Each of us sooner or later has problems with passwords! A familiar picture. You sit in front of your computer hoping to finish some urgent work, you try to enter your Windows 10 login credentials, and then you realize to your horror that you absolutely do not remember your password!

The first thing that comes to mind is that you need to work less at night ... You go through dozens of options and nothing, there was still no access !!! And then the idea comes - you need to do a Windows 10 password reset! I think many people remember how to do this in old versions of "windows", but how to do it in the new one?

Fortunately, the reset procedure in Windows 10 is very similar to that in Windows 8 and older versions of that OS. Although with a few caveats. In this overview article, I will introduce you to the main ways to reset your password. They are suitable for both Microsoft Live account and local accounts.

1. Use the Password Reset Tool to Recover Your Microsoft Live Account Password

The first and most obvious solution is to use the standard reset feature available on Microsoft's dedicated password recovery service. A window opens on the service page asking why you can't log into Windows 10? You will be prompted to choose one of three options. In our case, the very first one is suitable - "I do not remember my password." But this is only if, during the installation of the system, you linked your account with the Microsoft account authorization network service.

I will not dwell on this reset option in detail. I will only note that the official password reset procedure in Windows 10 is standard and you should be ready to pass verification. To do this, you will need to provide your personal data, such as E-Mail and phone number.

If this option doesn't suit you, no problem. In our area, accounting Microsoft records still not popular. Fortunately, there are other ways to help regain control of the computer. Alternative ways to restore access in Windows 10 are not so obvious and use different workarounds. Let's look at them in turn.

2. Reset Windows 10 password via password reset disk

Using a password reset disk (Password Reset Disk) is another regular way to regain control implemented by Microsoft. The only disadvantage of this method is that the disk must be created in Windows 10 in advance, even before access is lost.

By creating a Password Reset Disk, you can easily restore access to Windows 10. In the near future, I will devote a separate article to this method.

3. We use alternative authorization methods to reset the main password

You may still have access to operating system through alternative authorization? With a PIN code, graphic code Or through a second account? If so, then you have a chance to log in in a roundabout way and reset windows password 10 via command line.

• Log in to the system using one of the alternative methods, press the Windows logo key and the X key at the same time. Find in the list of available system tools"Windows PowerShell (Administrator)" and run it. PowerShell is an updated edition of the shell command line, but with enhanced features.
• Type the following in the utility window:

net user "account_name" "new_password";

Replace "account_name" with the name of your account,

Replace "new_password" with New Password(quotes must be removed).

• Success will be indicated by the message "Command completed successfully"

4. How to reset password in Windows 10 via MSDaRT

The DaRT (Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset) toolkit has been released by Microsoft for a long time and helps IT professionals to restore the computer. The functionality of DaRT also includes the ability to reset the password. To do this, you need to boot your computer from boot disk DaRT Recovery CD and run the built-in Locksmith Wizard. It is in this utility that you can restore the login for any Windows 10 account.

Unfortunately, the DaRT toolkit is not free. This utility is only available for corporate Microsoft customers, TechNet Plus and MSDN subscribers.

5. Reset the Windows 10 password through the PCUnlocker utility

The PCUnlocker utility allows you to unlock a Windows computer that would be locked due to a forgotten password. It is a bootable image that must be written to a CD or flash drive using one of the appropriate programs. For example, UltraISO or Rufus. After booting from such a disk, you will see full list local accounts used in the current installation of Windows 10.

• Select the required account from the list and click on the Reset Password reset button.
• The program will check the status of the selected account and offer you one of the options for solving the problem:

Remove the password if the Windows account was protected by it,

Connect an associated Microsoft account to a local account,

Elevate Standard or limited user up to administrator level,

Activate your account if it has been disabled,

Unblock a blocked account and so on…

• Once you reset your password and log into Windows 10, be sure to set a new one and make sure you don't forget it in the future.

