What to do if you forgot your Windows 10 password. If you suddenly forgot your Windows password: We break the password! Working from a hard drive

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Read, how to recover a forgotten Windows 10 user password and recover the administrator password. What programs are there for password recovery? Losing your Windows 10 user account password can be a very unpleasant surprise. Indeed, as a result of this, access to the data of a particular computer is completely lost. It’s good if you know the password for the Administrator account, from which you can manage passwords for users on a specific computer. But sometimes it turns out to be forgotten or lost.

Sometimes you urgently need to gain access to a computer for which you do not know the password. The information you need is right at your fingertips, but you have no way to use it. How to restore access to your computer and your files or documents?

What to do if you forgot your Windows 10 password

Step 1: Recover data from a computer whose password has been lost

If you lost access to your data as a result of losing your Windows 10 account password, one of the effective ways to recover it is to use the program Hetman Partition Recovery.

For this:

Download the program, install and run it from another account on this computer. Check out the program's capabilities and step-by-step instructions.
By default, the user will be prompted to use File Recovery Wizard. By pressing the button "Further" and the program will prompt you to select the drive from which you want to recover files.
Double-click on the disk the files from which you want to recover and select the type of analysis. Specify "Full Analysis" and wait for the disk scanning process to complete.
After the scanning process is completed, you will be provided with recovery files. Select the ones you need and click the button "Restore".
Select one of the suggested ways to save files. Do not save files to a disk from which these files have been deleted - they can be overwritten.

Step 2: Recover the Windows 10 built-in Administrator account password

Looking for how to recover your Windows 10 Administrator account password? Do the following:

Step 3: Programs for recovering Windows 10 account passwords

Recovering Windows 10 account passwords can be done using special programs for resetting or recovering passwords. Such programs are especially relevant in case of loss of the Administrator account password (since the passwords of other accounts can be reset using this account).

For this:

Download and install a program to reset or recover account passwords.
Using such a program, create a bootable CD, DVD or USB drive (if necessary).
Restart your computer and boot from the bootable media you created.
Reset or recover passwords for the required account.

Step 4: Recover a forgotten user password using Windows 10

Before you begin to recover your user account password, check the password hint, which is located on the welcome screen next to the password entry field.

If the hint did not help you remember your password:

Step 5: Boot disk or flash drive to recover Windows 10 password

You can create a boot disk for password recovery yourself or use a ready-made option (which can be purchased or downloaded).

Recover your password using LiveCD

You can recover your account password by starting your computer using LiveCD, an alternative portable version of the operating system. This method is relevant if you cannot boot your computer or connect the hard drive to another system.

For this:

Use the installation disk image

If for some reason you did not create a system recovery disk, and Windows has lost its functionality, then it can be restored using an operating system recovery disk image.

Such an image can be created immediately after installing the OS and software or at any other time.

You can download a free utility from Microsoft and create an image. To do this, do the following:

Note. Do not run the system repair disc from a working Windows. To use it correctly, install the system image media in the BIOS as the first boot device and reboot the computer.

Important: It is necessary to create an image only on a working system that is not infected with viruses and does not contain errors. After recovery, you will receive an exact copy of the system at the time it was created.

Step 6: Restore access to your account on the Microsoft website

In the latest versions of Windows, the user account is integrated with the Microsoft account. To manage some Windows account functions, work with the operating system and configure it, access to it is required.

If you need to restore access to your Microsoft account:

Step 7: Perform a clean install of Windows

If none of the above methods lead to the desired result, reinstall Windows.

In order to perform a clean installation of Windows, you need to create an installation disk or other media from which you plan to install the operating system.

Boot your computer from the installation disc. To do this, you may need to change the boot order in the BIOS (or UEFI for more modern computers).

Following the installer menu items, specify the drive on which you want to install Windows. To do this you will need to format it. If you are not satisfied with the number or size of local disks, you can completely remove them and re-allocate them.

Remember that formatting, deleting or reallocating drives will delete all files from your hard drive.

