How to Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Administrator Password

A password is a first and foremost layer of protection for your Windows 10 system. To keep your system away from the direct reach of a stranger or unauthorized person, you tend to make a password so intense and complex that later you realize that you don’t remember it. In such a case, it is imperative to search for solutions to reset Windows 10 Admin password.

When someone forgets the password of his Windows 10 system, he loses control of the files and data stored in it. It is intense, especially for a one who saves his essential official and personal files in the system. The problem left you scratching your head more if you need a file on an urgent basis, but in bewilderment, you entirely forgot Windows 10 login password.

Thus to cater to such issues, we have come up with some of the most reliable and tested methods to overcome this intense issue. To reset Windows 10 Administrator password, many online tools and techniques are available. But not every tool you can rely upon. Here you can have complete knowledge of the tools that are highly recommended and used by reputed technicians and experts if you come across such a problem.

When you come across the problem of locked-out situation, the only thing that you strive for is to get yourself out of this complexity as soon as possible. So let us now learn more about the detailed steps and methods for how to recover Windows 10 password, further is the article.

Way 1. Best Way to Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Administrator Password

To cater to the problem of how to reset Windows 10 Administrator password, the best tool that prevails online is Windows Password Recovery. This software recommends by experts and is known for its capability to remove the Administrator password from Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/2000 and Windows Server 2000/2003/2008/2011/2012/2016 successfully, within no time. The intuitive interface of this software is straightforward, user-friendly and extremely easy to follow. This tool promptly and successfully reset Windows 10 Admin password without deleting any of your internal saved data.

The Windows Password Recovery supports Windows, Mac and Android OS. It can instantly reset Windows 10 Admin password and removes all kinds of Windows passwords including Microsoft Account. Without a need of login, it creates a new Administrator account by following 3 simple steps. The Windows Password Recovery is a one-stop solution for how to recover Windows 10 password that let the users create a USB bootable drive or CD/DVD without any crunch, using which you can easily handle the locked out situation of your computer.

Key Features：

Following are the highlights of this software to handle the situation of forgot Windows 10 login password:

• It is capable to quickly recover the password for Windows local administrator as well as the other user account password.
• It can gather the password for domain Administrator and other domain users at the same time.
• This software works swiftly, and within no time, it can create the new Admin account.
• It efficiently removes password from Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/2000 and Windows server 2011/2012/2016 etc.
• This software is extremely safe and reliable and reset Windows 10 Administrator password without any loss of user’s data.
• It comes with a straightforward and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to use by anyone.
• It lets the user get the work done quickly in 3 easy steps, by creating a bootable CD/DVD or USB drive that makes the task simpler.

Below are the detailed steps to recover forgot Windows 10 login password using Windows Password Recovery:

Step 1: Creating the Reset Disc for Windows Password Recovery

As a first step, you need to create a bootable CD or USB drive by following the below steps:

a. Get a computer system that is accessible to you. Download the Windows Password Recovery from the official website, then install and run the program.

b. Select your option from the two choices given to burn the reset password disk. You can either create a USB device or CD/DVD drive as per your choice.

c. To create a USB device or CD/DVD reset disc, select the particular option and insert the same device into the computer to get it to burn.

d. As you insert your particular device, you would be asked to select the type of device you chose from the drop-down list. In the next interface, click on “Begin Burning” to start the burning process.

e. Within a few minutes, your Windows 10 password reset disk is ready to use. Click “OK” on the pop-up message and take out your device.

Step 2: Booting the Windows 10 Locked System using the Password Rest CD/DVD Disc or USB Device

a. Once you are ready with your reset device to kick up how to recover Windows 10 password, insert it into your locked computer and switch it on.

b. If you are using a USB device to reset the Admin password, insert it in the locked computer and continuously press the Boot Menu key once the Windows logo appears. Find your computer brand’s BOOT Menu Key from the below table.

c. The Boot Menu will display on the screen within a few seconds. Select any of the options from “USB Disc” or “UEFI: USB Disc” appears on the screen to boot the system.

d. If you want to boot it using the CD/DVD reset disc, switch on the computer system and insert the disc. Then step-by-step, follow the same procedure as given above for booting through USB Drive and select DVD Disc Drive to boot the system.

