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Answered: How to reset or change a Windows login password?

Sun, 04 May 2025 02:32:04 +0000

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-ways-to-reset-the-forgotten-windows-administrator-password/

How many times have you forgotten a password in the last year? Losing a website password isn't a huge deal, because you can reset those with your email address. But forgetting your computer password is scary, because they're more difficult to reset.

If you've forgotten the password for a Windows administrator account, don't fear. There are several methods you can use to recover it. We'll show you how to reset administrator passwords in Windows, even if you don't have admin rights. While we focus on Windows 10 here, these tips should largely work the same in Windows 11 and other versions, too.

1. Reset the Windows Administrator Password With a Microsoft Account

One of the major benefits of using a Microsoft account with Windows is that you can reset your password by going through Microsoft's tools without much hassle.

First, make sure that you really can't access your Microsoft account (perhaps your keyboard has a stuck key or something similar). Go to login.live.com on your phone or another computer and try to sign in with the Microsoft account you use on your PC, making sure you don't mistype anything.

If you still can't get in here, then proceed with resetting your Microsoft password. Head to the Microsoft password reset page to get started, though you can also reset your password from the Windows login screen by clicking the I forgot my password link.

After confirming your identity with the details you've provided on your account, this page will walk you through resetting your Microsoft account password. Once that's done, use the new password to sign into your PC.

It's worth noting that if you have a Microsoft account, you should take a few minutes to update your security info on your Microsoft account page. Adding a phone number and secondary email address gives you options to reset your password easily; without them, it's much more of a hassle. A little bit of forethought now will make it much easier to reset your admin password in the future.

2. Reset a Local Windows Admin Password Using the Lock Screen Workaround

If you don't use a Microsoft account to log into Windows, you'll have to reset the password for a local account. Windows 10 and 11 allow you to set security questions for local accounts that help you get back in easily from the lock screen if you forget the password. If you haven't set those up already, however, they won't do you much good now.

If the locked account is the only administrator account on your PC, you'll need to first use a workaround to launch an elevated Command prompt. We walk through this process below.

However, if you have another administrator account on the computer aside from the one you're locked out of, you don't need to go through all these steps. In that case, log into the other admin account on your computer and change the password using the command line, which doesn't require jumping through as many hoops.

Setting Up the Password Reset Workaround

First, you'll need to create a bootable Windows 10 disk on a flash drive. This will obviously require another computer, since you can't get into yours.

Once you've made that, insert the drive into your PC so you can boot from the new installation. On most machines, you need to press F12 or a similar key as soon as you power on your computer to choose a device to boot from.

Boot from your flash drive, let the Windows installer load, and when you see the initial Windows Setup screen, press Shift + F10 to open a Command Prompt.

Next, you need to know which partition your Windows installation is on. Usually, this will be the C: drive, but it might be different for you. To check, type the following command, which will change the current directory of the Command Prompt to the root of the C: drive (or whichever letter you insert).

cd /d C:

If the command returns The system cannot find the drive specified, then that letter isn't right; try D and continue down the alphabet. Once you find the right drive, you'll want to change the directory again using the cd command. Type this line to access the System32 folder:

cd Windows\System32

If you see The system cannot find the path specified, you've selected a drive other than the one Windows is on. Change the drive to a different letter and try again until you find the right one.

Once you're in the System32 folder, you can pull a little trick. Windows includes an accessibility feature called Sticky Keys, which you can launch by hitting the Shift key five times quickly. By swapping the executable that runs Sticky Keys with a link to the Command Prompt's executable file, you can run a command line to reset your password right from the login screen.

To do this, type these two commands, one at a time. The first backs up the Sticky Keys shortcut in the C:\Windows folder (the .. is a shortcut to move to the parent folder) so you can restore it later; the second replaces the Sticky Keys shortcut with a Command Prompt shortcut. If asked to give approval for either, do so.

copy sethc.exe ..
copy cmd.exe sethc.exe

You're done here, so type this command to reboot the computer and head back to the normal sign-in screen:

wpeutil reboot

Running a Command Prompt to Change Your Password

In previous versions of Windows, you could simply run the renamed shortcut to access a Command Prompt right from the login screen. However, Microsoft Defender now blocks these attempts, so there's an extra step required. If you're on an old version of Windows 10, or still using Windows 8 or earlier, you can press Shift five times on the login screen to open a Command Prompt.

On modern versions of Windows 10 or Windows 11, you'll have to reboot into Safe Mode for this to work. To do this, click the Power menu in the bottom-right corner of the login screen. Then, hold the Shift key and click Restart. If you see a warning that restarting may cause people to lose work, click Restart Anyway.

Then, you'll see the advanced settings menu. Click Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings, then Restart. Your PC will reboot, then ask which startup option you want to use. Hit the 4 key to select Enable Safe Mode. This loads Windows with only the essential drivers and services, preventing Microsoft Defender from blocking the workaround.

When you reboot to the Windows sign-in screen in Safe Mode, hit Shift five times quickly. This should bring up a Command Prompt, which has administrator access. If this doesn't bring up the Command Prompt, repeat the steps in the above section, but use utilman.exe instead of sethc.exe as the file you rename.

Then, reboot into Safe Mode and click the Ease of Access icon at the bottom-right of the login screen, which should hopefully bring up the Command Prompt. On Windows 10, this icon looks like the clock icon in the bottom-right of the image below. On Windows 11, it looks like an outline of a person.