6. Reset password through rollback to the previous state of Windows 10

If you do not want to use any additional software or if your HDD encrypted with BitLocker, you can use another technology. Just roll back Windows 10 to a previous state where old data is stored. Select the appropriate restore point and go through the standard system restore steps. Windows files 10 to older versions. But do not forget that after that you will have to reinstall the software installed after the date the restore point was created.

So what have we got in this article? I briefly walked you through how to reset a Windows 10 password that you forgot or lost the hint for. In the future, I will try to take a closer look at each of the methods mentioned so that you do not have problems accessing the new OS.

Unfortunately, without registering on the official Microsoft website and creating an account with a username and password Windows installation 10 is impossible. It is no wonder that in the end, many users begin to wonder: "How to reset the password on Windows 10?". With all this, such a procedure may apply to both the main Microsoft account and local "accounts". Let's see how to do it in the simplest way.

Problems with passwords and accounts

Let's start with the most important problem. Firstly, a person is not a machine, he sometimes tends to forget some things. If, for example, a person simply did not write down, lost or forgot the password set during system installation, logging into Windows at startup will simply become impossible.

Secondly, during the registration process on the same official Microsoft website, primitive combinations like 123456789 are not accepted for installing the system. Registration is designed in such a way that it is required to enter a certain combination, from a security point of view, difficult to crack or pick. Alas, this often leads to the most unpredictable consequences.

Thirdly, such passwords may turn out to be too complex or long, which, of course, makes it difficult to enter them at every start. And that is why many users want to abandon such a procedure. How to reset the password on a laptop (Windows 10 on board), a desktop computer or a mobile gadget? There are several basic methods for doing this. True, an uninitiated person, to put it mildly, will have to break his head a little, because not everything is so simple.

How to reset your Windows 10 account password online

Let's start with the simplest. How to reset a forgotten Windows 10 password that was once applied to a Microsoft account? Naturally, you should refer to the official resource of the corporation. No, of course, you can delete all the "accounts" on the computer, but the entry itself with its password will not go anywhere.

To perform this operation, you need to go to official resource accounts.live.com, where you need to select the password change section. As a reason, you can indicate its loss (in the paragraphs there is a line "I do not remember my password"). After that, you will need to enter the address of the "electronic" or the phone number to which the "account" is attached. Upon receipt of the corresponding notification, it remains only to go to desired link and on the lock screen change old password to a new one (if you do not refuse it at all).

Using administrative tools

In some cases, when solving the problem of how to reset the password on Windows 10, you can use the administrative tools. But only the system will have to be loaded using a flash drive or a disk like a LiveCD or the installation disk of the "dozens" itself.

After a window appears prompting you to select a language, you should use the Shift + F10 combination to enter the command line. Initially, we assume that the user knows the letter system disk. Next, you need to enter two commands, as shown below.

The download will take place from system partition(if this did not happen, you need to set the priority to BIOS settings). Then, in the password entry window, use the section accessibility, where we write the command “net user New password” without quotes (to view all users, the net users command is used).

You will then be able to log in with the new password. If you are not using the tens installation disk, you should first make a copy of the cmd.exe file, place it in the System32 partition of the system drive, and then rename it to utilman.exe.

and command line

Now let's see how to reset the password on Windows 10 in another, no less effective way. Again, first boot from the installer and use the combination Shift + F10.

After that, we perform the above operations, but after the authorization window appears, we use special features, and in the line we enter net user Administrator / active: yes, after which we reboot the system. Now we have activated the superuser profile (User). We click on it, and then we set the phrase "Computer Management" in the search. Now we use the local users section, where we select our account. By right-clicking, we call up a menu with a password setting line, after which we save the changes made, despite any system warnings.

How to reset password 10) or other mobile device

In principle, almost all actions come down to using the same command line, only initially the device must be started from a bootable SD card.

But the easiest way is to use the built-in factory reset tools.

Is it worth doing stuff like this?

