Mostly, we set a login password on our startup screen to keep our PC secured against unauthorized use. However, one of the most irritating things happens when we lose or forget our Windows 10 password. If you didn’t have a password reset disk before locking the system, it is very frustrating because you will not be able to reset the password on your PC or laptop.
In that case, you need to format and reinstall your OS again. But it will end up doing more harm than good as it will remove all your documents and programs installed on your primary disk. Unless your PC has no important programs or files, it is not advised to reinstall the OS.
If you have forgotten or lost your Windows 10 password, don’t get upset. There are different solutions made over the years to fix this issue and here are the methods to recover Windows 10 login password without having to reinstall your OS.
Method 1. – With Password Reset Disk
Password reset disk is a very important measure if you are unable to access your system. Be sure to make password-reset disk before you lose your password. It works only with the local user account. If you have already created a password reset disk, here are the steps to do it easily:
- After doing guesswork with 5 wrong passwords, it will show up a link to “Reset Password” at the bottom of login.
- Insert your password reset disk to your PC and open “Password Reset Wizard” and click Next.
- Choose the disk from the drop-down and type a new password for verification.
- Now you can easily access your Windows 10 with the new password.
If you want to secure yourself from that situation in future, it is strongly advised to create a password reset disk right away. If you don’t have a password reset disk, it won’t work. So, you should follow the other methods given below.
Cons
- Only works if you have created a PRD before forgetting the password.
- Most people don’t even bother to create a password reset disk so this method is totally ineffective.
Method 2. – With Chntpw
Chntpw is yet another text-based Windows password recovery tool but to honest, it is very complex to use and only recommended for computer experts. If you can’t handle computer programming, then move on to the next method now. Here’s a detailed tutorial on how to use Chntpw tool:
- First of all, download Chntpw on another PC. This program is used to create a Windows 10 password reset disk.
- Extract the zip file and burn the Chntpw ISO file on USB drive or CD using a burn tool, such as NERO.
- After burning successfully, create a password recovery disk.
- Now boot the locked computer with password reset disk you have just created. Set your locked system boot from CD drive.
- Leave Windows 10 password blank. Choose the partition where Windows 10 is installed after booting from CD drive. For example, you may choose 1 = show Windows NTFS partitions only.
- Confirm the registry and choose Windows file. If Windows/system32/config default path is correct, simply press Enter.
- Choose registry partition to load for password reset. Simply choose “Password reset [SAM system security]”.
- Choose the option “1= Edit user data and password”.
- Choose the user to reset the password for the locked system. It will show up all the users and password status. If you want to reset administrator account, simply type Administrator and hit Enter.
- Reset administrator password. To finish the process, choose 1 to clear password directory. It will pop up the message “Password cleared” if you have reset the password to blank.
- Save changes to Windows registry and leave. Simply follow the wizard and exit. Now reboot Windows 10 without the password.
Cons
- Complex text-based emulating program.
- Any wrong command can get your system’s data deleted forever.
Method 3. – iSeePassword Tool
You often forget your password and don’t have password reset disk. Here, one of the most common ways is to use a program to reset your password and regain access to your PC. There are different password recovery tools out there. But iSeePassword tool has no match. It is the first choice if you want to recover the lost password. It is vastly preferred by many users. It is a very effective tool to reset lost or forgotten password, such as normal account password or admin password.
In addition, you can also reset the password for Windows 10, 8, 7, XP/Vista, and Windows Server 2000, 2008, 2003, and 2013. You just have to make a bootable CD/DVD disk or USB drive with this tool on another computer. Then boot it to locked computer and choose the account you want to remove. Then click “Reset” to unlock your password.
Here are the steps in brief:
- First of all download and install the iSeePassword program and access it with admin permission (right click on the shortcut and choose “Run as Administrator”).
- You need a USB flash drive or CD/DVD. Choose a media type to make the recovery disk. Click on media name like the USB drive.
- When you click on the USB drive, it will take you to a screen where you click Start Burning to write image files to the drive. It shows Burning Successful once burning is done. So, your password reset disk is ready.
- Insert the USB or CD/DVD disk to the locked computer, boot it, and enter the BIOS settings.
- Reboot your system after changing the boot order to CD/DVD or USB. It will start Password Recovery while booting. Choose the user to reset a password. Click Reset Password and “Yes” to confirm. Now the password will be blank. Click “Reboot” to remove the recovery disk and click “Yes” to restart your PC. Now it will start without the password.
This method guarantees 100% recovery rate and this program support all kinds of file systems like FAT16, FAT32, NTFS5, and NTFS. You can click here to learn more steps details about how to reset.
Conclusion
In this short guide, we have concluded that it is possible to reset Windows 10 password even if you don’t remember it at all. The first two methods are working but have certain limitations. However, if you are in a rush then we will recommend to use iSeePassword tool and unlock your computer in no time. Please remember to protect your computer with a password again when you gain access to your PC. Hopefully, you guys liked this article and don’t forget to share it with your friends and families.