Step 3: Reset Windows 10 Administrator Password

Once the booting process is done, Windows Password Recovery will appear on the screen automatically.

a. If there are multiple users registered for the system, the list of all the user account will display on the interface. Select the Admin Account from the list that you want to reset.

b. Once selected, hit the “Reset Password” tab. A pop-up window opens where you are required to select “Yes” from the given option.

c. Once done, press on “Reboot” that leads to restart the system and confirm the change of password. Now your Windows 10 PC is free from passcodes or security lock.

On completion with the above steps to reset Windows 10 Administrator password using Windows Password Recovery, you can simply login, without the need of any password. If you want to make a new account, click on the “Add User” button and then press “Reboot” to end the process.

Way 2. Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Admin Password with Password Reset Disk

If you face the problem of forgotten Windows 10 login password, there is another way available to get the control of your system back. You can remove the password from your Administrator Account using the Password Reset Disk. This wizard is backed by Microsoft and is a trusted and official way to reset Windows 10 Admin password. The password reset disc method is free of cost and provides 100% results for how to reset Admin password on Windows 10.

Although this method to reset Windows 10 Administrator password is legitimate and the trusted one to remove the forgotten password from your Windows 10 Admin Account, it is still not liked by many. The reason is, you would be required to have a password reset disc already created for your system, before misplacing the password. If not, then this method is unfortunately not for you. But if you bothered to create one beforehand, you can easily get your system unlocked within a few minute, without any fear of loss of data.

 Let us now learn how to reset Admin password on Windows 10 using the Password Reset Disc:

Step 1: Switch on your Windows 10 computer for which you are looking for bypassing the screen without password.

Step 2: Insert the pre-created USB or CD/DVD password reset disc into your computer.

Step 3: On the locked login screen, enter the wrong password and click “Ok” to proceed further.

Step 4:  Once your system prompt the “Reset Password” command, click on that button.

Step 5: The Password Reset Wizard will display on the screen automatically. Press the “Next” button to proceed further.

Step 6: Select the name of your USB or CD Password Reset Disk from the drop-down menu to appear on the screen and click “Next”.

Step 7: You will be directed to a new interface where you would be asked to enter the new password and the password hint for the same. Click “Next” after entering new credentials.

Step 8: Wait for a while, and within no time, your new password sets on your Windows 10 system. Click “Finish” to end the process.

Once changed, you can now login your Windows 10 computer by entering the new password. This is the only method to reset Windows 10 Administrator Password that is provided by Microsoft. But it is useful only for the removal of the Local Account password. For bypassing the Microsoft Account, there is a separate tool given by Microsoft.  

Way 3. Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Admin Password with Other Sign-in Option

If you have secured a password for your computer but do not use that frequently, you are most likely to forget it. Then, in that case, you would want to get it changed because a lost password could be a problem in a long term scenario. So there is a way to reset Windows 10 Admin password through command prompt if you have an alternative way to enter the Administrator Account.

If you have set the other way of entering the PC for example, Face ID, PIN, picture ID, touch ID etc. to open the Administrator Account,  then how to reset Admin password on Windows 10 is an easy task. But if you haven’t ever set an alternative way to open the Administrator Account, this method is vague for you.

Let us find out the steps to reset Windows 10 Administrator password, once you manage to open the Administrator account by any alternative way:

Step 1: Switch on your Windows 10 PC and using any of an alternative manner, login to your or any Administrator Account.

Step 2: Then tap on Windows Key (Windows logo) along with “X”, on the computer’s keyboard.

Step 3: The above step leads you to the Quick Access Menu Bar of your Windows 10 computer.

Step 4: On the Menu Bar, find the Command Prompt (Admin) option and click to open it and press “Yes” to run the program.