Naturally, the very question of how to reset a password on Windows 10 has a downside. How expedient is such a procedure? Of course, if this is a home terminal and no one else works on it except for its owner, there are no questions. If it is a computer or laptop included in the local network with several authorized users, it is worth thinking a hundred times before taking such steps. After all, sometimes you don’t want someone to change, say, local settings or used confidential information without your knowledge. In general, the decision is up to the user.

True, in almost all cases, using Windows' own means, except for deleting the account, it will not work to change the password. Here, as noted above, you need to use an external bootable media (flash drive, disk or removable memory card). In the absence of these, nothing will work. In this case, even the re-installation of the system does not always work. After all, with the activated “accounting” of Microsoft, “Windows” will still refer to it. It goes without saying that it can be deactivated, but the question of access through local registration data will immediately arise. However, it will not be difficult to remove them either (especially those that the system sets itself by default).

As for the removal of "accounts" that are no longer needed on local computer, then any user who has administrative access rights will be able to perform such operations. At the same time, sometimes it may even be advisable to remove the registration of the so-called super administrator so that you do not constantly have to run some processes on his behalf, which undoubtedly irritates many users. However, even here you need to be extremely careful, because if you have an active "account" Microsoft system even after such a procedure, she will turn to her. And where is the guarantee that the user remembers her login password? In general, what can I say? Be vigilant and do not do anything stupid, because then you will definitely have to reinstall the system, and no methods of influence in terms of recovery (rollback to the previous state) will help.

But with mobile devices, everything is much simpler, because it is unlikely that several registered users will work on one tablet or smartphone.

In today's article, we'll look at how to reset your local or Microsoft account password if you've forgotten it and can't sign in. Windows system 10.

Reset the local account password.

Reset your Microsoft account password.

If you log into the computer under a Microsoft account and forgot the password for this account, it is much easier to recover it than a local one.

1. You need to go to the Microsoft page from any computer, enter your account name and click "Next";

2. Click on "Forgot password";

3. Check the box "I don't remember my password" and click "Next";

4. Enter the letters and numbers shown in the figure in the bottom field and click "Next" (you need to enter large letters - if they are large in the figure, and small ones - if they are small);

5. You will be offered various options for verifying your identity, choose the best one. If you select a letter or sms and click "next", then you will receive a letter to the specified mailbox or sms to the specified number, after which you will need to enter numbers from them. Also, if you do not have access to mail and phone - select "I do not have this data."

6. If you have chosen a letter or SMS - in the field that appears below, enter the missing phone numbers or letters of the postal address and click "Send Code";

7. Enter the code that came to you in SMS or by mail and click "Next";

8. If you have two-step verification enabled, you will need to go through another verification by choosing a different method to receive the code.

9. If you entered all the codes correctly - enter a new password in two fields and click "Next";

10. Your account has been restored! You can close the window and log in using the new password.

If you selected "I don't have this data" in the third paragraph, you will be asked a lot of questions: date of birth, secondary mailing address, last name, first name, passwords that you remember, which Microsoft products you use, etc. If the data is as close to reality as possible, your password will be reset.

Sometimes Windows clients 10 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 the old password without reinstalling windows 10. Today we will consider all possible methods.

If 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, make sure that:

1. The Caps Lock button is off. She translates characters into uppercase, that is, if it is active, only capital letters. Usually on the keyboard of stationary computers there is a special indicator for this key. If it is on, turn it off (press it once). On laptops, there is usually no indicator, so try pressing this button and entering the password again.
2. The required keyboard layout is set, that is, the text language for typing. If it does not match the character language in your password, hold down the combination Shift keys+ Alt 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 there is a desired layout, try to remember the possible combinations that you could use as a password. If no options come to mind, proceed to the methods described below.

Change account password online

This method will only solve the sign-in issue if you've previously worked on the device with a Microsoft account. If you have not registered it or you have it, but you are using the PC just as a local user (that is, it is a separate account that is 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?

