reinstallation of the operating system, which can be avoided by using the Windows Password Recovery utility to recover the password.
The Windows Password Recovery utility is an effective tool that allows you to recover or completely reset your password, as well as create a new administrator account or completely delete an existing one. The utility successfully recovers the password for Windows 10 and earlier versions of this operating system.
The progress of password recovery with the Windows Password Recovery utility:
1. First of all, the utility will need to be installed on any other working computer in order to create bootable media.
2. After launching the utility, you will be prompted to create a boot disk or USB flash drive. Please note that the trial version of the program can only create a bootable CD, and to create a bootable USB flash drive, you will need to purchase the full version of the program.
3. Go to tab "Advanced Recovery" , where you will need to select the version of Windows for the computer on which the password will be recovered.
4. Return to the first tab. You will see that a third item has appeared on the screen, allowing you to save the ISO image with the utility to your computer. Subsequently, you can create a bootable disk or USB flash drive using any other program that is convenient for you.
5. If you create a bootable disk (in the free version) through Windows Password Recovery, then you just need to click the button Next , and then Burn to start the program creating bootable media.
6. The progress of the process will begin, which will take several minutes.
7. Once the bootable media burning process is completed, a window will appear on the screen informing you of the success of the procedure.
8. Now, armed with bootable media, you will need to connect it to the computer on which the password recovery will be performed, and then enter the BIOS and set the disk or USB flash drive as the main boot device.
9. If everything was done correctly, the following window will appear on the screen:
10. After waiting for the utility to finish loading, on the screen you will need to select the disk with Windows, on which the password will be reset.
11. Select the account in which the password will be reset, and just below, select the appropriate action: remove password, change password, delete administrator account, create a new administrator account.
12. In our example, we are changing the old password to a new one, therefore, in the next program window, we will need to enter the new password twice.
13. After the procedure is completed, you just have to restart your computer in normal mode. Ready!
Features of Windows Password Recovery:
- The utility has a free version, but there is one caveat: it works purely in evaluation mode, not allowing you to delete and reset the password for Windows 8 and other versions of this OS, as well as delete the administrator account or create a new one. To perform these steps, you will need to purchase a paid version;
- The utility works with operating systems Windows XP and above;
- The utility successfully resets and recovers the administrator password for Windows 10 and earlier versions of this OS;
- Allows you to delete an existing administrator account or create a new one.
Windows Password Recovery is an effective tool for both ordinary users and professionals who repair computers. Despite the lack of support for the Russian language, the utility is extremely easy to use, and therefore it can be recommended to everyone to quickly gain access to a locked computer.
Sometimes Windows 10 clients forget their account password. To restore access to it and get to the "Desktop", you need to reset the old combination and install a new one.
How to reset your password on Windows 10
Any user can invalidate the old password without reinstalling Windows 10. Today we will look at all possible methods.
If you enter the wrong combination of characters, the system displays a message that the password is incorrect and prompts you to enter it again
Before following the instructions below, make sure that:
- The Caps Lock button is off. It converts characters to upper case, that is, if it is active, only capital letters are set. Usually on the keyboard of stationary computers there is a special indicator for this key. If it is on, turn it off (press it once). On laptops, there is usually no indicator, so try pressing this button and entering the password again.
- The required keyboard layout is set, that is, the text language for typing. If it doesn't match the character language in your password, hold down the Shift + Alt key combination to change it. The language icon is also usually located in the lower right corner of the login screen. You can also click on it with the mouse. If there is a desired layout, try to remember the possible combinations that you could use as a password. If no options come to mind, proceed to the methods described below.
Change account password online
This method will only solve the sign-in issue if you've previously worked on the device with a Microsoft account. If you have not registered it or you have it, but you are using the PC just as a local user (that is, it is a separate account that is not associated with a Microsoft account), this password reset method will not work for you - you should immediately move on to other methods. So, how to change your password online on the Microsoft website?
- Follow this link to get to the official Microsoft page. You will immediately be asked why you are unable to log into your account. We put a round mark to the left of the first option "I do not remember my password." After that, click on "Next".
Specify the reason why you can't sign in to your Microsoft account - Now, in the first field, enter your email address or phone number to which the account was linked. In the second field, you need to print a set of characters (captcha) from the image, consisting of Latin letters and numbers. If you can't see them, click on "New" or "Audio" to have the system replace the set or speak it. Enter and click on "Next".
