What to Do: Can’t Remember Laptop Password

Forgot laptop password on Windows system

It's well known that individuals these days use strong passwords to protect their computers and laptops from strangers. However, due to carelessness, many find themselves in trouble and regret the fact that they have forgotten their laptop password. Furthermore, if you frequently alter your password, there's a chance you could become perplexed and unable to recall your personal computer's password.

When you can't remember your laptop password, the first option with Windows-based computers is not to reset the operating system, because there are many ways to recover or change the password to gain access to your computer. Thus, in this article, we'll go through some ways to reset a laptop password on Windows for both Microsoft and local account users.

Ultimate guide for can’t remember laptop password

From this part, you can see all solutions to bypass laptop password and reset password. We’ll separately show clear steps of all methods from the view of a Microsoft account and local account user. You can skip to the specific ways based on your cases.

▌ Section 1. Laptop password reset for Microsoft account—Suit Windows 8 and later systems

If your laptop running Windows 8 and later system, and you’re using Microsoft account to log into the system, then lucky you are, the two methods for reset Microsoft account password are very simple.

▶ Option 1. Recover Microsoft account in Windows

Step 1. To proceed, you need to verify your email address and select your preferred method to receive the verification code.

Step 2. Once you click on "Get code," you should check either your email or text messages to retrieve the code. After obtaining the code, input it into the designated field and click "Next."

Step 3. Subsequently, generate a new password for your Microsoft Account and click "Next." Windows will confirm that the password has been updated, and you can then click the "Sign in" button.

Step 4. Return to the sign-in screen and enter your new password to complete the process.

▶ Option 2. Recover Microsoft account from password page

In case you encounter any issues while resetting your password directly on Windows, an alternative option is to reset it online. Simply access the Microsoft Account website using a different device, such as another PC or a mobile device, and click on the "Sign in" button.

Step 1. At the next screen, type your email address and click “Next”.

Step 2. At the screen to enter your password, click the link for Forgot password.

Step 3. At the next screen, enter an alternative email address through which you can reset your password.

Step 4. Enter the code sent to your alternative email address and click Verify.

Step 5. The next screen asks you to confirm certain details about your account. Please Fill in as many details as you can and then click Next.

Step 6. The next screen asks for further details, such as previous passwords and your history with Microsoft products. Again, fill in as much information as you can. Click Next.

Step 7. The email will include a link for resetting your password. Click it, enter the email address for the account with the forgotten password, and click “Next”.

Step 8. Enter a new password and then retype it, and click “Next”.

You will be notified that your password has been changed. To sign in to your account online, click the Sign in option. Instead, sign in using Windows 10 or 11.

▌ Section 2. Laptop password reset for local account

No matter which Windows you’re using on your laptop, if you choose to log in with local account, then this section is for your needs.

▶ Option 1. Answer Security questions to reset password

This method only works if you have previously set up security questions for your local account. If you have not set up security questions, you will need to use another method to reset your password.

Step 1. On the Windows login screen, click on the "Reset password" link.

Step 2. Select the option "I forgot my password" and click "Next".

Step 3. Enter the username for the local account and the characters shown in the image, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Select the option to answer security questions and click "Next".

Step 5. Enter the answers to the security questions and click "Next".

Step 6. Type in your new password, confirm it, and then click "Next".

Step 7. If successful, you should receive a message indicating that the password has been reset. Click "Finish" to close the wizard.

Step 8. You should now be able to log in to your Windows computer using the new password.

▶ Option 2. Reset laptop password using password recovery disc

Creating a password reset disk in Windows is a useful way to regain access to your computer in case you forget your password. But, it is important to keep the password reset disk in a safe place, as anyone with access to the disk can use it to reset the password for your Windows account. Additionally, password reset disks are specific to the user account that they were created for, and cannot be used to reset the password for a different user account on the same computer.

What’s more, you need to make this tool before you can’t remember your laptop password.

◤ Creating a password reset disk:

Step 1. Insert a USB drive or a blank CD/DVD into your computer.

Step 2. Go to the Start menu and type "User Accounts" in the search bar. Click on "User Accounts" in the search results.

Step 3. In the left pane, select "Create a password reset disk".

Step 4. Click Create a password reset disk. The Forgotten Password Wizard opens. Click Next.

Step 5. Select the drive from the drop-down menu, and then click Next.

Step 6. Type your current password in the Current user account password box, and then click Next.

When the wizard completes, click Next and Finish.