1. 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 do not remember my password." After that, click on "Next".
   Specify the reason why you can't sign in to your Microsoft account
2. Now, in the first field, enter your email address or phone number to which the account was linked. In the second field, you need to print 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
3. An email with a special code will be sent to your email, so you must have access to your email box. Open it and look for an email from Microsoft Live (it's usually sent immediately or within a few minutes). Copy the code or just remember and enter it in the appropriate field on the Microsoft website. Click on "Next" now.
   Enter in the field the code that came to your e-mail
4. 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, but rather fix it in notebook that only you have access to. After entering, click on "Next".
   Enter a new password in the first field and repeat it in the second
5. On the next page, you will be notified that the password has been successfully changed.
   You are notified that access to your account has been successfully restored

Now you can log into your account using the new combination.


Enter a new account password in the field

Video: change a forgotten password from a Microsoft account

Due to the installation disk or flash drive

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

1. We turn on the computer. When it starts to boot, 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 about this button on your device manufacturer's website or in the instruction manual that came with your device if the Delete key didn't work.
2. In the blue BIOS menu in the First option boot device install the boot from the media on which there is a Windows distribution.
   Install the Windows distribution media in the First Boot Device option
3. Connect the drive with the Windows 10 distribution kit to the laptop. If it is a disc, insert it into the drive. Restart your PC.
4. 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, the “Command Prompt”.
5. 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
6. Now select the second section called "Troubleshooting". Click on "Troubleshooting" to go to "Command Prompt"
7. In the next window, make a choice in favor of the item " Extra options". The next step is to launch the "Command Prompt".

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

1. We print the word diskpart in the line. We press 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. In the future, you will enter this letter at the beginning of all subsequent commands. To end the first diskpart command, type exit and press Enter on your keyboard.
   Run the diskpart and list volume commands in turn
2. We are not saying goodbye to the "Command Prompt", as we need to enter a few more commands in it. The first would be move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman2.exe. Copy it using the context menu or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C and paste it into the black editor. Press Enter to run it.
3. The second command is: copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe. Just copy and paste in the editor, and then press Enter.
   Run two commands in turn in the "Command line"
4. Now you need to restart the device. To do this, we print 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 restart your device in another way.
5. This time we boot not from the drive with the Windows 10 distribution, but from the system disk.
6. 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 black editor already familiar to us for entering commands will start again.
   Reopen "Command Prompt" after restarting PC
7. We print the following in the window: net user user_name new_password. To run the command, traditionally press Enter. If the username, that is, your account, does not consist of one, but of several words, you need to put it in quotes.
8. In the event that, unfortunately, you do not know what your username is in the system, use the net users command to familiarize yourself with the list and select the account you need.
9. After executing the command, the system will ask you to enter a new password twice. We print it and each time we press Enter. Please note that characters will not be displayed when typing. This is done for security purposes. Now you can close Command Prompt.
   Enter the new password twice: first on one line and then on the other
10. After setting a new password, you can immediately log into your account on your PC.

Video: set a new password using installation media

With the help of "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 don't have a Microsoft account and installation flash drive or disc, this manual will be one of the best options for you.

The solution to the problem is to log in with an administrator account and then change the password in the "Computer Management" window. Let's go over the steps in detail:

1. Run the black editor "Command Line" on your PC using the instructions from the section "Due to the installation disk or flash drive" of this article. In particular, you need to click on the "Accessibility" icon.
2. This time we will enter other commands. The first one is: 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 in the "Command line" command net user Administrator / active: yes
3. After these steps, another “Administrator” account will appear in the lower left corner. Go through it. You do not need to enter a password here.
   Enter in Windows using the "Administrator" account
4. Now right-click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner. In a large list of options, select the "Computer Management" section. Select "Computer Management" in context menu
5. In the window that opens, in particular, in its left part we find the item "Local Users and Groups" and click on it.
   Open the "Local Users and Groups" section
6. On the right side of the window, run double click the Users folder. We are looking for ourselves (our account) in the list. Click on this item with the right button. In the small menu, make a choice in favor of "Set password".
   In the context menu of the item that corresponds to your account, click on "Set Password"
7. We read the system message with a warning and click on "Continue".
   Read the warning and click on "Continue"
8. We print a new password and save it. Now you can log into your account under the new combination.
   In the new window, enter the password twice and click on OK
9. After restarting the computer, at the login screen, open the Command Prompt again and type net user Administrator /active:no in the black editor to make the administrator account disappear from the list of available ones.