After specifying the disk for installing Windows, the process of copying system files and installing the operating system will begin. No additional actions are required from you during installation. During the installation, the computer screen will go dark several times for short periods of time, and the computer will restart itself to complete some stages of the installation.

Depending on the version of Windows, at one stage you may be required to select or enter basic personalization settings, the operating mode of the computer on the network, as well as account settings or create a new one.

Once the desktop boots, the clean installation of Windows is complete.

Note. Before you begin a clean installation of Windows, make sure that you have drivers for all installed devices and that your files are safe. Download and save the drivers to a separate storage medium, and create a backup copy for important data.

Has the user's password been restored? Leave feedback and ask your questions in the comments.

Sometimes you log in and realize that your account password needs to be reset. Well, you don’t remember a thing. The worst thing that happens is when you lose your administrator password. It's good if you use a Microsoft account and you can request a change to phone or email, but the complexity of using this technique scares people away. And then you have to puzzle over how to reset your password on Windows 10.

You need to restore access through the command line of the installation media. There is no direct way to log in, but there is a workaround. Craftsmen come up with these techniques themselves, but it is possible that some information is also posted on the official Microsoft website. Today we will not talk about how to recover your password. This cannot be done in a normal security system. But resetting the administrator password is quite possible.

Command line

The principles of working with the command line will be very useful. The fact is that we need the account name and the name of the computer itself. We bet that most users do not know this information. You can view it from the command line. In combat mode, we will call it from the recovery tool from a bootable flash drive, and now we propose the following action plan:

Win + X to open the system menu.
Selecting the desired line (including on behalf of the administrator).

Let's try a simple net user command. It shows a list of names of all users on this computer. So you can rewrite what you need when recovering your password. And at the same time, find out the computer name. Because the custom one is already present on the command line.

The next step may be to study a specific account. This is done as follows. Type net user desired_name. A list of available information appears. Please note that the computer nickname is indicated in capital letters, but is typed in small letters. There's really no difference. You can type in both uppercase and lowercase.

So, for example, we see that the guest account does not have a password, but it is disabled and is currently inaccessible. Finally, from time to time you will need to run the Command Prompt as someone else. For example, you have information about the global system administrator, but you cannot log into this account. But it’s quite possible to launch the desired procedure. This is done using the runas command. It will only work if there is a password; when logging into Windows, carry out the necessary operations. How to do this will be shown below.

Please note that the characters you enter will not be displayed when prompted. It seems that something has gone wrong, but this is an erroneous train of thought. The characters are accepted by the system but not displayed on the screen. Continue restoring your laptop with peace of mind. The syntax of the runas command can be viewed in the standard way by adding /?. Here's an example:

the /user key says on whose behalf the launch occurs;
separated by a colon are computer_name\username;
name of the program to launch.

No spaces in the user key, otherwise the system will not accept the data. A blank password is not allowed. The standard application names for the command line are cmd.exe. This concludes the introductory part; links to it will be provided further in the text.

Loading

You need to start from the installation media - a flash drive or DVD. Set the necessary options in the BIOS, or use the F12 key (sometimes ESC) at startup. The second method is simpler, but does not work in all cases. In the BOOT section, put the desired media in first place. This will ensure it loads correctly. Flash drives often do not get here, and therefore you have to use F12 (ESC).

On some computers, as can be seen from the screenshot, pressing ESC is fundamentally no different from the BIOS. Be careful: you only need to click once. Otherwise, the menu immediately disappears from view. Compare this screen with the one taken from the BIOS.

Things may be different on other computers.

Launching media

So, bootloader priority is set on the computer, and we are 100% ready to reset the Windows 10 password. Please note that a module is installed on the disk that requires you to press any key within 5 seconds, otherwise the hard drive bootloader will turn on.

This will be followed by a screen for selecting the operating system version if the media is multiboot. Please note that the 32-bit version of the command line is quite suitable for Windows 64-bit and vice versa. So, don’t worry if there is no suitable version. Start launching with the existing one.

How to enter command line mode

We didn't promise to find out your computer password, but you can reset your account information without any difficulty. After selecting the version, traditional windows will appear - the painfully well-known logo. Sometimes it’s even difficult to understand where the download is coming from - has the hard drive turned on?

