The Best Way to Reset Windows 10 Password without Logging In

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Get back in to your Windows 10 PC without resetting everything

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: August 5, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Using a Microsoft Account
|
• Using a Local Account

|Show more |Show less

Did you forget your login password on your Windows 10 computer and now you can't sign in? Although strong passwords are tough to hack, they are also harder to remember, so don't stress out too much over forgetting the password! Instead of getting frustrated or overwhelmed, use this simple guide to quickly get back into your Microsoft or local Windows 10 account on your computer.

Quickly Get into Your Windows 10 Computer without the Password

• Reset your Microsoft account password online using a web browser on any device.
• You can also reset a Microsoft password by clicking I forgot… on the login screen.
• Reset a local Windows 10 account by answering the 3 security questions or inserting a password reset disk.

Steps

Section 1 of 2:

Using a Microsoft Account

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1. 
   1
   Go to https://account.live.com/password/reset. Since you can't log into your computer, you can go to that website in your smartphone or tablet's web browser.

   • Use this method if you sign into a Microsoft account when you sign into your computer. In this case, you'll change your Microsoft password so you can use your new password to log in.
   • You can also click Forgot my PIN or I forgot my password on the login screen.
2. 
   2
   Enter the account name you would like to recover. You can enter an email address (it doesn't have to be an Outlook address and can be any email address that you used to create the Microsoft account), a phone number, or a Skype name.

   • Click Next to continue.
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3. 
   3
   Choose how to verify your account. Depending on the backup methods you listed, you can get an email or text to verify that you're the owner of the account.

   • Click or tap a method to select it, then click or tap Get code.
4. 
   4
   Enter the code into the verification field. If the verification method is valid, you'll get a text or email with a 6-digit code.

   • If you didn't get the code, select Use a different verification option.
   • Select Next to continue.
5. 
   5
   Reset your password. Passwords need to contain at least 8 characters and are case-sensitive. For example, "John01" as a password is not the same as "john01".

   • Re-enter the password to confirm it. If the passwords don't match, you'll see an error message.
   • Click Next to continue.
6. 
   6
   Sign in. Once you see a "Security info updated" window, the password change has been successful and you'll be able to use that password to sign into your Windows 10 computer.
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Section 2 of 2:

Using a Local Account

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1. 
   1
   Try to sign-in to the account once. After you fail to produce the correct password immediately, you'll see more options to help you log in.

   • Use this method if you don't sign into a Microsoft account whenever you sign into your computer.
2. 
   2
   Click Reset Password. You may need to click Ok first to see this option.
3. 
   3
   Answer the security questions. When you created the local account, you were required to set security questions and answers.

   • If you get one wrong, you won't know which one, but will need to answer all 3 again.
   • If you have a disk to reset your password, select Use a password disk instead and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. 
   4
   Reset your password. Once you've answered the security questions correctly, you can reset the password to log into your Windows 10 computer.
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