Using the "Registry Editor"

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

1. Log in again with the Administrator account as described in the Using the Command Prompt section of this article. Open "Command Prompt".
2. In the editor, enter the word regedit. It will launch the "Registry Editor" we need.
3. In the left part 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
4. Now we turn our attention to top panel window and click on "File", and then on "Load hive".
   Click on the "File" section and select the "Load hive" option
5. AT " Windows Explorer»Look for the config folder and then the SYSTEM. Click on "Open" now.
   Select the SYSTEM file and click on the "Open" button
6. We write an arbitrary name in the "Section name" field only in Latin letters. Click OK.
   Type an arbitrary name in the field and click on OK
7. We go into the branch we just created and open the Setup folder.
   Open the Setup folder in the downloaded hive
8. 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
9. We also find the SetupType item in the list, open it and set the value to 2.
10. In the left part of the window, click on the section you created earlier with the left mouse button. Now click on File and then on Unload Hive. After that, confirm your action.
    Click on "File" again and then select "Unload Hive"
11. Reboot your device. After the lock screen appears with a password field, the “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
12. Now issue the exit command to exit the black editor and return to the login window. We write a new password and finally go to our account.
    Type the exit command and press Enter to exit the "Command Prompt" and enter a new password in the login field

Reset your password using account recovery apps

If you do not have a Windows installation media, you can download to any blank media special program to recover your password and use it to log in to change your password. 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 burn the image.

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor: A free utility without an interface

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor is a free boot disk image. main feature- absence GUI. To work in the utility, you need to enter commands from the keyboard.

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor does not have a graphical interface: all commands are entered from the keyboard in a black editor that is similar to "Command Prompt"

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 Microsoft accounts;
• works for all versions of Windows;
• supports 32-bit and 64-bit systems;
• edits 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 English interface

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

The interface of the program Recover My Password Home Edition is not translated, unfortunately, into Russian

What are the benefits of this utility?

1. Suitable not only for "dozens", but also for other versions of Windows, even XP and Vista.
2. Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit system.
3. Allows you to create not only Flash and CD images, but also ISO images, images optical disc stored in a regular file.
4. Works on all laptops including Legend, Toshiba, Dell, IBM and more.
5. Restores access to the local Administrator account.
6. The weight of the program is only 33.4 MB.

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

Renee Passnow: a paid but convenient program

The Renee Passnow utility is a paid boot disk image. The principle of its operation is to bypass the password of the local account 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 will understand it

What are the features and benefits of the program?

• does not delete data stored on the PC;
• turns the 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 backups data stored on hard drives without Windows;
• erases information from the built-in drives completely or by sections;
• restores the Windows system after a DBR or MBR error occurred during OS startup.

Of the minuses of the utility, one can single out the limited functionality of the free trial version. With the help of the latter, you will not be able to reset your password: it is only possible to find accounts on your PC. The cost of the main paid version is 1290 rubles, and the professional version is 1790 rubles. The weight of the distribution is 95 MB.

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

Creating a password reset disk

Due to built-in Windows tools you can create a so-called floppy disk, which will allow you to quickly and at any time delete the old password from the local account in the future. A 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.

The floppy disk is relevant only for the computer on which it was recorded. If you don't remember your password and you don't have a standard floppy disk, this solution won't work for you, as you won't be able to create one without account access. In this situation, bootable media is written using special utilities from the third parties described above in this article.

