How to get into laptop without password if you happen to forget it or you can’t log in with the current password on your Windows PC? Try to find your solution from this guide.
It can be inconvenient when you have forgotten the password to your Windows Computer and have no method of accessing any data saved on the System that you may want for crucial business. Even if you have forgotten your password, there are various ways to unlock your laptop. These strategies, however, differ in terms of efficacy and complexity.
If your laptop lacks a fingerprint sensor or a camera with Windows Hello functionality, you're probably still logging in using a password or PIN. Some users might be upset when their passwords can't enter the system because usually, they need to reset the PC, which means losing data.
But, in fact, before going reinstalling Windows and erasing everything, there are a few things you can do. In this post, we’ll show you some ways how to reset laptop password for Windows systems.
From this part, you can see 4 ways to reset or remove laptop password on Windows OS for both Microsoft account users and local account users. Here we go.
Microsoft account has been introduced in Windows 8 and is tied to your laptop's user account. Because it allows you to sync your data across numerous devices, this was an excellent addition to the operating system.
Additionally, if you are running Windows 8 or later and your account has been connected to your Microsoft account, you may reset the password in Windows 8 and later systems of that Microsoft account, which will alter the password for your user account on your laptop, allowing you to open it without a password. You will need another device with internet connectivity, such as a mobile device or another computer, to perform this.
Step 1. Open the Microsoft login page on another device.
Step 2. Type in the email address for the account linked to your user account and press next.
Step 3. Click on the "forgot my password" option.
Step 4. If you’re required to enter your email address again, do so and then click on next.
Step 5. Choose an option on where to receive your security code, usually another email address or phone number, and complete the confirmation box where you must type the chosen method in full.
Step 6. Click “send code” and then when you receive the code on the chosen option, type that code into the given box.
Step 7. Click next, choose your new password, and type it in where required.
Your password will have been reset, you can use this new password to get into your laptop.
For Microsoft account users, the only solution to reset laptop password is the first method. If you’re using a local account, then from here, you can choose a suitable way to reset or remove laptop password.
In the second solution, you’ll learn how to use CMD without login into the system to perform some commands to reset password.
Step 1. Restart your laptop. When your PC is starting, repeatedly press the corresponding function key for your PC. This is usually F8 but can vary depending on the manufacturer so you will need to check this online.
Step 2. If the Windows logo appears, you'll need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
Step 3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, choose Command Prompt.
Step 4. Please type the following lines and press enter after each:
• c: (Type the letter of your system drive, if it’s D drive, you need to type d:)
• cd windows\system32
• ren sethc.exe sethc01.exe (rename sethc.exe to sethc01.exe)
• copy cmd.exe sethc.exe (copy cmd.exe to sethc.exe)
Step 5. After that, we can input "wpeutil reboot" to fast restart your Windows 10 computer.
Step 6. When you see the user password input interface again, constantly press the "Shift" key to call out the CMD window.
Step 4. Now, type "net user username password" and press "Enter" to reset the local account password in Windows 10. eg. net user admin 123456
Now, you can exit the Command Prompt window and log into your Windows 10 using the new password.
Note: You can also use a Windows installation media to enter the CMD to reset the password.
In the above content, the article discusses how to reset a password in Windows 10 laptop via Command Prompt for local account users. But not all users are comfortable using command lines. Therefore, the recommended method for all users is to use a third-party utility with a graphical user interface.
AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a software that can create a password reset USB and reset the password for all levels of computer users. This software is an all-in-one disk manager for various Windows versions, including Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. And there are many other functions like disk cloning, OS migration, App mover, resize partition, etc.
▶ Part 1. Create Windows password reset USB
Step 1. Connect a prepared USB to any running computer. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. At the top pane, select “Tools” > “Reset Windows Password”.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, you'll be noted to create a WinPE bootable media. Click "Next" to move on.
Step 3. Here we tick "USB Boot Device", choose your prepared USB for bootable USB creation, and click "Proceed".
Step 4. Note that the USB flash drive needs to be formatted and all data on it will be wiped. Please back up anything important on it and redo it.
The progress will take a few minutes. When the bootable USB is created successfully, unplug the USB and connect it to your laptop.
▶ Part 2. Reset/Remove laptop password
Step 1. Boot the computer from this bootable 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, choose a feature: "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 the password reset.
Now you can use a new password after you reboot the laptop.
Of course, no one wants to lose data on the computer, but if you don’t mind or if that laptop is an old one, you can directly factory reset your laptop.
Step 1. Press the "Shift" key when you click the "Power" button > "Restart" in the lower-right corner of the screen.
Step 2. On the "Choose an option" screen, select "Troubleshoot" > "Reset this PC".
Step 3. Select "Remove everything" and finish the next steps.
This article discusses various methods for how to get into a laptop without a password. Users can choose the method that best fits their situation. However, for local account users, the recommended option is to use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, a software with a user-friendly graphical interface that can create a Windows password reset USB even if the user has forgotten the password. With this tool, resetting a Windows password becomes a hassle-free process, and users won't need to use complicated command lines.
By the way, this tool also has the Server Edition for Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/2003.