As soon as the first meaningful window appears (usually a prompt to select a language and some other settings), press Shift + F10. This will immediately open a command prompt window. Without any accounts, work is carried out from the media. Let's see if his rights are enough to carry out the necessary operations.

The essence of the events

The idea was taken from Windows Server, but it turned out that it works on Windows 10 too. We will now change the Ease of Access Center applet to the command line. Therefore, when we start it later, instead of being asked to enter a password, we will have a command line from where we can (see above) perform all the necessary operations. That is, carry out administration and then log in, a new password is set for Windows 10. Complies with domain requirements, if any. Let's get started.

Teams

We type the operation of changing the name of the applet to a neutral copy: move D:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe D:\Windows\System32\utilman.backup. The executable file has turned into harmless ballast for the hard drive. Be careful, when moving, use the letter of the system drive.

The screenshot shows the complete sequence of actions, which we will not describe in the text. After the operation, you need to replace the utilman.exe utility with its imitation in the form of a command line launch. To do this, type the following text: copy C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe. There is no point in illustrating this, just type and execute. Type exit or close the command prompt and begin rebooting. You can delete the distribution media; it won’t be useful for now.

Working from a hard drive

After the reboot, a window will appear asking you to log in, but we instead click on the lower left corner, where the button with the Accessibility circle is located. Our command line appears, from which we will proceed further.

If your Windows 10 password is forgotten and cannot be recovered, you can reset it. The reset instructions are no different from those we used on older versions of the Microsoft operating system, with the exception of some features. However, it can be used by owners of different types of accounts used to log into the system.
But before you use the instructions, make sure that the password is entered correctly. You may not have forgotten it, but you are entering it incorrectly - uppercase or lowercase letters, Russian or English alphabet. If this does not help, proceed to the instructions, performing each step correctly.

Reset your Microsoft account password online

If you sign in using a Microsoft account, you can reset your password in real time. To do this, you need to connect to the network, for example, by clicking on the connection icon, and go to the official resource of the OS manufacturer. And even if your computer is locked, you can change the password from any other device, even a tablet or smartphone. The password for logging into the system is reset in several steps and is not difficult even for an untrained user of the system.

Copy into the address bar of your browser: https://account.live.com/resetpassword.aspx. Select the option regarding password recovery. The system will ask you to provide an email address or phone number. Enter the characters from the picture and follow all the instructions step by step. If you do everything correctly, your Microsoft account will be restored.

If the phone and email associated with the account are not lost, the recovery process is quick. In the last step, you will connect to the network and create a new password for your account.

Changing the password for a user using the built-in Administrator account

There is another way to change your password. To use it, you must have one of the following disks at hand: an operating system with full access, loaded from removable media, an OS distribution kit of any version (from 7 to 10), a USB flash drive for recovery. We'll show you how to change your password using a system recovery disk.

The first thing to do is boot the operating system from removable media. When the language selection appears on the monitor, you need to open the command line with a key combination Shift + F10. If the manipulations do not lead to anything, first select “Language” and then “OS Restore”. We need "Advanced options", which are selected in "Troubleshooting". From "Advanced Options" go to "Command Prompt".

Enter these two commands in the same sequence and press the appropriate key (Enter):

diskpart
list volume

The executed commands will open all partitions of the hard drive for you. Look at which partition the operating system is located. The letter may be different since you booted from the command line. To determine the OS partition, focus on its size. Wherever the size is larger, there the system is located. For example, for us this is section D, for you everything may be different. Therefore, put your letter in the teams.

Write on the command line Exit and execute it using the Enter button. Use the following commands, changing the letter of the operating system partition if necessary:

1st. move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman2.exe
2nd. copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
3rd. After correctly executed commands you need to reboot. This can be done using the same command line by running: wpeutil reboot.

Now, when booting the OS, use the system disk, not removable media.

If you did not use the distribution disk, but something else, you should use the command line to copy cmd.exe, moving it to the folder with the OS (System32), and then call it by a different name - utilman.exe.