Step 5: A dialog box for Administrator: Command Prompt pops up on the system. You are required to replace the old username and password with one of your choices by following a set of command, as given in the next step.

Step 6: Type a prescribed set of command in the dialog box:

"net user"  [new user]  [new password]

When you are accessible to your Administrator’s Account through any other way, then to reset Windows 10 Administrator password is a way too easy task using the command prompt method. But for that, you must know an alternative way to enter the screen of your PC.

Way 4. Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Admin Password by Resetting Microsoft Account Password

Resetting the Microsoft Account password is a legitimate method for how to recover Windows 10 password via MS official website. The Microsoft Account is a centralized account that can be accessed through any other computer or mobile. For Windows 10 users, reset Windows 10 Admin password may become easier if they use their Microsoft Account to login their PC.

If you already created your account on the Microsoft, and remember the alternative email ID, Skype ID or phone number attached to it, it becomes as easy as a cakewalk for you to reset Windows 10 Administrator password. But if you do not have alternative credentials to get access to sign in, then Microsoft will not let you move further with this method of resetting the password.

Let us now follow the steps for how to reset Admin password on Windows 10 via resetting Microsoft Account Password:

Step 1: Open the official website of Microsoft and click on to open the “support” window. Or you may simply click on the link given below https://account.live.com/password/reset to jump on the MS reset password page.

Step 2: Once you have opened the page, a dialog box appears asking for the Email, Phone or Skype Name to lead you to the next page. Enter the alternative credentials you have, in the given field ad click “Next”.

Step 3: On entering the credentials, Microsoft asks you to verify your details. For this, MS will send you a verification code on your given information. Confirm the mode of receiving the verification code by selecting from the options and clicking “Get Code” button.

Step 4: Once you get the code by Microsoft on your given information, type it in the required field and click “Next”.

Step 5: Once verified, you would now be asked to reset the password of your choice in the given space. Click “Next” after typing the new password and confirming the same again.

Microsoft instantly changes your password once you type the new one and click on the Next button. Now you can conveniently sign in your account with the new password. This method for tackling forgot Windows 10 login password is more straightforward than changing the password for the local account, but only if you have access to the alternative MS account credentials.

Way 5. Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Admin Password with Guest Account

If you use Windows 10 PC and have enabled the guest account or there are multiple users registered for the same computer system, then there is a way to change forgot Windows 10 login password, using the Guest Account. This is relatively a secure method that let you change the password without losing data.

In the Windows computer, the guest account can be used temporarily with some restricted rights. The guest account users are not authorized to install or run software to the system; neither can they change the settings although you can easily change or reset Windows 10 Admin password if you manage to access the computer through the guest account.

Step 1: Switch on your PC and login the system by clicking onto the Guest Account that is accessible to you.

Step 2: When the home screens flash up, right-click on the “This PC” and select the “Manage” option from the list.

Step 3: When the Window for Computer Management opens, from the left-hand side panel, click onto “Local Users and Groups” and chose the option “System Tools” from the given options.

Step 4: Search and click the option “Users” on the right-side panel that will display the list of users registered on the computer system.

Step 5: Look out for the Admin Account that you intend to change the password and make a right-click on the same.

Step 6: Now select the option “Set Password” from the given options in the menu.

Step 7: A new dialog box named Reset Password pops up on the screen.  Type the new password in the given field and click “OK”. Restart the computer to set the changes.

Now when you want to access your Windows 10 Admin account, you can simply do so by typing the new password you just set. But the limitations persist with this method to reset Windows 10 Admin password. The guest account must be enabled in your computer, and you must know the password for the same. Also, the other account must possess the rights to change the Admin password else it’s of no use.

Way 6. Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Admin Password from Safe Mode

When you forgot Windows 10 login password, there is a method that could hit your mind. You may take charge to reset the Administrator password of your PC using the Safe Mode. In Windows 7/Vista/XP, entering the safe mode is easy and straightforward by just pressing the F8 key a multiple time.

