Forgot Your Windows Password? How to Get Back Into Your Computer

Getting locked out of your own computer is frustrating, but it is more common than you might think. You changed your password and forgot the new one, Windows is not accepting the password you know is correct, or you set up a PIN that stopped working after an update. The good news is that in most cases you can get back in without losing your files. The approach depends on whether you are using a Microsoft account or a local account, and which version of Windows you are running.

Microsoft account vs local account

The first thing to figure out is which type of account you are locked out of, because the recovery process is completely different for each.

Microsoft account: If you sign into Windows with an email address (something@outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or any email you linked to a Microsoft account), you have a Microsoft account. This is the default on Windows 10 and 11. The password is stored online by Microsoft, not on your computer.

Local account: If you sign in with a username that is not an email address, or if the login screen shows only your name without an email, you have a local account. The password is stored only on your computer.

Reset a Microsoft account password

This is the easier scenario because the password lives on Microsoft's servers, and you can reset it from any device with internet access:

1. On your phone or another computer, go to account.live.com/password/reset
2. Enter the email address you use to sign into Windows
3. Microsoft will send a verification code to your recovery email or phone number. If you set up two-factor authentication, you will need access to your authenticator app or backup codes
4. Enter the code, create a new password
5. Go back to your locked computer, make sure it is connected to the internet (click the network icon on the lock screen to connect to Wi-Fi if needed), and sign in with the new password

If you no longer have access to the recovery email or phone number, Microsoft has an account recovery form where you can verify your identity by answering questions about the account. This process can take 24 to 48 hours.

Reset a Microsoft account using the lock screen

Windows 10 and 11 have a password reset link directly on the lock screen if you are using a Microsoft account:

1. On the sign-in screen, click I forgot my password or Reset password below the password field
2. Windows will walk you through verification (email code, SMS code, or authenticator app)
3. Create a new password and sign in

This requires the computer to be connected to the internet. If it is not, connect to Wi-Fi from the lock screen first.

Unlock with a PIN, fingerprint, or Windows Hello

If you forgot your password but set up an alternative sign-in method, you might be able to get in without resetting anything:

• PIN: If you set up a Windows Hello PIN, try clicking Sign-in options on the lock screen and selecting the PIN option. The PIN is separate from your password
• Fingerprint or face: If you set up Windows Hello biometrics, try your fingerprint reader or face camera
• Picture password: If you set up a picture password, that option appears under Sign-in options

Once you are in with an alternative method, you can change your password from Settings, then Accounts, then Sign-in options.

Reset a local account password on Windows 10 and 11

If you have a local account on Windows 10 (version 1803 or later) or Windows 11 and you set up security questions when you created the account, you can use them to reset the password from the lock screen:

1. On the sign-in screen, click Reset password (it appears after entering the wrong password)
2. Answer the three security questions you set up when you created the account
3. Create a new password

If you did not set up security questions (or do not remember the answers), this method will not work. You will need one of the other approaches below.

Use another administrator account

If the computer has another user account with administrator privileges, sign into that account and reset the locked account's password:

1. Sign in to the other admin account
2. Open Control Panel, then User Accounts, then Manage another account
3. Select the locked account
4. Click Change the password
5. Set a new password and sign out
6. Sign into the originally locked account with the new password

This also works if you have ever enabled the hidden Administrator account on the computer.

Password reset disk

Windows has a feature called a password reset disk that lets you create a USB drive specifically for resetting your local account password. The problem is that you have to create it before you get locked out. If you created one and still have it:

1. Insert the USB drive
2. On the lock screen, enter a wrong password and click OK
3. Click Reset password, then follow the wizard

If you never created a password reset disk, this is a good reminder to make one after you get back into your account. Open Control Panel, search for password reset, and follow the Create a password reset disk wizard. It only takes a minute and saves a lot of trouble later.

Reset via Windows Recovery Environment

If none of the above methods work for a local account, you can reset the password through the Windows Recovery Environment. This method uses the built-in command line tools:

1. From the lock screen, hold Shift and click Restart (the power icon in the bottom right, then Restart while holding Shift)
2. The computer restarts into the Recovery Environment. Choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Command Prompt
3. In the command prompt, type: net user to see all user accounts on the computer
4. Type: net user YourUsername NewPassword replacing YourUsername with your actual username and NewPassword with the password you want
5. Close the command prompt and restart normally

Note: some versions of Windows require you to sign into an administrator account to access Command Prompt from recovery. If it asks for a password you do not have, this method will not work without additional steps.

What about third-party password reset tools

Tools like Hiren's Boot CD, Lazesoft Recover My Password, and chntpw can reset local Windows passwords by booting from a USB drive and modifying the Windows password database (SAM file) directly. These work on local accounts but cannot reset Microsoft account passwords (since those are stored on Microsoft's servers, not on your computer).

These tools are legitimate and widely used in IT, but they do require creating a bootable USB drive on another computer, which means you need access to a second computer. They also do not work if the drive is encrypted with BitLocker unless you have the BitLocker recovery key.

BitLocker complications

If your computer's drive is encrypted with BitLocker (common on business laptops and some Windows 11 Home installations that enabled device encryption), password reset tools cannot access the SAM file without the BitLocker recovery key. To find your recovery key:

• Sign into account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey from another device using the same Microsoft account
• Check any printouts you made when BitLocker was enabled
• If the computer is managed by your employer, contact your IT department

Without the BitLocker recovery key, the only option is a full Windows reinstall, which erases everything on the drive.

Preventing future lockouts

Once you get back in, take a few minutes to set up backup access:

• Set up a PIN in addition to your password (Settings, then Accounts, then Sign-in options). A PIN is easier to remember and is tied to the specific device
• Set up a fingerprint or face login if your device supports it
• Create a password reset disk for your local account
• Write down your BitLocker recovery key if your drive is encrypted
• Make sure your Microsoft account has a current recovery email and phone number

Locked out in Marion

LuxuriousComputers in Marion helps people get back into locked computers. We reset Windows passwords on local and Microsoft accounts, recover BitLocker-encrypted drives when possible, and make sure you have backup access set up so it does not happen again. Your files stay intact.