How-To
Forgot Your Windows Password? How to Get Back In
Being locked out of your own laptop is fixable in almost every case without losing files. Which route you take depends on one question: do you sign in with a Microsoft account (an email address) or with a local account (just a user name)?
On this page
Work out which kind of account you haveMicrosoft accountLocal accountIf nothing else works: reset Windows and keep your filesPrevent it happening againCommon questionsThis guide covers regaining access to a computer and account that you own or are authorised to administer. It does not host or link to password-cracking software. Attempting to access someone else's account is a criminal offence in most countries.
Work out which kind of account you have
On the sign-in screen, look under your name. If you see an email address, the account is a Microsoft account and the password is the same one you use for that email or for the Microsoft services tied to it. If you see only a name, it is a local account stored on the laptop itself. The recovery routes are completely different, and trying the wrong one wastes time.
| Situation | Best route | Files kept? |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft account, laptop has internet | Reset online from a phone or another computer | Yes |
| Local account, security questions were set | Reset password link on the sign-in screen | Yes |
| Local account, another admin user exists | Sign in as that user and change the password | Yes |
| Local account, a password reset disk was made | Use the disk on the sign-in screen | Yes |
| PIN forgotten but password known | Click I forgot my PIN and sign in with the password | Yes |
| None of the above | Reset this PC (keep files) from the recovery menu | Usually, but back up first if you can |
Microsoft account
Reset from another device
On a phone or another computer open the Microsoft account recovery page, enter the email address, and follow the verification step (a code sent to your recovery phone or alternate email).
Choose a new password
Pick something you can remember and, if you use a password manager, store it there immediately.
Sign in on the laptop
Make sure the laptop is connected to Wi-Fi from the sign-in screen (there is a network icon in the bottom-right corner), then enter the new password. The first sign-in with a new password needs the connection so Windows can confirm it.
Local account
Try the reset link
Type a wrong password once. Windows shows a Reset password link under the box. Click it and answer the three security questions you set up when the account was created.
Use another administrator account
If a second user on the laptop is an administrator, sign in as them, open Settings, Accounts, then Other users (or Family and other users), select your account and choose Change password. Alternatively open Control Panel, User Accounts, Manage another account.
Use a password reset disk
If you made one on a USB stick when the account was created, plug it in, click Reset password on the sign-in screen and follow the wizard. A reset disk only works for the account it was made for, and only on that computer.
If nothing else works: reset Windows and keep your files
Hold Shift while clicking Restart on the sign-in screen to reach the recovery menu, then choose Troubleshoot, Reset this PC, Keep my files. Windows reinstalls itself, removes installed programs, and keeps the contents of your user folders. You will set up a new account during the process. This is the route the old cracking tools tried to avoid, but on a modern system it is safer and usually faster than any of them. If the drive is encrypted with BitLocker, you will need the recovery key, which is stored in your Microsoft account or wherever you saved it when encryption was turned on.
Prevent it happening again
- Set up a PIN and, if the laptop supports it, fingerprint or face sign-in. These are tied to the device and are quicker than a password without replacing it.
- For a local account, set the security questions and make a password reset disk while you still know the password.
- Add a second local administrator account with a password stored somewhere safe. It costs nothing and rescues you from most lockouts.
- Keep the BitLocker recovery key printed or in your account. Without it, a locked encrypted drive is unrecoverable by design.
Common questions
Can I reset a Windows password without losing files?
Yes, in every route above except the full reinstall, and even Reset this PC has a Keep my files option.
What about the old LC5 and similar password crackers?
Those tools targeted weak Windows hashes from the early 2000s. Modern Windows uses stronger hashing and often full-disk encryption, so they do not work, and downloading them from unofficial sources is a good way to get malware. The recovery routes above are what actually works.
I forgot my PIN, not my password. What do I do?
On the sign-in screen switch to password sign-in (the key icon under the PIN box), sign in, and Windows will let you set a new PIN. If you never set a password, use the Microsoft account route.
Will the manufacturer or a repair shop help?
A repair shop can reset a local account or reinstall Windows, but they cannot recover a password or decrypt a BitLocker drive without the key. Manufacturers do not keep your password.
Does this work on a work laptop?
Not usually. Company-managed laptops use domain or organisation accounts; the reset must be done by your IT department, who can also unlock BitLocker.