But if you are looking for solutions to reset Windows 10 Administrator password, there is entirely a different set of procedures to be followed because Windows has already disabled the F8 key for Windows 10/8 users. For this, you are required to boot the login screen of your computer and follow the prescribed set of instructions that let your Windows 10 PC to enter into Safe Mode, without using F8 key.

Let us learn about how to recover Windows 10 password from the Safe Mode:

Step 1: Boot your Windows 10 computer and wait till the login screen appears.

Step 2: Keep pressing the “Shift” key along with giving instructions to your computer to restart. For that, click on to the power button given at the right side bottom of the screen, and select “Restart”.

Step 3: By performing the above step, your Windows 10 PC will reboot, and then Windows RE screen shows up.

Step 4: From the given options, hit on “Troubleshoot”, then click on “Advanced Options” and then hit the “Startup Settings” option from the menu.

Step 5: The Startup Settings dialog box will open that shows various options to boot your computer. Select and press the corresponding numeric key (F6) in front of “Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt”, to reach the safe mode with this option.

Step 6: Once the advanced mode cmd dialog box appears on the screen, you are required to type the below stated command to reset Windows 10 Admin password:

"net user"  <user account>  <new password>

Step 7: On tapping the “Enter” button after typing the above set of instructions, your password for the locked account will change successfully, without the loss of internal data. Now you can easily sign in your Admin Account by giving the new password.

The above method may sound easy, but it may get tricky once performed practically. Thus it requires the user to follow each step thoroughly as given, to reset Windows 10 Administrator password. One wrong step may lead your computer system to hang or crash, and you may have to take the help of an expert then.

Way 7. Reset Forgotten Windows 10 Administrator Password using Command Prompt

There are two cases when you may feel the need to reset Windows 10 Admin password. The first case is when you can sign-in or already signed in your Windows 10 PC and want to change the old lost password. The other case is when you have no other way to login the system and want to change the Local Admin password using cmd. The First Case has already been discussed above in the article under Method 3. Let us now talk about the Second Case.

To perform reset Windows 10 Administrator password using Command Prompt under this case, you would be required to create an installation disk beforehand and use it to boot the locked Windows 10 computer system. Using the cmd method to recover the lost password won’t harm your data, but it is a tricky and lengthy method to solve the problem.  

Below are the detailed steps to tackle the problem of how to recover Windows 10 password, when you cannot access or sign in your Windows 10 system:

Step 1: Create an Installation Disk (CD/DVD Flash Drive or USB) for Windows 10 system by another computer that is accessible to you.

Step 2: Now using the Installation Disk, Boot your computer for which you require to reset Windows 10 Administrator password.

Step 3: As the system boots with the installation disk, the Windows Setup appears with a blue screen. Press the “Shift” key plus the “F10” key together to open the Command Prompt.

Step 4: On the Command Prompt Window type the following commands very carefully in the given sequence, where the cursor is blinking after “X: \Sources>.”

"move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\"
"copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe"

Type the above commands without double quotes, where “c” is the drive where OS is loaded. You should change the letter if the OS is in some other drive on your computer. Press the Enter key after each line of command. The Utility Manager will be replaced with Command Prompt.

Step 5: Now remove the installation disc and restart the PC. For restart, you can either turn Off and On using the Power button or type “wpeutil reboot” in the Command Prompt to restart instantly.

Step 6: When your PC restarts, click on the “Ease Of Access” icon present in the lower right corner of the screen, next to Power icon, to re-open the Command Prompt window again.

Step 7: Type the Command “net user username password” without quotes. Replace “username” with the account name on your system, and “Password” with any characters, as the new password.

Step 8: For security reasons, you should put away the Command Prompt window from Ease Of Access link. To do this, reboot the system again with the installation disc.

Step 9: On the Windows Setup screen press the “Shift” key and “F10” key together to open Command Prompt.

Step 10: Type the following command without quotes and press the Enter key.