Answered: How to Install Windows 10 / 11 22H2 without Microsoft account?

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 08:46:21 +0000

Surender Kumar Tue, Feb 28 2023 deployment, windows 10, windows 11 43

With earlier versions of Windows 10 and 11, you always had the option to skip the creation of a Microsoft account and use a local user account. However, with the recent 22H2 update, Microsoft is now forcing customers to use a Microsoft account.

CLOSEContents

Surender Kumar

Surender Kumar has more than twelve years of experience in server and network administration. His fields of interest are Windows servers, Active directory, PowerShell, web servers, networking, Linux, virtualization, and Kubernetes. He loves writing for his blog.

If you start the Windows 11 setup without an internet connection, you will likely get stuck on the Let's connect you to a network screen with a grayed out Next button and the following message:

You'll need an internet connection to continue setting up your device. Once connected, you'll get the latest features and security updates.

Youll need an internet connection to continue setting up your Windows 11 device

As you can see in the screenshot, the Next button is grayed out, and there is no apparent way to bypass this screen. This will also prevent you from creating a local user account and using your device without a Microsoft account if you do not have an internet connection.

However, there is a way to bypass the internet requirement during Windows 11 22H2 setup.

Running the OOBE BypassNRO command

To bypass the internet requirement and use Windows 11 with a local user account, follow these steps:

Start the Window 11 setup.
When you see the Let's connect you to a network screen with the grayed-out Next button, press Shift + F10. This launches a command prompt.
Now run the following command at the command prompt:
oobe\BypassNRO
Running the OOBE BypaSurender Kumar Tue, Feb 28 2023 deployment, windows 10, windows 11 43
With earlier versions of Windows 10 and 11, you always had the option to skip the creation of a Microsoft account and use a local user account. However, with the recent 22H2 update, Microsoft is now forcing customers to use a Microsoft account.

CLOSE
Contents
Running the OOBE BypassNRO command
Conclusion
AuthorRecent Posts

Surender Kumar
Surender Kumar has more than twelve years of experience in server and network administration. His fields of interest are Windows servers, Active directory, PowerShell, web servers, networking, Linux, virtualization, and Kubernetes. He loves writing for his blog.
If you start the Windows 11 setup without an internet connection, you will likely get stuck on the Let's connect you to a network screen with a grayed out Next button and the following message:

You'll need an internet connection to continue setting up your device. Once connected, you'll get the latest features and security updates.

Youll need an internet connection to continue setting up your Windows 11 device
Youll need an internet connection to continue setting up your Windows 11 device

As you can see in the screenshot, the Next button is grayed out, and there is no apparent way to bypass this screen. This will also prevent you from creating a local user account and using your device without a Microsoft account if you do not have an internet connection.

However, there is a way to bypass the internet requirement during Windows 11 22H2 setup.

Running the OOBE BypassNRO command
To bypass the internet requirement and use Windows 11 with a local user account, follow these steps:

Start the Window 11 setup.
When you see the Let's connect you to a network screen with the grayed-out Next button, press Shift + F10. This launches a command prompt.
Now run the following command at the command prompt:
oobe\BypassNRO
Running the OOBE BypassNRO command to bypass the network requirement during Windows 11 setup
Running the OOBE BypaSurender Kumar Tue, Feb 28 2023 deployment, windows 10, windows 11 43
With earlier versions of Windows 10 and 11, you always had the option to skip the creation of a Microsoft account and use a local user account. However, with the recent 22H2 update, Microsoft is now forcing customers to use a Microsoft account.

CLOSE
Contents
Running the OOBE BypassNRO command
Conclusion
AuthorRecent Posts

Surender Kumar
Surender Kumar has more than twelve years of experience in server and network administration. His fields of interest are Windows servers, Active directory, PowerShell, web servers, networking, Linux, virtualization, and Kubernetes. He loves writing for his blog.
If you start the Windows 11 setup without an internet connection, you will likely get stuck on the Let's connect you to a network screen with a grayed out Next button and the following message:

You'll need an internet connection to continue setting up your device. Once connected, you'll get the latest features and security updates.

Youll need an internet connection to continue setting up your Windows 11 device
Youll need an internet connection to continue setting up your Windows 11 device

As you can see in the screenshot, the Next button is grayed out, and there is no apparent way to bypass this screen. This will also prevent you from creating a local user account and using your device without a Microsoft account if you do not have an internet connection.

However, there is a way to bypass the internet requirement during Windows 11 22H2 setup.

Running the OOBE BypassNRO command
To bypass the internet requirement and use Windows 11 with a local user account, follow these steps:

Start the Window 11 setup.
When you see the Let's connect you to a network screen with the grayed-out Next button, press Shift + F10. This launches a command prompt.
Now run the following command at the command prompt:
oobe\BypassNRO
Running the OOBE BypassNRO command to bypass the network requirement during Windows 11 setup
Running the OOBE BypassNRO command to bypass the network requirement during Windows 11 setup

After you execute this command, your system will restart.ssNRO command to bypass the network requirement during Windows 11 setup

After you execute this command, your system will restart.ssNRO command to bypass the network requirement during Windows 11 setup
After you execute this command, your system will restart.