AOMEI Partition Assistant
[Stepwise] What to Do If You Forgot Admin Password Windows 10
If you forgot admin password Windows 10, you are likely to lose the privilege to your PC. In this article, you will learn different solutions to this issue. All the methods are tested and trusted so you are free to choose anyone you think is convenient for you.
By Hedy / Updated on May 12, 2023
The admin password is for administrator account that has the access to the privileged settings on your PC. In general, the admin account is hidden from the users to make it secure and the administrator password is empty by default. But for some users, they'd like to set a password for the administrator account.
Setting a password that only you know can effectively protect your computer but it can also bring some tricky problems. For example, if you forgot admin password Windows 10, no one can help you get back your administrator privilege, and even worse, you may not be able to log in to your PC.
In such a case, how can you pull yourself from the dilemma? The content below will show you a full guide on what should you do if you forgot Windows 10 admin password.
What to do if you forgot admin password Windows 10?
As we mentioned before, if you cannot remember your admin password for Windows 10, there are many things you may not be able to do. Thus, solving this issue is significantly important. Since not all users will be locked out of the computer, we’ll discuss the methods in two situations.
Case one. Still able to access Windows 10 as usual
If you forgot the admin password in Windows 10 but can still log in to the system with other accounts, things become much easier. You can just reset the forgotten password to regain access to the administrator account and the steps are very easy.
Step 1. Click "Start" > "Settings" > "Accounts" > "Sign-in".
Step 2. Select the "Change" button under the "Password" section and follow the introduction to reset a new password.
Case two. Locked out of the Windows 10 system
If you unfortunately fail to access your system after you forgot admin password Windows 10, you need to spend more time to get yourself out of the problem. This is because things are not as simple as changing passwords for administrator accounts as we said before. For instance, if you want to apply the above method to reset your forgotten password, you have to seek some ways to get into your Windows 10 system first.
But luckily, here we'll introduce you several ways to deal with it: You can perform Windows 10 admin password reset to change a new password without logging in or you can reinstall the system and do a factory reset to remove the password so that you can access Windows 10.
All the methods will be explained in detail, please refer to the following guide to get the steps with pictures.
Part 1. Reset administrator password Windows 10 (Top 4 ways)
It is the easiest way to reset the password after you forgot it. And the methods shown in this part don't require you to log in to the system and change the password from the settings. All you need to do is to look through these four approaches and select the most suitable one for you.
Method 1. Reset admin password with Windows password reset tool (recommended)
To reset admin password Windows without logging in, the most effective way is to utilize a third-party unlock tool. There are much software with similar functions on the market, but the most recommended and applicable program is AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It has been downloaded millions of times for password reset, which is a great helper when you forgot local admin password Windows 10.
Pros:
◆ Graphical user interface which is friendly to non-technical users.
◆ Simple steps and clear guidance to follow.
◆ Compatible with all versions of Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP on all brands of PCs.
◆ Able to create a password reset USB on any working Windows computer.
◆ Can remove and reset the password for different types of accounts like admin or local.
◆ Keep your data safe all the time.
Cons:
◆ Need to download on the PC first.
◆ The feature is not free (only a free trial is available).
Now, let's get into how to reset administrator password Windows 10 using AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional when you forgot admin password Windows 10.
Step 1. Connect a USB to a running Windows computer. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Click "Tools"> "Reset Windows Password" on the main interface.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, click "Next" to begin to create a WinPE bootable media.
Step 3. Here we tick "USB Boot Device" and choose your prepared USB and click "Proceed" to move on.
Step 4. Note that the USB flash drive needs to be formatted so you will lose all data on it. If there is important data on it, please make a backup and redo; if not, click "OK" to continue.
Step 5. When the bootable USB is created successfully, unplug it and connect it to your laptop. Boot the PC from this USB, and you will see the interface AOMEI Partition Assistant appear automatically. Click "Reset Password", select the Windows system you would like to operate, and click "Next".
Step 6. Then, select the account you would like to operate and select the feature you want to use: "Remove Account Password" or "Reset Account Password". Here we choose "Reset Account Password" and click "Next".
Step 7. Type the new password and confirm it, then click "Yes". After that, you are able to log in to your Windows 10 computer with this new password.
Method 2. Reset Windows 10 admin password via password reset disk
If you don't want to download a third-party tool, you can use a Windows password reset disk created by Windows to change the password. This is also a welcomed method by numerous users in password reset.
Pros:
◆ Easy to follow and user-friendly interface.