“copy c:\ultiman.exe c:\Windows\system32\ultiman.exe”

Step 11: On the next line, when the cursor blinks next to (Yes\No\All), type “Yes” and hit the Enter key.

The above command execution has reset Windows 10 administrator password. Restart your machine, and now you can log in to the same admin account with a newly created password.

Way 8. Reset Windows 10 Administrator Password with OphCrack

OphCrack is a rainbow based free of cost tool for how to recover Windows 10 password for computers. It efficiently manages to crack and recover the locked Windows computer by implementing the rainbow table method. The OphCrack runs on the Graphical User Interface and can installed on various platforms like Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.  

If you have lost the complete access to your computer system, you can create a “Live CD” from the other accessible computer, with OphCrack. It manages to recover the lost password quickly, within no time. But this tool for forgot Windows 10 login password is not updated from a long time so may fail to recover the password for Windows 10 or 8. The complicated user-interface is another short-coming that goes against this freeware software.

Let us now learn to operate OphCrack for how to recover Windows 10 password step by step below:

Step 1: From another accessible computer, open the official website of OphCrack.

Step 2: Download the program on the computer by pressing the “Download Ophcrack Live CD” link given on the page and select the suitable option as per your Operating System.

Step 3: Once done with the ISO file download, insert a CD/DVD or USB drive into computer to burn the program on the same.  

Step 4: Once the ISO2Disc dialog box appears on the screen, select your CD or USB Flash drive from the drop-down Menu and select the partition style as “MBR (for legacy BIOS/CSM boot)” from the given options. After making the right selections, press “Start Burn” to start the process of burning the Live CD.

Step 5: On completion of the burning process, take out the USB or CD Flash Drive and insert it into the locked PC.  Your system will automatically Boot as you insert the Live CD.

Step 6: Once the booting is complete, a list of different Graphic Modes appears on the screen. Select “OphCrack Graphic mode – automatic mode” from the given options and tap the “Enter” key.

Step 7: The OphCrack will now run automatically, and after the execution of a set of default commands, the tool will start with the recovery process of your lost password. Within no time, you can see your forgotten password displaying on the screen.  

Step 8: Once you get the lost password recovered, note it down, remove the USB Drive and restart your computer. Now when the Windows 10 asks you for the password, you can type in the same and sign in your system normally.

The OphCrack goes good with Windows XP/Vista/7 but it is not regarded as the successful tool for forgot Windows 10 login password. The password recovery process by this system is although quick but will take time depending upon the length and complexity of the set password.

Limitations of OphCrack Method：

Let us now see the short-coming of using the OphCrack for how to recover Windows 10 password:

• There is no updated version of OphCrack available over the internet so it may work better for Windows XP/Vista or 7 but is not very much reliable for Windows 10/8 or 8.1 OS.
• The complicated user-interface makes it difficult for a non-technical person to understand and follow the instruction correctly, that may lead to another issue.
• It takes a lot of time and still may fail sometimes to recover the password if it is alphanumeric or longer than five characters, rather than the simple and straightforward passwords.
• It may eat up a large proportion of your internet data as you are required to download the heavy ISO file version to proceed with OphCrack.
• Since it is a freeware software, it may get easily defeated by the non-obligatory sources that may lead it to become a carrier of malware, which may adversely hamper your system.
• There is no support system or customer care team to take care of your issues with this software.

Way 9. Reset Windows 10 Administrator Password with John the Ripper

There is another free method available over the internet to reset Windows 10 Administrator password is using the John the Ripper method. It works on the terminology of Dictionary Attack, Brute Force Method and Rainbow Table. It is an effective tool to recover the lost password for Windows, Mac as well as Linux based computers.

John the Ripper although comes with a set of instructions, it is still a typical software that is developed with command-line-program that involves a lot of technicalities which may look complicated for a non-tech person. John the Ripper works on multiple hashes and can be termed as software for how to recover Windows 10 password as it can only recover the lost password. To dump or fetch the password hashes from Windows for the Security Account Manager (SAM) directory, Pwdump3 has to put into use along with this software.