After the OS has booted from the disk on your computer, you must enter a password. But you don’t know him, so you need to use the “Special Features”. Clicking on the icon will take you to the Command Line.

This is where we will change the password by entering the following command: net user user_name new_password. Don't know your OS username? Type net users on the command line and you will see the names (name). If there is more than one word in the OS username, enclose each word in quotation marks.

The second option for resetting the Windows 10 password (with the command line already running, as described above)

There is another way to change a forgotten password. Owners of Windows 10 can use it only in two editions - Corporate or Professional. This method is not applicable for the Home version.

On the command line, specify the following one command, depending on the interface language (English or Russian):

net user Administrator /active:yes
or
net user Administrator /active:yes

When you run this command or when the computer reboots, you will be able to select a user. Select the PC Administrator account and, without entering a password, wait for the OS to load. This will take some time.

When the system boots, enter the menu " Start" and go to " PC control" Select " Local users" and separately " Users».

Select the user whose password you do not remember by clicking on it. And specify a new password by clicking on the corresponding menu item. The system will warn you about dangers and vulnerabilities. Check them out and move on.

Now enter a new password in the special field, having previously saved it more securely.

The second method, which we just discussed, is not suitable for all types of accounts, but only for a local account. If your account is from Microsoft, use another method, the very first one. If that method is not feasible for some reason, use this one, but taking into account some nuances. A new PC user is required to apply it. Log in as Computer Administrator and create it.

After successfully applying the second method, use the command line again to disable the built-in PC Administrator entry.

And again, on the command line, specify the following one command, depending on the interface language (English or Russian):

net user Administrator /active:no
or
net user Administrator /active:no

That's not all. If you remember, you renamed cmd.exe to utilman.exe. The renamed file must be deleted from the OS folder (System32). And from the title utilman2.exe remove the number " 2 ", that is, the file should look like this: utilman.exe. The only catch is that these actions are not always feasible within the system itself. In this case, you will have to use the Command Prompt again, running it in OS Recovery mode. That's it, you have returned to the original settings and can log into the Win 10 system under any account and with a new password.

Another way to reset Windows 10 password

There is a third way to reset your password. To use it, you also need one of three removable media: a system distribution kit, a disk for changing the registry, or a drive with OS recovery tools.

To demonstrate the method, we will use a USB flash drive with the latest OS version. Follow eight steps:

After a successfully completed operation, exit the Registry, Command Prompt and Operating System Installer one by one. Boot the OS from the system disk. At boot time, a command line will appear where you can reset the password.

Run the commands:

net username new_password
exit

There is no need to change anything in the parameters.

Sometimes Windows 10 clients forget their account password. To restore access to it and get to the “Desktop”, you need to reset the old combination and install a new one.

How to reset your password on Windows 10

Any user can invalidate an old password without reinstalling Windows 10. Today we will look at all possible methods.

When you enter the wrong combination of characters, the system displays a message that the password is incorrect and prompts you to enter it again.

Before following the instructions below, you must ensure the following:

The Caps Lock button is disabled. It converts characters to upper case, that is, if it is active, only capital letters are typed. Typically, desktop computer keyboards have a special indicator for this key. If it is on, turn it off (press it once). On laptops, as a rule, there is no indicator, so try pressing this button and entering the password again.
The required keyboard layout is installed, that is, the text language for typing. If it does not match the character language in your password, hold down the Shift + Alt key combination to change it. The language icon is also usually located in the lower right corner of the login screen. You can also click on it with the mouse. If the desired layout is installed, try to remember possible combinations that you could use as a password. If no options come to mind, proceed to the methods described below.

Changing your account password online

This method will solve the login problem only if you previously worked on the device using a Microsoft account. If you have not registered it or you have it, but you simply use your PC as a local user (that is, it is a separate account not associated with a Microsoft account), this password reset method will not work for you - you should immediately move on to other methods. So, how to change your password online on the Microsoft website?

