How to Reset a Forgotten Password in Windows 10

This guide will help you restore your forgotten password in Windows 10. Below we will give you two options of how to fix this regain access to your account if you can’t remember your login credentials.

Ok, so we’ve probably all been there. We turn our computer on, type the login name and password and boom! It’s incorrect. Then we try to juggle a bit with different combinations just to realize that we can’t remember what it was, and of course, the system won’t let us in. So what do we do now? Luckily, recovering your password in Windows 10 is pretty much similar to the previous versions of Windows. However, there are a few small tweaks, which we will show you in the guide below. So, here is how to recover your password for Microsoft Live 10 or any other user, registered with the local PC:

How to Reset a Forgotten Password in Windows 10

Use the standard password reset function available on Microsoft’s password reset website

The Password Reset Tool for Microsoft Live Accounts is probably the most obvious solution to go for. On Microsoft’s password reset website you will find three options to choose from and in case you have forgotten your password to an existing account, you will need to click on “I Forgot My Password” in order to proceed with the resetting steps. This is how it looks like:

Once you select the option and click “Next”, you will be prompted to a standard recovery process, which many companies use in order to verify your identity and reset your login credentials. If you have an external e-mail or a phone number that you have registered with your Windows Live 10 account, you will receive a code, with the help of which you can easily login without additional hassle and the problem will be solved.

Create a New User to Save Account Files

If the method above doesn’t work, there is another work-around way to regain access to your computer, which we will show you here:

First, you need to boot your Windows 10 installation in the setup and change the boot order in your BIOS by taking priority with the CD or instead use ISO as a startup disk.
When the setup begins, press Shift+F10 keys. A command prompt window will appear.

There, you will need to replace the Utility Manager at the login screen with cmd.exe. This can be done with the following commands:
move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak
copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
It should look like this:

Next, restart the machine by using the command “wpeutil reboot”.
When you are back to the login screen, click on the Utility Manager. A cmd.exe windows should launch as shown in the picture below:

Here you will need to create a new administrative user from the login screen. For that, type in the commands below, by replacing <username> with the name of your new account.
net user <username> /add
net localgroup administrators <username> /add
When ready, close the window and reboot your system. The new username should be on the bottom left of the screen when the system loads. Select it to enter your desktop.

Now you have logged in with the new account, but you still need to reset your password for the old one. For that, right-click the Start menu and select “Computer Management”.

Go to “Local Users and Groups”, find the old account that you can’t login to, and right-click on it. Select “Set Password” and change it to credentials you can remember to regain access to your locked account!
We would like to note that this method will only work to fully recover accounts that are designated to sign in locally. In case you need to get the password for your Microsoft Live account, you need to proceed with the steps in the online form that we described above.

Having this in mind and in case that the online recovery process doesn’t work, you will still have access to important files or folders that may have been locked up on the account you can’t log in with. You can find them by going to C:\Users, and clicking on its associated folder.

If nothing works to reset your password – call Microsoft for support

If the online reset process on Microsoft’s site fails to help you restore your Live-only account, you can call the TechNet Help Center. You will be prompted to verify your identity with the same security questions that you used to create the account. If you cannot answer them, the representative will direct you to another colleague, who may ask you some detailed information regarding your account and verification. If you answer them, you fill be handed over a temporary code, which you can use to log into your Live account and regain access to your computer.

How to prevent forgetting your password?

If you want to avoid the inconvenience that forgotten credentials can cause, a smart tip is to take advantage of the new Windows PIN feature. It allows you to set a PIN code to your account instead of the standard password. This feature can be found in the initial setup or in the “Accounts” section of the Windows 10 Settings folder.

If you think it would be easier to remember just a few “Lucky numbers” of your choice instead of long and complicated combinations of keystrokes, then the PIN option could be the easier option for you.

Fortunately, even if you lose or forget your password, it’s not the end of the world. We hope that the tips and workarounds that we shared with you here will fix the issue and help you regain access to your account and prevent data loss and restricted access to all the things you keep on your Windows Live 10 account.