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

1. Insert a disk or connect a USB flash drive into the computer's drive.
2. Launch the "Control Panel" via " Windows Search” (the icon in the form of a magnifying glass on the “Taskbar”). Just enter the appropriate query in the search field. Enter the query "Control Panel" in "Windows Search"
3. Now launch the "User Accounts" block.
   Click on the "User Accounts" link
4. On the left side of the window, look for the link "Create a password reset disk". She will be third. We click on it so that a window called "Wizard" starts on top of the "Control Panel". forgotten passwords».
   Select the "Create a password reset disk" link on the left side of the window
5. We read the information about the option and click on the second button "Next".
   Click "Next" on start page"Masters of Forgotten Passwords"
6. Using the drop-down menu, select a USB flash drive or disk as the carrier of the future floppy disk.
   Select the desired media from the drop-down menu that you previously connected to the PC
7. We print Current Password from the account and left-click again on "Next".
   Write the current password for your account
8. After that, you need to wait until the creation of the diskette is completed. When it is 100%, click on "Next".
   You can now use this drive as a password recovery method in the future
9. At the final stage, click on "Finish".
10. After all the steps, a file called userkey.psw will appear on your media. It will store the standard Windows utility to recover your password. The drive can be used multiple times for password recovery.
11. When you need to change your password, plug in the drive with the password disk. Enter any combination of characters in the field.
12. A message will appear on the screen stating that you entered the wrong password. The system will prompt you to enter it again. We click on OK.
13. Under the field for entering the combination there will already be the necessary link “Reset password” (Reset password). 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 the device is loaded in this case not from the installation disk, but from the 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.

Reset Hard Reset

To remove the old password on a Windows 10 phone and tablet, such as Lumia or Nokia, use the option hard reset. It consists in resetting all settings to the 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 internal memory smartphone or tablet, so before the operation, everything that was on the device must be transferred to another medium. Before unlocking the phone, remove the SIM card and SD card if they have any data on them, and also charge the device at least 50%.

Let's describe this procedure in detail:

If you do not remember the password for your account in Windows 10, you have the right to delete it and set a new one. In this case, you do not need to reinstall the operating system: there are many other ways. If you do not have an installation disk with the OS distribution kit, select the "Command line" method, that is, by logging in using the local "Administrator" account, or create bootable media using a special utility.

In each new version Windows, Microsoft strive to improve the level of protection not only from online attacks, but also from physical impact from the outside. Since the release of Windows 8, the system forcibly forces you to set a password, which can be difficult not to set. There are two types of system protection using a password: through the user's Microsoft account or through a local account.

On Windows 10, this trend is also noticeable. But if you are faced with such an everyday problem as a forgotten password, do not despair and. You don’t think that the developers offer to set a password on the system, without options for resetting it.

It’s worth saying right away that the problem may not even lie in a forgotten password, but in Windows 10 itself. Over my many years of experience, I have encountered several times that Windows itself changes the password or protection methods - as it wants. This can only be due to its dampness, although the developers are trying to stop all errors in new updates.

It should also be noted that if you have been using Windows 10 relatively recently, then it is advisable for you to choose a password in the local account, since in this situation, the possibility of Windows errors related to the password and its recovery is practically excluded.

Refusing to set a password is not an option, because at some point Windows may request it at the next system startup, which is even more deplorable.

Resetting an old password/setting a new one on a Windows Microsoft account

The lightest and fast way will recover the password through the Microsoft online service itself. You can do this from another computer or phone by clicking on the link. Microsoft will offer you a choice of 3 points (reasons for restoring access). By choosing one of them, you must prove that you are the real owner of the account.

You need to enter your phone number and the mail that you previously attached to your Windows 10 account. After that, a security code should come to your phone, after which you will be prompted to change your existing password.

If you do not have a mobile phone at hand or do not have access to a fixed mailbox, you will need to complete a longer questionnaire with secret questions, the answers to which will be the data that you entered during registration.

You can learn more about password recovery through the Microsoft website in this video.

After recovering your password, do not rush to close the site if you allow the possibility of forgetting the password again. On the same Microsoft website, you can make individual authorization, in the form of a PIN code or a special key, using which you can access your account without difficulty at any time.