Follow this link to get to the official Microsoft page. You will immediately be asked why you are unable to log into your account. We put a round mark to the left of the first option “I don’t remember my password.” After that, click on “Next”.
Provide a reason why you can't sign in to your Microsoft account
Now in the first field, enter your email address or phone number to which your account was linked. In the second field you need to type a set of characters (captcha) from the image, consisting of Latin letters and numbers. If you can't see them, click on "New" or "Audio" to have the system replace the set or speak it. Enter and click on “Next”.
Enter your email address or phone number in the field
A letter with a special code will be sent to your email, so you must have access to your email account. Open it and look for the email from Microsoft Live (it usually sends right away or within a few minutes). Copy the code or just remember it and enter it in the appropriate field on the Microsoft website. Click “Next” now.
Enter the code that was sent to you by email into the field.
Two new fields will appear in which you need to enter a new password. The second field is needed to confirm it. Be sure to remember it, or better yet, record it in a notebook to which only you have access. After entering, click on “Next”.
Enter your new password in the first field and repeat it in the second
On the next page you will be notified that your password has been successfully changed.
You are notified that access to your account has been successfully restored

You can now log into your account using the new combination.

Enter the new account password in the field

Video: changing a forgotten Microsoft account password

Via installation disk or flash drive

For this method, you will need a medium (CD, flash drive, etc.) with the Windows 10 distribution installed. We will boot the system through it and, using certain actions, change the account password. Let's move on to a detailed description of the manipulations:

Turn on the computer. When it starts loading, enter the BIOS using the Delete key. The button to enter this menu may be different: it all depends on the PC model. You can find information regarding this button on the website of the manufacturer of your device or in the instruction manual that came with the device if the Delete key does not work.
In the blue BIOS menu, in the First Boot Device parameter, set to boot from media that contains the Windows distribution.
Install the Windows distribution media in the First Boot Device option
Connect the drive with the Windows 10 distribution to the laptop. If it is a disc, insert it into the drive. Restart your PC.
When the drive boots, select the installation language and simultaneously hold down two keys on your keyboard: Shift + F10. This command should open the editor we need, in particular, “Command Line”.
If the black window does not appear on the screen, add Fn to this key combination. If it doesn’t work again, click on the “System Restore” link located in the lower left corner of the screen.
Click on the “System Restore” link
Now select the second section called “Troubleshooting”. Click on "Troubleshooting" to go to "Command Prompt"
In the next window, make a choice in favor of the “Advanced parameters” item. The next step is to launch Command Prompt.

Now let's move directly to the commands that need to be executed in the launched black editor. Let us describe the procedure in detail:

We print the word diskpart in the line. Click on Enter. After that, enter the list volume command. Your task is to remember the letter of the hard drive on which your OS is installed, since it may not always be the “C:” drive. You will subsequently enter this letter at the beginning of all subsequent commands. To exit the first diskpart command, type exit and press Enter on your keyboard.
Execute the diskpart and list volume commands alternately
We are not saying goodbye to the Command Prompt, as we need to enter a few more commands in it. The first one will be move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman2.exe. Copy it using the context menu or the Ctrl + C key combination and paste it into the black editor. Press Enter to complete it.
The second command is: copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe. We also copy and paste in the editor, and then press Enter.
Run two commands in Command Prompt in turn
Now you need to restart the device. To do this, type the wpeutil reboot command in the editor. It is no longer necessary to copy here, since it is short and you are unlikely to make a mistake. You also have the right to reboot your device in another way.
This time we boot not from the drive with the Windows 10 distribution, but from the system disk.
A window will appear with a field for entering a password. Here we click on the “Accessibility” icon located in the lower right corner. The already familiar black editor for entering commands will start again.
Re-open Command Prompt after restarting your PC
We print the following in the window: net user username new password. To run the command, press Enter as usual. If the username, that is, your account, consists of not one, but several words, you need to put it in quotes.
If, unfortunately, you do not know what your name is in the system, use the net users command to view the list and select the account you need.
After executing the command, the system will ask you to enter a new password twice. We print it and press Enter each time. Please note that characters will not appear as you type. This is done for security reasons. You can now close Command Prompt.
Enter the new password twice: first on one line and then on the other
After setting a new password, you can immediately log into your account on your PC.