Below is the step by step guide to using John the Ripper for how to reset Admin password on Windows 10:

Step 1: The first objective is to get the hashes which are saved in the Windows SAM files.

Step 2: Log in to your PC and go to “This PC” section. Open the “C” drive and browse to the folder location “Windows” -> “System32” -> “config”, to get the SAM files.

Step 3: If the user account is locked, then in that case you need to get the SAM files through an external source. You have to boot the system with a Linux Live CD, which can decrypt the NTFS drives for SAM files.

Step 4: Now download the tool “PwDump7” from the internet and save it in a new folder name “demo” in the “D” drive.

Step 5: Open the Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Start Menu Search bar.

Step 6: Navigate the Command Prompt to the “demo” created in the “D” Drive by typing following commands in sequence without quotes and press Enter Key.

"d:"  (Press Enter Key)
"D: \> cd D: \demo\pwdump7" (Press Enter Key)

Step 7: Now type the command “PwDump7.exe > d:\hash.txt” without quotes, to get the password hashes saved as hash.txt file.

Step 8: Here comes the role of John the Riper, to decode the txt file. Download Windows binaries from John the Riper into the “demo” folder, and execute the following commands followed by “Enter” key.

"cd D:\demo\john179w2\john179\run"
"john –format=LM d:\hash.txt"

John the Ripper is undoubtedly a complicated method to follow by anyone. If the above commands entered correctly, it may work up to the expectations, and display the password in due time taken.

Limitations of John the Ripper Method：

• There is no user-interface of the tool as it works from the command prompt.
• It is not single software but works in a compounded manner, where the user has to download specific freeware on different steps.
•  It is mandatory to have the system access to implement the method.
• The procedure involved in this method is too lengthy and confusing.

Way 10. Reset Windows 10 Administrator Password By Restore Windows 10 to Factory Defaults

When you are tired of trying to remember your forgot Windows 10 Admin password and applied all the combinations that match with the Hint provided by Windows, the last resort to this problem is to restore the Windows 10 PC to Factory Defaults. By doing so, you can easily forgo the lost password and bypass your system without going through the locked screen.  

Since this procedure involves the Factory Reset of the machine, it means your computer will restore to the default settings of Windows 10. You will lose the data saved in hard drive, thus recommended creating a backup file before applying this method. This is the excellent option for those who do not have any vital data collected in the computer and looking out for an easy way to reset Windows 10 Administrator password. Although you can perform this method quite easily, still you should be ready to wipe off the files and settings done by you on your computer.

Let us now see the detailed steps for how to reset Admin password on Windows 10 via Factory Reset Method:

Step 1: Switch on your PC, and when the locked login screen appears, long-press the “Shift” key and simultaneously restart your computer by opting the “Restart” option from the power button on the screen.

Step 2: Keep pressing the “Shift” key until you get the troubleshooting box.

Step 3: Select and press “Troubleshoot” from the given options and your system will lead you to the next screen.

Step 4: On the next screen, hit on the “Reset this PC” option and click “Next” and allow the computer to reboot and prepare for resetting.

Step 5: Once rebooted, “Reset this PC” screen pops up. Click on the “Remove everything” from the given options. Click “Continue” to proceed with resetting the computer to Factory Setting.

Once done, this method will reset Windows 10 Admin password, and you can restart the computer to login the Admin Account without the need of any password.

Conclusion

While safeguarding our information, we tend to create a sophisticated and robust password that later we may tend to forget or misplace. So to bypass the locked screen and reset Windows 10 Administrator password, here we have discussed a list of well defined and reliable methods with step to step guide. When talking about the ways we have discussed in this article, the best and most trusted tool we found out to deal with forgot Windows 10 Admin password is Windows Password Recovery. It is known for the list of advantages, best performance and recommended by experts for its success rate and user-friendly interface.