Returning access to a local account

For inexperienced users, this way of returning access may seem quite complicated, but I can assure you that by doing everything once, you will not need to sweat the second. In fact, it is not too complicated, all that needs to be done is to perform several sequential actions.

Method 1. Hack with renaming files

The first thing you need to do is unearth a flash drive or disk with Windows 10. You can do this by burning the image on another PC, or ask your friends if you didn’t have it before.

After inserting the installation media, we start the system and in parallel go into the BIOS. Entering the BIOS on each system looks different, if you find it difficult to solve this problem,. Here we need to put our media first in the boot queue (as when installing the system). After that, we save and wait for the interface to load.

You should be presented with the installation language selection screen. If it is present, press the key combination Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.

With it, you need to find out the letter of the drive on which Windows is actually installed. You may assume that this is the C drive, but you may not know that the letters you are used to seeing in folders are sometimes renamed - that is, different from those installed on the system.

So, in the command line that appears, enter " notepad” and press Enter, after which Notepad should open. In notepad, click "File", "Open". Select "My Computer" and then find the drive where Windows is installed. Having remembered the letter, we exit the explorer and notepad that appears.

Now it may seem the most difficult and incomprehensible part, which in fact is not, what these commands are and what they do, will be described below. Having learned the drive letter, enter the following commands into the command line, pressing Enter one by one:

• cd Windows\System32

Replace drive "F" with your drive on which Windows is installed.

Next, you need to replace the Accessibility button on the login screen with a command line entry. To do this, enter the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after entering each:

• ren utilman.exe utilman.exe.bak
• ren cmd.exe utilman.exe

These commands are responsible for creating a backup copy of the special file. capabilities(utilman.exe). We need it to restore it, but after replacing it with a command line file (cmd.exe).

Next, you need to close everything and restart Windows, without installation discs and additional modes. Seeing the evil password window, select the accessibility launch button, after which the command line will open.

On the command line, write the following command: net user Administrator /active:yes. If you have an English language Windows version, instead of "Administrator" write "Administrator".

Here you should turn off and turn on the computer again so that the new account replaces the previous one on the security password entry window. However, on some systems it may appear immediately without requiring a reboot.

Let's log in. No password is required here because there is no password set on the stock admin account. On the desktop, right-click on "Start" and select the line "Computer Management".

A window will appear in front of you, in which you need to select the “Local Users and Groups” item, then “Users” and already there, among them we find the account from which we forgot the password. Right-click on it and select "Set Password".

After entering the password and confirming it, an error will appear if the entered password differed from the set one.

Now you need to log out of the Administrator account and log into your old one, the key for which will be the password you entered earlier, if you did everything correctly before that.

In order to return utilman.exe and cmd.exe to their original directories, you need to:

• turn on the system from the Windows installation disk;
• open command line;
• go to System folder 32 and enter these commands:
  • renutilman.exe cmd.exe
  • renutilman.exe.bakutilman.exe

Method 2. Use the registry editor

To perform this method, you will also need a Windows 10 installation disc. Starting from it, go to the command line, enter regedit.

After starting the registry editor, find and click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE item. Select "File", then load the hive. Here you need to open the system file, along the path C: \ Windows \ System32 \ config \ system

If you need to enter a section name, you can enter any. Go inside the created section with your name and click on the “setup” item, change these values, as shown in the picture.

• Cmdline instead of cmd.exe
• Set SetupType to 2.

Again, click "File" - "Unload hive".

After that, you need to perform a normal system restart, during which a command line window should open, where you will have to enter your new password in the format:

• net user username new_password

Summing up

If you have completed all the points and have reached this point, you can be proud of yourself, as you have received a new useful skill. If none of the above-suggested fit, it is clearly worth contacting Microsoft support. After answering a couple of questions, your account will be returned with instructions on how to reset your password.

If you do not perceive the instruction written in text or it is too complicated for you, we advise you to watch a couple of videos with an explanation.