Video: setting a new password using installation media

Using the Command Line

This method is suitable for versions of Windows 10 such as “Professional” or “Enterprise”. For other options the method will not work. If you do not have a Microsoft account and an installation flash drive or disk, this instruction will be one of the best options for you.

The solution to the problem is to log in using an administrator account and then change the password in the Computer Management window. Let's talk about the steps in detail:

Launch the black “Command Line” editor on your PC using the instructions from the “Using an installation disk or flash drive” section of this article. In particular, you need to click on the “Accessibility” icon.
This time we will enter other commands. The first one is as follows: net user Administrator /active:yes. Please note that for the English version of Windows 10, you must enter the English word Administrator, not Russian. Paste the command and press Enter.
Paste the command net user Administrator /active:yes into the Command Prompt
After these steps, another “Administrator” account will appear in the lower left corner. Go through it. There is no need to enter a password here.
Enter in Windows using the Administrator account
Now right-click on the “Start” button in the lower left corner. From the large list of options, select the “Computer Management” section. Select Computer Management from the context menu
In the window that opens, in particular, in its left part, find the item “Local users and groups” and click on it.
Open the "Local Users and Groups" section
In the right part of the window, double-click the “Users” folder. We are looking for ourselves (our account) in the list. Right-click on this item. In a small menu we select “Set password”.
In the context menu of the item that corresponds to your account, click on “Set password”
Read the system warning message and click “Continue”.
Read the warning and click on “Continue”
We print the new password and save it. Now you can log into your account using the new combination.
In the new window, enter the password twice and click OK
After the computer restarts, at the login screen, open Command Prompt again and enter the command net user Administrator /active:no in the black editor so that the administrator account disappears from the list of available ones.

Using "Registry Editor"

You can also replace the old password with a new one using special manipulations in the “Registry Editor” window. Let's look at this method in more detail:

Log in again under the “Administrator” account as described in the “Using the Command Line” section of this article. Open “Command Prompt”.
In the editor, enter the word regedit. It is this that will launch the “Registry Editor” we need.
On the left side of the window, open the third main branch HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder on the left side of the window
Now we turn our attention to the top panel of the window and click on “File”, and then on “Load hive”.
Click on the "File" section and select the "Load Hive" option
In Windows Explorer, look for the config folder, and then the SYSTEM. Now click on “Open”.
Select the SYSTEM file and click on the "Open" button
We write an arbitrary name in the “Section name” field only in Latin letters. Click OK.
Type a custom name in the field and click OK
Go to the newly created branch and open the Setup folder.
Open the Setup folder in the downloaded hive
We are looking for the CmdLine parameter. Double-click on it and change the value to cmd.exe.
Change the value of the CmdLine parameter to cmd.exe
In the list we also find the SetupType item, open it and set the value to 2.
In the left part of the window, left-click on the section you created earlier. Now click on “File” and then on “Unload Hive”. After this, confirm your action.
Click on "File" again and then select "Unload Hive"
Reboot your device. After the lock screen appears with a password field, “Command Prompt” will appear. In the editor, enter the following: net user user_name user_pswrd. In this command, user_name is your account name and user_pswrd is your new password.
Enter the net user command and add your account name and new password to the line
Now run the exit command to exit the black editor and return to the login window. We write a new password and finally log into our account.
Type the command exit and press Enter to exit the Command Prompt and enter a new password in the login field

Resetting your password using account recovery apps

If you do not have an installation drive with a Windows distribution, you can download a special password recovery program onto any blank media and log into the system from it to change the password. The programs are boot disk images.

They need to be downloaded and simply transferred to an empty drive (disk or flash drive). Since you cannot do this on your computer, you will have to ask someone to write the image.

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor: Free utility without interface

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor is a free bootable disk image. The main feature is the lack of a graphical interface. To work in the utility, you need to enter commands from the keyboard.

The Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor program does not have a graphical interface: all commands are entered from the keyboard in a black editor, which is similar to the “Command Line”

What are the characteristics and functions of this program?

finds all user accounts, even blocked and disabled;
resets the “Administrator” password;
restores access not only to local accounts, but also to Microsoft accounts;
works for all versions of Windows;
supports 32-bit and 64-bit systems;
edits the Windows registry (for example, to remove viruses from startup).