Enter your email address or phone number in the field - A letter with a special code will be sent to your e-mail, so you must have access to the e-mail box. Open it and look for an email from Microsoft Live (it's usually sent immediately or within a few minutes). Copy the code or just remember and enter it in the appropriate field on the Microsoft website. Click on "Next" now.
Enter in the field the code that came to your e-mail - Two new fields will appear in which you need to enter a new password. The second field is needed to confirm it. Be sure to remember it, but rather fix it in a notebook, to which only you have access. After entering, click on "Next".
Enter a new password in the first field and repeat it in the second - On the next page, you will be notified that the password has been successfully changed.
You are notified that access to your account has been successfully restored
Now you can log into your account using the new combination.
Enter a new account password in the field
Video: change a forgotten password from a Microsoft account
Due to the installation disk or flash drive
For this method, you will need a media (CD, USB flash drive, etc.) with the installed distribution of Windows 10. We will boot the system through it and use certain actions to change the account password. Let's go straight to the detailed description of the manipulations:
- We turn on the computer. When it starts to boot, enter the BIOS using the Delete key. The button to enter this menu may be different: it all depends on the PC model. You can find information about this button on your device manufacturer's website or in the instruction manual that came with your device if the Delete key didn't work.
- In the blue BIOS menu, in the First Boot Device parameter, we set the boot from the media that contains the Windows distribution.
Install the Windows distribution media in the First Boot Device option - Connect the drive with the Windows 10 distribution kit to the laptop. If it is a disc, insert it into the drive. Restart your PC.
- When the drive boots, select the installation language and simultaneously hold down two keys on your keyboard: Shift + F10. This command should open the editor we need, in particular, the “Command Prompt”.
- If the black window does not appear on the screen, add Fn to this key combination. If it doesn’t work again, click on the “System Restore” link located in the lower left corner of the screen.
Click on the "System Restore" link - Now select the second section called "Troubleshooting".
Click on "Troubleshooting" to go to "Command Prompt" - In the next window, make a choice in favor of the "Advanced Options" item. The next step is to launch the "Command Prompt".
Now we go directly to the commands that need to be executed in the launched black editor. Let's describe the procedure in detail:
- We print the word diskpart in the line. We press Enter. After that, enter the list volume command. Your task is to remember the letter of the hard drive on which your OS is installed, since it may not always be the “C:” drive. In the future, you will enter this letter at the beginning of all subsequent commands. To end the first diskpart command, type exit and press Enter on your keyboard.
Run the diskpart and list volume commands in turn - We are not saying goodbye to the "Command Prompt", as we need to enter a few more commands in it. The first would be move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman2.exe. Copy it using the context menu or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C and paste it into the black editor. Press Enter to run it.
- The second command is: copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe. Just copy and paste in the editor, and then press Enter.
Run two commands in turn in the "Command line" - Now you need to restart the device. To do this, we print the wpeutil reboot command in the editor. It is no longer necessary to copy here, since it is short and you are unlikely to make a mistake. You also have the right to restart your device in another way.
- This time we boot not from the drive with the Windows 10 distribution, but from the system disk.
- A window will appear with a field for entering a password. Here we click on the "Accessibility" icon located in the lower right corner. The black editor already familiar to us for entering commands will start again.
Reopen "Command Prompt" after restarting PC - We print the following in the window: net user user_name new_password. To run the command, traditionally press Enter. If the username, that is, your account, does not consist of one, but of several words, you need to put it in quotes.
- In the event that, unfortunately, you do not know what your username is in the system, use the net users command to familiarize yourself with the list and select the account you need.
- After executing the command, the system will ask you to enter a new password twice. We print it and each time we press Enter. Please note that characters will not be displayed when typing. This is done for security purposes. Now you can close Command Prompt.
Enter the new password twice: first on one line and then on the other - After setting a new password, you can immediately log into your account on your PC.
Video: set a new password using installation media
With the help of "Command line"
This method is suitable for versions of Windows 10 such as "Professional" or "Enterprise". For other options, the method will not work. If you do not have a Microsoft account and an installation flash drive or disk, this guide will be one of the best options for you.
The solution to the problem is to log in with an administrator account and then change the password in the "Computer Management" window. Let's go over the steps in detail:
- Run the black editor "Command Line" on your PC using the instructions from the section "Due to the installation disk or flash drive" of this article. In particular, you need to click on the "Accessibility" icon.