◆ Support resetting or removing passwords with ease.
◆ Work on Windows computers of all brands.
◆ No data loss.
Cons:
◆ Need to be created before you forgot local admin password Windows 10.
So, if you have created such a tool before, follow the steps below to perform Windows 10 admin password reset.
Step 1. Insert the prepared password reset disk, then click "Reset password” on the log-in screen when you type the wrong password.
Step 2. The "Password Reset Wizard" window will appear, click "Next" to move on.
Step 3. In the new window, choose the target password reset disk and click "Next".
Step 4. Then type a new password and confirm it, and click "Next" to proceed. Wait for the process to complete, and click "Finish" to exit the window.
Method 3. Reset local admin password Windows 10 using Command Prompt
Aside from using password reset USB, it's also available to execute specific commands to reset the forgotten password for administrator accounts. Since you are locked out of the Windows 10 system, you should create a Windows installation disk first and launch Command Prompt during the installation process.
Pros:
◆ Available on Windows computer.
◆ Can reset or delete local/admin passwords swiftly.
Cons:
◆ No graphical interface or operation steps.
◆ Require some knowledge of command lines.
◆ Possibility of data loss due to wrong commands.
◆ Not friendly to computer novices.
After discussing the pros and cons of this method, let's see how to reset administrator password Windows 10 via Command Prompt.
Step 1. Boot your laptop from the Windows 10 installation disk.
Step 2. When the Windows Setup interface appears, press the Shift + F10 keys to launch the CMD tool.
Step 3. Then, type the following commands and hit "Enter":
copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\
copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe
Step 4. Unplug the disk from your PC and reboot it. When you see the login screen, hit Shift key 5 times.
Step 5. When you see the command prompt window, input the command: net user username new_password to reset your password.
Step 6. After that, you can use the new password to open your locked computer.
Method 4. Reset Windows 10 forgotten admin password with Microsoft account online
The above three methods are for those who forgot local admin password Windows 10. If you are a Microsoft account user and forgot the password for it, you can easily reset it online. Only with a few clicks, you can finish the task of resetting the password.
Step 1. Open Microsoft password reset page on a working computer.
Step 2. Enter your email address or phone number you set for your Microsoft account and click "Next".
Step 3. Follow the steps to finish the verification.
Step 4. Once verified, you can enter the new password and confirm it to reset your password.
Part 2. Reinstall Windows 10 after forgetting admin password (data loss)
If you didn't find a suitable method to reset your forgotten admin password Windows 10 from the above content, you can take system reinstallation into account. But it is not very recommended for you to do this because it will take a long time to complete and certainly cause data loss.
Tip: If you don't want to lose your files, you can clone the hard drive via bootable USB as a backup before you proceed this way.
Step 1. Connect the Windows installation disk to your Windows 10 and boot from it.
Step 2. Set some parameters according to the guidance. When you see "Install Now" in the Windows Setup screen, click on it.
Step 2. Then, enter your product key. If not, please click "I don't have a product key" to skip it.
Step 3. Select an edition you plan on installing and hit "Next".
Step 4. In the new window, read carefully and select "Custom: Install Windows only(advanced)".
Step 5. Then, select the destination for the Windows installation and hit "Next".
After reinstalling the system, you will be allowed to access your computer without any password.
Part 3. Reset Windows 10 to factory settings (data loss)
Factory reset Windows 10 is another solution if you forgot admin password Windows 10. The resetting process will remove all settings on your computer including your password. Thus, if you can't log in to your Windows 10 PC if the password is forgotten, doing a factory deserve a try. But you should be careful to take this method because you will lose your data during the process.
Step 1. Turn off your laptop and click on the "Restart" button to reboot your computer (remember to hold the "Shift" button while clicking on the "Restart").
Step 2. In the next screen, select "Troubleshoot".
Step 3. Then, choose "Reset this PC".
Step 4. You can either select "Keep my files" or "Remove everything".
Step 5. If you choose "Remove everything", you will be asked to choose either "Just remove my files" or "Fully clean the drive". Select one based on your need.
Step 6. After that, click "Reset" and you will get a brand new computer when the factory is finished. Then, you can log in to your computer without the password.
Conclusion
What to do if you forgot admin password Windows 10? This post has explained the solutions in detail. As you can see, resetting the forgotten password would be the easiest and safest method especially when you use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, a powerful and reliable password reset tool. By the way, there is Server edition for Windows Server users.