You can download the application directly from its official page. To create a CD image and a USB image, you need to download separate files. Each of them weighs only 18 MB.

Recover My Password Home Edition: free version with interface in English

Recover My Password Home Edition application is developed by Lazesoft. It has a convenient and simple interface, but only those who know English can work in it: there is no Russian version. The advantage of the program is that it is free.

Unfortunately, the interface of the Recover My Password Home Edition program has not been translated into Russian

What are the advantages of this utility?

Suitable not only for “ten”, but also for other versions of Windows, even XP and Vista.
Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
Allows you to create not only Flash and CD images, but also ISO images, optical disk images stored in a regular file.
Works on all laptops including Legend, Toshiba, Dell, IBM and others.
Restores access to the local Administrator account.
The program weight is only 33.4 MB.

You can download this boot disk image from the developer’s official website.

Renee Passnow: paid but convenient program

The Renee Passnow utility is a paid boot disk image. The principle of its operation is to bypass the local account password and Windows OS by changing the encrypted password in the Sam registry file.

The interface of the Renee Passnow program is very simple and intuitive: even a beginner can understand it

What are the program's capabilities and advantages?

does not delete data stored on the PC;
turns a Microsoft account into a local one and then removes its password;
has a clear and simple interface in Russian;
suitable for all versions of Windows including XP and Vista;
creates backup copies of data stored on hard drives without Windows;
erases information from built-in storage devices completely or section by section;
Recovers the Windows system after DBR or MBR errors occur during OS startup.

The disadvantages of the utility include the limited functionality of the free trial version. Using the latter, you will not be able to reset your password: it only gives you the opportunity to find accounts on your PC. The cost of the main paid version is 1290 rubles, and the professional version is 1790 rubles. The distribution weight is 95 MB.

You need to download this useful utility from the official website of the developer.

Creating a Password Reset Disk

Using the built-in Windows tools, you can create a so-called floppy disk, which will allow you to quickly and at any time remove the old password from your local account in the future. The huge disadvantage of this method is that the floppy disk (file) must be created on removable media (disk or flash drive) in advance. In this case, the method involves entering the current password, which the user still remembers.

A floppy disk is only valid for the computer on which it was recorded. If you don’t remember your password and don’t have a standard floppy disk, this method of solving the problem will not work for you, since you will no longer be able to create it without access to your account. In this situation, bootable media is written using special utilities from third-party developers described above in this article.

So, how to create a floppy disk to set a new password and how to use it later?

Insert a disk into the computer's disk drive or connect a flash drive.
Launch the “Control Panel” through “Windows Search” (the magnifying glass icon on the “Taskbar”). Just enter the relevant query into the search field. Type "Control Panel" into Windows Search
Now launch the “User Accounts” block.
Click on the "User Accounts" link
On the left side of the window, find the link “Create a password reset diskette.” She will be third. Click on it so that a window called “Forgotten Password Wizard” opens on top of the “Control Panel”.
Select the "Create a password reset disk" link on the left side of the window
Read the information about the option and click on the second button “Next”.
Click “Next” on the start page of the “Forgotten Password Wizard”
Using the drop-down menu, select a flash drive or disk as the storage medium for the future floppy disk.
Select the desired media from the drop-down menu that you previously connected to your PC
Type the current account password and left-click “Next” again.
Write the current password for your account
After this, you need to wait until the creation of the floppy disk is completed. When it is 100%, click on “Next”.
Now you can use this drive as a method to recover your password in the future
At the final stage, click on “Finish”.
After all the steps, a file called userkey.psw will appear on your storage device. The standard Windows utility for password recovery will be stored in it. The drive can be used many times to recover your password.
When you need to change your password, connect the drive containing the password floppy disk. Enter any combination of characters in the field.
A message will appear on the screen indicating that you entered the wrong password. The system will prompt you to enter it again. Click on OK.
Under the field for entering the combination there will already be the necessary “Reset password” link. Just click on it and perform the simplest actions described in the instructions.
Click on “Reset password”

Resetting the password on a tablet or smartphone with Windows 10

To remove a password on a Windows 10 tablet, you can follow the same steps as for a computer. Only in this case the device is loaded not from the installation disk, but from bootable SD media.

