How to reset Windows Password that you have forgotten? This post will share a few ways with you to help reset password on Windows 11/10/8/7. At least one way can work out. Let’s get started.
Windows recommends users log in to their system with a password out of security. However, users report that forgetting password often happens to them. Considering this case, Microsoft offers some ways to let them reset a forgotten password, whether they are using Microsoft Account or local account.
If you are the one who can't remember your Windows password and is locked out of the system, scroll down to learn how to reset Windows password for your Microsoft account and local account respectively.
Three are four methods for users who are using local account to sing into a Windows PC and one way for Microsoft account users. You can jump to the specific section according to your case.
Although Microsoft has made it significantly difficult to use a local account, it's still addressable if you forgot its password. Four ways have been explained below in detail.
Way 1. Use security questions
Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10 version 1803 or higher
If you have added security questions for your Windows local account, you can get into your system by answering these questions to reset password Windows.
Step 1. When you type an incorrect password on the sign-in screen, a new window will pop out: "The password is incorrect. Try again.". Click "OK".
Step 2. Then you will go back to the sign-in screen. Click the Reset password link below the password box.
Step 3. Follow the prompts 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. Use factory reset (data loss)
Applies to: All versions of Windows 10 earlier than 1803
According to the Microsoft official, there are no security questions for the versions of Windows 10 prior to 1803. The officially recommended method is to reset your Windows to choose a new password. But please note that doing a factory reset will remove all your data, applications, and settings.
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.
Way 3. Use Windows password reset disk
Applies to: All Windows users who have a password reset disk created beforehand.
If you forgot your password, the simplest and easiest way provided by Windows is to use a password reset disk. But this method is not suitable for all users because most of them haven’t created such a disk before.
If you have one, congratulations, follow the steps below can help you quickly reset Windows password.
Step 1. Enter a wrong password on the login screen and click "OK" when you are reminded of the password you have entered is incorrect.
Step 2. Then you can see a Reset password link appears below the password box. Click on the Reset password link.
Step 3. The Password Reset Wizard window will appear on the screen. Click "Next".
Step 5. When you are asked to choose the password reset disk for Windows 10 or 11, choose your drive and click "Next".
Step 6.Then, type the new password in the blank and click "Next" after confirming.
Way 4. Use AOMEI Partition Assistant (easiest)
Applies to: All versions of Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista users (friendly to computer novices)
If you are not in the above three situations, you can't miss this method. Here is a powerful password reset tool named AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional that can easily reset password in Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista and supports all versions of these systems.
Since you can't use your computer after you forgot password, this application allows you to make a Windows password reset USB on any working Windows PC and plug it into the destination computer for password reset.
Here is a detailed guide on how to reset Windows password or just remove the password.
Step 1. Create a password reset USB with AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.
1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant on a Windows computer that can work normally and connect a prepared USB drive to it. Then, launch AOMEI software and click "Tools"> "Reset Windows Password" on the main interface.
2. Click "Next" to agree to create a WinPE bootable media.
3. Then, choose the target USB drive and click "Proceed".
4. Make sure you know your USB drive will be formatted during the process of creating the password reset USB. If you have backed up the important data or there is no necessary data on it, click "Yes" to go on.
Step 2. Boot Windows 10 computer from the password reset USB.
Insert the USB drive into the Windows computer where the password needs to be reset and change the boot order to make your PC boot from the USB.
Step 3. Begin to reset Windows password.
1. When boot into your PC, AOMEI Partition Assistant will open automatically. Click "Reset Password" again and select the target operating system. Then 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. Restart your computer and you can use the new password to access your system now.
Resetting a Microsoft Account password is quite straightforward, just make sure you still remember the email account or phone number you provided when signing up for Microsoft account. You can follow the steps below to reset password Windows for your Microsoft account.
Step 1. Open the 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. Then, you will be asked to verify your identity. Follow the steps to finish the verification.
Step 4. Once verified, you can enter the new password to reset password Windows 10.
Now, you should have known how to reset Windows password on Windows 11/10/8/7 for both Microsoft and local accounts. You can employ a suitable method based on your needs.
This post has introduced a password reset tool called AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, which makes resetting password for local accounts much easier. Besides, you can use it to clone disk, migrate OS, move programs, delete corrupted files, and so on.
If you are Windows Server users, you can use the Server Edition to efficiently reset your password.