Forgot password on Windows 10 and need to reset it? Have you created a USB password reset disk beforehand? If not, this guide will tell you how to reset Windows 10 password without USB drive.
If you forgot your Windows 10 password and are locked out of your computer, there is no doubt that resetting password on Windows 10 is the best choice when compared with reinstalling system or resetting Windows 10 to its factory.
You must search the resetting ways on Google, but what you should know is that Microsoft also provides a method to reset the password while requiring you to set a password for computer security. That is to create a password reset disk using a USB flash drive.
However, the problem is not all users are aware of the importance of the password reset disk. So what if you forgot your password for Windows 10 and haven't created a USB password reset disk? No need to worry. The next part will walk you through several ways to reset Windows 10 password without USB drive.
Before you proceed with these methods, you should know there are two types of Windows accounts: Microsoft account and local account. If you forgot your Microsoft password, refer to Part 1 to get the steps, whereas local account users jump to Part 2 to reset password.
This method is for those Microsoft account users who cannot log in to Windows 10 after forgetting password. And the process is quite simple, just make sure you do every step as the following steps.
Step 1. Open the Microsoft password reset page on any running computer.
Step 2. Enter your email address or phone number you set for your Microsoft account and click "Next".
Step 3. Then, you will be asked to verify your identity. Follow the steps to finish the verification.
Step 4. Once verified, you will be asked to reset your password. Enter your password twice and click Next > Finish.
Now, you understand how to reset Windows password without USB and set a new password for your Windows 10. you can use it to log in to your system at once.
All the methods below can help local account users finish password reset. You can pick any of them to reset Windows 10 password without USB drive.
Way 1. Via security questions
If you're using Windows 10 version 1803 or higher and have added security questions when you set up your local account Windows 10, then you can sign back in by answering security questions. Here is how to reset password without USB flash drive Windows 10.
Note: For versions of Windows 10 earlier than 1803, local account passwords can't be reset in this way because there are no security questions.
Step 1. Type a wrong password to try logging in, and click "OK" when you see a message saying "The password is incorrect. Try again.".
Step 2. Then you will be back to the sign-in screen. Click the Reset password link below the password box.
Step 3. You will be asked to answer your security questions.
Step 4. Enter a new password.
Step 5. After that, you can sign in with the new password.
Way 2. Via other sign-in options
Out of security consideration, Windows has more than one form of password. If you have forgotten Windows 10 password, check the login screen to see if you can log in to Windows 10 with other sign-in options like PIN, Picture password, or other administrator account.
This is also a good chance to reset Windows 10 password without USB drive.
Step 1. Log in to Windows 10 with another sign-in option.
Step 2. After accessing Windows 10 system, open the Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 3. Type net user username new_password and hit "Enter" key to reset your password on Windows 10.
Note: Replace username and new_password with your username and desired password respectively. eg. net user xiao 123456
Way 3. Via Windows password reset tool- AOMEI Partition Assistant
If you forgot your Windows 10 password and have no password reset disk created or the USB password reset disk doesn't work, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, an expert Windows password reset tool, will help.
It can create a password reset USB on Windows 11/10/8/7 PCs easily. And this USB can be used for both the current PC and any other Windows computer, which is not supported by Windows password reset USB.
Without answering questions or inputting complex command lines, its graphical interface and detailed instruction can lead you to reset Windows 10 password easily.
Step 1. Make a password reset USB with AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.
1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant on a running Windows PC and prepare a USB drive. Then, launch AOMEI software and click "Tools"> “Reset Windows Password” on the main interface.
2. Click "Next" to start creating a WinPE bootable media.
3. Then, choose the target USB drive and click "Proceed".
4. Please note that your USB drive will be formatted during the process of creating the password reset USB, please back up any important data beforehand.
When the creation is over, plug the USB into the PC where the password needs to be reset.
Step 2. Boot Windows 10 computer from the password reset USB.
Insert the USB drive and change the boot order to make your PC boot from the USB.
Step 3. Reset Windows 10 password now.
1. After loading, AOMEI Partition Assistant will open automatically. Click "Reset Password" again and select the target operating system and click "Next".
2. Select the account for which you want to reset the password, and decide which one you want to perform: Remove Account Password or Reset Account Password. Here we choose "Reset Account Password" and click "Next".
3. In "Reset Password" window, type the new password in the new window and click "Yes" to confirm.
4. Finally, restart your computer and log in to Windows 10 with the new password.
These are all the available ways to reset Windows 10 password without USB drive. If you cannot remember your password anymore, there is no need to worry because you can always find the solution in this post.
By the way, if you use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to reset the password, don't rush to unload it. You can experience its powerful features like recovering deleted files, recovering lost partitions, or moving programs to another drive.