- This time we will enter other commands. The first one is: net user Administrator /active:yes. Please note that for the English version of Windows 10, you must enter the English word Administrator, not Russian. Paste the command and press Enter.
Paste in the "Command line" command net user Administrator / active: yes - After these steps, another “Administrator” account will appear in the lower left corner. Go through it. You do not need to enter a password here.
Enter in Windows using the "Administrator" account - Now right-click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner. In a large list of options, select the "Computer Management" section.
Select "Computer Management" from the context menu - In the window that opens, in particular, in its left part we find the item "Local Users and Groups" and click on it.
Open the "Local Users and Groups" section - In the right part of the window, double-click the "Users" folder. We are looking for ourselves (our account) in the list. Click on this item with the right button. In the small menu, make a choice in favor of "Set password".
In the context menu of the item that corresponds to your account, click on "Set Password" - We read the system message with a warning and click on "Continue".
Read the warning and click on "Continue" - We print a new password and save it. Now you can log into your account under the new combination.
In the new window, enter the password twice and click on OK - After restarting the computer, at the login screen, open the Command Prompt again and type net user Administrator /active:no in the black editor to make the administrator account disappear from the list of available ones.
Using the "Registry Editor"
You can also replace the old password with a new one using special manipulations in the "Registry Editor" window. Let's consider this method in more detail:
- We log in again under the “Administrator” account as described in the “Using the“ Command line ”section of this article. Open "Command Prompt".
- In the editor, enter the word regedit. It will launch the "Registry Editor" we need.
- In the left part of the window, open the third main branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder on the left side of the window - Now we switch our attention to the top panel of the window and click on "File", and then on "Load hive".
Click on the "File" section and select the "Load hive" option - In Windows Explorer, look for the config folder, and then the SYSTEM. Click on "Open" now.
Select the SYSTEM file and click on the "Open" button - We write an arbitrary name in the "Section name" field only in Latin letters. Click OK.
Type an arbitrary name in the field and click on OK - We go into the branch we just created and open the Setup folder.
Open the Setup folder in the downloaded hive - We are looking for the CmdLine parameter. Double click on it and change the value to cmd.exe.
Change the value of the CmdLine parameter to cmd.exe - We also find the SetupType item in the list, open it and set the value to 2.
- In the left part of the window, click on the section you created earlier with the left mouse button. Now click on File and then on Unload Hive. After that, confirm your action.
Click on "File" again and then select "Unload Hive" - Reboot your device. After the lock screen appears with a password field, the “Command Prompt” will appear. In the editor, enter the following: net user user_name user_pswrd. In this command, user_name is your account name and user_pswrd is your new password.
Enter the net user command and add your account name and new password to the line - Now issue the exit command to exit the black editor and return to the login window. We write a new password and finally go to our account.
Type the exit command and press Enter to exit the "Command Prompt" and enter a new password in the login field
Reset your password using account recovery apps
If you do not have a Windows installation media, you can download a special password recovery program to any blank media and use it to log in to change your password. Programs are boot disk images.
They need to be downloaded and simply transferred to an empty drive (disk or flash drive). Since you cannot do this on your computer, you will have to ask someone to burn the image.
Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor: A free utility without an interface
Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor is a free boot disk image. The main feature is the lack of a graphical interface. To work in the utility, you need to enter commands from the keyboard.
The Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor does not have a graphical interface: all commands are entered from the keyboard in a black editor that is similar to the "Command Line" What are the characteristics and functions of this program?
- finds all user accounts, even blocked and disabled;
- resets the "Administrator" password;
- restores access not only to local accounts, but also to Microsoft accounts;
- works for all versions of Windows;
- supports 32-bit and 64-bit systems;
- edits the Windows registry (for example, to remove viruses from startup).
You can download the application directly from its official page. To create a CD image and a USB image, you need to download separate files. Each of them weighs only 18 MB.
Recover My Password Home Edition: free version with English interface
Recover My Password Home Edition is developed by Lazesoft. It has a convenient and simple interface, but only those who know English will be able to work in it: there is no Russian version. The advantage of the program is that it is free.
The interface of the program Recover My Password Home Edition is not translated, unfortunately, into Russian What are the benefits of this utility?
- Suitable not only for "dozens", but also for other versions of Windows, even XP and Vista.
- Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit system.
- Allows you to create not only Flash and CD images, but also ISO images, optical disk images stored in a regular file.
- Works on all laptops including Legend, Toshiba, Dell, IBM and more.
- Restores access to the local Administrator account.