◤ Using the password reset disk:

Step 1. On the Windows login screen, click on the "Reset password" link.

Step 2. Insert the password reset disk into the computer.

Step 3. Follow the prompts in the wizard to reset the password using the password reset disk.

Step 4. Once the password is reset, remove the password reset disk and log in to Windows using the new password.

▶ Option 3. Reset password on laptop in Safe Mode with CMD

When you can’t successfully log in the system, you can enter Safe Mode to use CMD to reset your password.

Step 1. Restart your laptop and press the F8 key repeatedly before Windows starts to load.

Step 2. On the Advanced Boot Options menu, select "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" and press Enter.

Step 3. When the Command Prompt window appears, type "net user" and press Enter. This will display a list of user accounts on the laptop.

Step 4. Type "net user [username] *" (replace [username] with the name of the account for which you want to reset the password) and press Enter.

Step 5. You will be prompted to enter a new password for the account. Type the new password and press Enter. You will be asked to confirm the new password by typing it again.

If successful, you should receive a message indicating that the password has been reset.

Step 6. Type "exit" and press Enter to close the Command Prompt window.

Now, log in to Windows using the new password.

◤Option 4. Reset forgotten laptop password using Windows installation media

If you can’t enter Safe Mode to employ CMD, you can find a Windows installation media that suits your system to reset password on your laptop.

Step 1. Insert the Windows installation media into the laptop and restart it. Press any key when prompted to boot from the installation media.

Step 2. On the Windows Setup screen, select your language preferences and click "Next". Click "Install now" and accept the license terms.

Step 3. On the "Which type of installation do you want?" screen, select "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)".

Step 4. Choose the partition where Windows is installed and click "Next". Click "Load driver" if necessary to install any required drivers for your hard drive.

Step 5. On the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen, click "Next" without selecting any partitions. And click "OK" on the warning message that pops up.

Step 6. On the next screen, click "Repair your computer".

Step 7. Select "Troubleshoot", then "Advanced options", and finally "Command Prompt".

In the Command Prompt window, you can follow the same steps as option 4 to type "net user [username] *", and press Enter.

Follow the prompts to enter a new password and confirm it, then close the Command Prompt window, remove the installation media, and restart the laptop. This time, you can Log in to Windows using the new password you just set.

▶ Option 5. Reset laptop without password

If you don’t need the data on the target laptop, you can also directly reset it.

Step 1. Restart your laptop and repeatedly press the F11 key until the Advanced Startup Options screen appears.

Step 2. Select "Troubleshoot" and then "Reset this PC".

Step 3. Choose either "Keep my files" or "Remove everything", based on your preference.

Step 4. Click "Reset" to begin the process.

Wait for the laptop to complete the reset process, which may take some time. Once the reset is complete, set up your laptop as if it were new.

Best way to reset laptop password for local account

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a powerful and easy-to-use partition management software for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista. It can help users manage their hard drive partitions, including resizing and formatting partitions, cloning disk, moving installed apps, etc. Additionally, it also has a useful "Reset Password" function that allows users to reset their laptop password easily.

With this tool, you can create a password reset disk that works on any PC. Simply use a working computer to create a password reset USB, then plug it into the target PC. The software will guide you through the process of resetting or disabling your password with easy-to-follow steps.

◤ Stage 1. Create password reset USB

Step 1. In the toolbar above the disk information, choose “Tools” in the top pane and then click “Reset Windows Password” from the menu.

Step 2. Click “Next” to continue.

Step 3. Choose your USB in the USB Boot Device box, then click “Proceed”.

Step 4. The USB flash drive needs to be formatted and all the data on it will lose. If there is important data on it, please make a backup and redo.

◤ Stage 2. Reset laptop password

Step 1. Boot the computer from this USB, and you will see AOMEI Partition Assistant on the screen. Click "Reset Password", select the Windows system you would like to operate, and click "Next".

Step 2. Then, select the account you would like to operate and select the feature you want to use: "Remove Account Password" or "Reset Account Password", and click "Next".

Step 3. Next, a pop-out window lets you set a new password. After you confirm the new password, please click "Yes" to start resetting the forgotten password.

Then you can remove the USB to boot your PC with the new password.

To sum up

If you're struggling to recall your laptop password, this comprehensive guide will help. To unlock a forgotten password on your laptop, you need to identify the user account it belongs to. For a Microsoft account, you can reset it through the company's website. Alternatively, for a local account, you may use a previously created Windows password reset disk or employ AOMEI Partition Assistant while following the necessary steps.