For phones and tablets, the online password reset method is also suitable, that is, you change the password for your Microsoft account on the official company page.

Resetting Hard Reset

To remove the old password on a Windows 10 phone and tablet, such as a Lumia or Nokia, use the Hard Reset option. It consists of resetting all settings to factory settings, that is, those that you had immediately after purchasing the device.

The method has a big disadvantage: you will delete all personal information (files, photos, games, contacts, music) that was stored in the internal memory of your smartphone or tablet, so before carrying out the operation, everything that was on the device must be transferred to another medium. Before unlocking your phone, remove the SIM card and SD card if there is any data on them, and charge the device to at least 50%.

Let us describe this procedure in detail:

If you don't remember the password for your Windows 10 account, you have the right to delete it and set a new one. There is no need to reinstall the operating system: there are many other ways. If you do not have an installation disk with the OS distribution, select the “Command Line” method, that is, by logging in using the local “Administrator” account, or create bootable media using a special utility.

People often forget or lose passwords, and there's nothing you can do about it. This thing is so commonplace that it is almost impossible to meet a person who has never had to recover his password.

Today we will study How reset password in Windows 10 . The proposed methods do not particularly depend on the type of account used, so they are absolutely suitable for both those who use a Microsoft account and those who have a local account. In general, everything is largely similar to the same process in older systems, although there are some peculiarities.

In case you decide to reset your password because the old one is no longer suitable, we recommend that before all actions you try to enter it again with the Caps Lock button on and off, as well as in all keyboard layouts that are installed on the system. Often this action is what helps.

Resetting your Microsoft account through an online service

This method will work if you need to reset your Microsoft account, which is already logged in on one of the available devices and at the same time, this device has an Internet connection. Thus, you can reset your password on the corporation’s website, and you can perform the steps to create a new password even on any other device.

First of all, you need to go here. Click on one of the suggested options, for example, “I don’t remember my password.” Then write your email address or phone number specified during registration, enter the captcha and follow the further instructions that will appear on the screen.

It is clear that there must be access to the specified email or mobile number. At the end of the procedure, connect to the Internet through the lock screen and enter a new password.

Changing the password using the built-in Administrator account

To implement this option, you must have one of the following tools:

Live CD, which can boot and open the file system;
A disk (flash drive) intended for system recovery or a disk with Windows 10, 8.1 or 7.

We will look at everything using an example of use.

First of all, you will need to boot from one of the mentioned media. At the step of choosing the installation language, hold down two keys – Shift + F10. This will launch the command prompt.

Now run the following commands sequentially (after entering each one, press “Enter”):

Diskpart list volume

When the command completes successfully (sometimes it may require restarting the computer), a selection of accounts should appear. We need to select an administrator account and log in without entering a password.

Typically, the first entry into this entry may take a little longer than usual. After you log in, right-click on the “Start” menu icon and click on “Computer Management.” On the left side of the window, expand the “Local Users” section and select the “Users” folder.

Right-click on the desired user name and in the menu click on the “Set password” item. A warning window will appear (look at what it says) and click on the “Continue” button.

Now we can specify a new password for this account.

This method of creating a new password will work one hundred percent only in the case of local system accounts. In the case of Microsoft accounts, the very first option from those listed in this article is better suited. So it is possible, by logging in as an administrator, to create a new user account for this PC.

When using the last method, it is best to return everything back to how it was before all these actions. To do this, disable the built-in administrator account with the following command:

net user Administrator /active:no

And after that, delete the created utilman.exe file, which was located in System 32, and rename utilman2.exe to utilman.exe.

Thus, we restored access to the system and put all the used tools back on their shelves.

What to do if you forgot your Windows 10 password. If you suddenly forgot your Windows password: We break the password! Working from a hard drive