- The weight of the program is only 33.4 MB.
You can download this boot disk image from the official website of the developer.
Renee Passnow: a paid but convenient program
The Renee Passnow utility is a paid boot disk image. The principle of its operation is to bypass the password of the local account and Windows OS by changing the encrypted password in the Sam registry file.
The interface of the Renee Passnow program is very simple and intuitive: even a beginner will understand it What are the features and benefits of the program?
- does not delete data stored on the PC;
- turns the Microsoft account into a local one, and then removes its password;
- has a clear and simple interface in Russian;
- Suitable for all versions of Windows including XP and Vista;
- creates backup copies of data stored on hard drives without Windows;
- erases information from the built-in drives completely or by sections;
- restores the Windows system after a DBR or MBR error occurred during OS startup.
Of the minuses of the utility, one can single out the limited functionality of the free trial version. With the help of the latter, you will not be able to reset your password: it is only possible to find accounts on your PC. The cost of the main paid version is 1290 rubles, and the professional version is 1790 rubles. The weight of the distribution is 95 MB.
You need to download this useful utility from the official website of the developer.
Creating a password reset disk
Using the built-in Windows tools, you can create a so-called floppy disk, which will allow you to quickly and at any time delete the old password from the local account in the future. A huge disadvantage of this method is that the floppy disk (file) must be created on removable media (disk or flash drive) in advance. In this case, the method involves entering the current password, which the user still remembers.
The floppy disk is relevant only for the computer on which it was recorded. If you don't remember your password and you don't have a standard floppy, this solution won't work for you, as you won't be able to create one without account access. In this situation, bootable media is written using special third-party utilities described earlier in this article.
So, how to create a floppy disk to set a new password and how to use it later?
- Insert a disk or connect a USB flash drive into the computer's drive.
- Launch the "Control Panel" through the "Windows Search" (the icon in the form of a magnifying glass on the "Taskbar"). Just enter the appropriate query in the search box.
Enter the query "Control Panel" in "Windows Search" - Now launch the "User Accounts" block.
Click on the "User Accounts" link - On the left side of the window, look for the link "Create a password reset disk". She will be third. We click on it so that a window called "Forgotten Password Wizard" starts on top of the "Control Panel".
Select the "Create a password reset disk" link on the left side of the window - We read the information about the option and click on the second button "Next".
Click on "Next" on the start page of "Forgotten Password Wizard" - Using the drop-down menu, select a USB flash drive or disk as the carrier of the future floppy disk.
Select the desired media from the drop-down menu that you previously connected to the PC - We print the current password from the account and left-click again on "Next".
Write the current password for your account - After that, you need to wait until the creation of the diskette is completed. When it is 100%, click on "Next".
You can now use this drive as a password recovery method in the future - At the final stage, click on "Finish".
- After all the steps, a file called userkey.psw will appear on your media. It will store the standard Windows password recovery utility. The drive can be used multiple times for password recovery.
- When you need to change your password, plug in the drive with the password disk. Enter any combination of characters in the field.
- A message will appear on the screen stating that you entered the wrong password. The system will prompt you to enter it again. We click on OK.
- Under the field for entering the combination there will already be the necessary link “Reset password” (Reset password). Just click on it and perform the simplest actions described in the instructions.
Click on Reset password
Resetting the password on a tablet or smartphone with Windows 10
To remove a password on a Windows 10 tablet, you can follow the same steps as for a computer. Only the device is loaded in this case not from the installation disk, but from the bootable SD media.
For phones and tablets, the online password reset method is also suitable, that is, you change the password for your Microsoft account on the official company page.
Reset Hard Reset
To remove the old password on a Windows 10 phone and tablet, such as Lumia or Nokia, use the Hard Reset option. It consists in resetting all settings to the factory settings, that is, those that you had immediately after purchasing the device.
The method has a big disadvantage: you will delete all personal information (files, photos, games, contacts, music) that was stored in the internal memory of a smartphone or tablet, so before carrying out the operation, everything that was on the device must be transferred to another medium. Before unlocking the phone, remove the SIM card and SD card if they have any data on them, and also charge the device at least 50%.
Let's describe this procedure in detail:
If you do not remember the password for your account in Windows 10, you have the right to delete it and set a new one. In this case, you do not need to reinstall the operating system: there are many other ways. If you do not have an installation disk with the OS distribution kit, select the "Command line" method, that is, by logging in using the local "Administrator" account, or create bootable media using a special utility.
