You can factory reset your laptop to troubleshoot some problems. But sometimes, you may lose access to your system after forgetting your password. Don’t fret, this article covers 3 trusted methods on how to reset laptop without password.
"I purchased an ASUS laptop at a yard sale, however, the seller didn't do a factory reset. I'm not able to log in due to not having the password. I googled how to reset laptop without password and it gets to the screen where it's asking for a recovery key and I don't have one. Can someone please help?"
In most cases, doing a factory reset is an option to solve some disk or OS-related issues. Since a factory reset will erase all your data to send the operating system to its default status, it is always used as the last resort.
Besides, it is also recommended when you're trying to sell the laptop to others. Or if you've recently brought a pre-owned one, you can reset it to factory settings, which makes the PC look as if it's brand new.
However, sometimes, you may be stuck on the sign-in screen because you've forgotten the password. Don't worry, here we're going to address how to reset a laptop without password.
If you are locked out of your laptop and cannot access the Windows 10 system, you can refer to the methods listed below to realize a factory reset on the laptop.
There are three feasible ways with detailed instructions which can help you reset the laptop to its factory settings. You can select one according to your needs.
When you forgot the password for a Windows 10 laptop, you will remain on the login screen all the time. In such a case, you can easily reset Windows 10 to the factory from the sign-in options. Here are the steps you can follow:
Step 1. In the bottom-right corner of the login screen, press the Restart option and hold the Shift key at the same time.
Step 2. When Windows 10 reboots, you will be brought to Windows recovery mode. Click the Troubleshoot option to proceed.
Step 3. Then click the Reset this PC option in the Troubleshoot window.
Step 4. Later, you will see two options: Keep my files and Remove everything. Select one as you wish.
Step 5. If you choose Remove everything, you'll need to select either Just remove my files or Fully clean the drive.
Step 6. Finally, click on the Reset button to start the reset process. This may take more than one hour. After the process is complete, you will see a setup window. Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed.
If the method above is not working for some unknown reason, you can resort to Windows 10 installation media. With this tool, you can choose to reset or reinstall Windows 10 during the process.
Let's see how to factory reset laptop without password Windows 10 by executing this disk:
Step 1. Go to the Microsoft website and download the Windows installation disk from it.
Step 2. Boot your laptop from this bootable USB.
Step 3. At the Windows Setup screen, click the "Next" button.
Step 4. When you see "Install Now" on the new screen, click on "Repair your computer" in the lower left corner.
Step 5. Select "Troubleshoot > Reset this PC".
Step 6. Click "Remove everything" to delete your personal information entirely.
Step 7. Follow the prompts to choose the options according to your needs.
Step 8. Finally, click on "Reset" to begin factory resetting your PC without a password.
To reinstall Windows 10 for password reset, you can follow the steps below:
Step 1. The first three steps are the same as Step 1-3 above, when you see "Install Now" in the Windows Setup screen, click on it.
Step 2. Now, please 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 10 installation and hit "Next".
After that, you have finished reinstalling Windows 10 using Windows media creation tool, which is useful for password reset.
There is another workaround you can apply when you forgot the password for Windows 11/10/8/7 and are not able to reset your laptop. That is to remove the login password first with some Windows password reset disk and then factory reset your Windows 10 from Settings.
Here AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is highly recommended to make such a tool because this software can 100% work on all versions of Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. So, you don't have to worry about not being able to log on to your computer.
To figure out how to reset laptop without password, let's walk you through how to delete the password first.
Step 1. Prepare a USB and connect it to a running Windows computer. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Select “Tools” in the top pane and then hit “Reset Windows Password” from the menu.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, click "Next" to begin to create a a WinPE bootable media.
Step 3. Here we tick "USB Boot Device" and choose your prepared USB to create a bootable USB. 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 it from this USB, and you will see 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 "Remove Account Password" and click "Next".
Step 7. In the next window, just confirm you want to remove the password. Restart your computer and you will find you can log in to your laptop without password.
Step 8. When you can access your system normally, navigate to Start > Settings > Update & Security. Click on Recovery in the left pane. Then tap on Get started under the Reset this PC section.
Step 9. Then, the system will guide you to finish the factory reset.
From all the content above, you must have known how to reset laptop without password. If you've determined to send your PC to the default state but forgot the password, you can apply any of the three workable ways.
Since doing a factory reset on the laptop will erase all the data, you can clone the hard drive to another one as a backup in case you want to restore the data one day.