Forgot your Windows password? Here’s how to get back into your PC

On the first day after your vacation, you sit down at your PC, type in the password — and fail. Windows says: “The password is incorrect. Please repeat the process” and expects you to click “OK.” After you click, the operating system displays a “Password hint” as a small reminder.

Because you have learned from us that secure passwords are not in the dictionary and should consist of upper and lower case letters, special characters, and numbers, a hint such as “10 characters” is of little help. Clicking on “Reset password” also leads nowhere — after all, you haven’t created a rescue drive.

You may even be using a password manager — but this will, of course, remain inaccessible until you log in. Don’t worry: A forgotten Windows password is not the end of the world. We will show you various ways to regain access to your system.

Further reading: Best password managers

Easy access to your data even without a password

Important first: Logging into Windows with a user name and password is not primarily used to protect your data, but to assign individual user profiles. The operating system recognizes who is currently sitting at the computer and automatically provides this user’s personal working environment — including desktop settings, files, and programs. To protect data from unauthorized access, Windows comes with encryption technologies such as EFS (Encrypted File System) and Bitlocker.

And another basic tip: In extreme cases, a forgotten password can also lead to the loss of all data because you will not be able to avoid reinstalling Windows 10. You should therefore regularly create a backup of the most important data and also maintain this backup.

However, as long as you have not encrypted your files, they are largely freely accessible, even without you or another user logging into Windows.

Further reading: Newbie’s guide to Windows BitLocker: Why you need it & how to set it up

For example, if you have installed Windows 10 alongside an older version of Windows, simply log in to this older version and access the files on the other system from there using Explorer. You can also install the hard drive with Windows 10 in another computer (but not as a boot drive!), boot into the Windows of the other computer and access the data on the second hard drive.

You may have created a Windows 10 recovery system on a DVD or USB stick. In this case, you can boot your computer from it and access the drive data. However, this is not suitable as a permanent solution. Back up your data and reinstall Windows — or try to get a new password.

Note: Before you try any of the solutions described below, you should make sure that the Caps Lock key was not activated or Num Lock was deactivated when you entered your password. Mistakes like this can happen to anyone (we’ve made them) and cause unnecessary work if you don’t notice the faux pas straight away.

Further reading: So long, passwords: 5 easy ways to use passkeys

1. Trick 17 with purchase program: Skip password entry

Windows saves all passwords in the “SAM” file (without extension) in the “C:Windows System32config” folder. This is a database in which the user data is encrypted as hash values. Cracking this encryption is very time-consuming, depending on the complexity of the password. However, there are various workarounds.

The first option is to use the paid tool Kon-Boot. You burn it onto a CD or copy it onto a bootable USB stick, start your computer with it and then immediately carry out a second boot process from the hard drive. Kon-Boot then patches the Windows code in memory that is responsible for the login process and, after selecting an account with administrator rights, allows you to boot to the desktop without entering a password.

In the next step, the password can be changed in the Windows settings via “Accounts > Logon options.” Now remove the CD from the drive or remove the USB stick and restart Windows from the hard drive. You can then log in with the new password.

Kon-Boot used to be a free open source tool and is now available for a fee. You can still find the old versions in some places on the internet, but they are not compatible with Windows 10 or 11.

2. Resetting the Microsoft account password

With newer versions of Windows, it is still possible to save account information locally, but the standard method is to log in with a Microsoft account, whereby the password entered is verified online via the Microsoft server.

The methods for resetting the password explained in the following points do not apply here. They only apply to local account logins. If you can no longer use Windows because you have forgotten the password for your Microsoft account, you can repair this online via any other computer.

The web address is https://account.live.com/resetpassword.aspx. What you need to know in any case is the email address or mobile phone number that was stored when the Microsoft account was set up. You will then receive a security code at this email address (or on your mobile phone), and after entering it you can assign a new password.

You can also change an existing password via your Microsoft account dashboard under “Security.” Here you will also find an overview of all devices that are linked to your Microsoft account and lots of other information and setting options.

3. Resetting the Windows password of a local account

For this first option, you will need any Windows setup DVD. Whether it’s an original disc or an ISO image you have burned yourself is just as irrelevant as the Windows version. This does not have to be the same as the Windows to be cracked. But it must be a fully fledged installation medium — never a recovery CD/DVD.

Boot the computer using this DVD. After selecting the language, the “Install now” or “Install Windows” button appears. At this point there is also a “Computer repair options” button, which you select here. Depending on the set-up medium, you will then either be taken immediately to the “Command prompt” or via the click sequence “Troubleshooting > Advanced options > Command prompt.” Here you must now find out the drive identifier of the installed Windows. Start with the following two commands:
c:
dir

and continue with “d:”, “e:” until the “dir” command displays the typical root directory of a Windows system with “Windows” and “Program Files.” (Usually “c:” is used as the system drive.) There you go with
cd windowssystem32

to name the folder with the system programs, with
ren utilman.exe utilman.ex_

and copy the command prompt to this name:
copy cmd.exe utilman.exe

You can then shut down the system, remove the DVD and restart the computer with Windows installed. Utilman.exe is a small auxiliary program for the visually impaired (“Easier operation”) which, unlike all other programs, is ready to start at the Windows login screen.

This will now solve your login problem. Click on the “Ease of use” icon on the login screen or use the Win+U key combination. The command prompt “CMD.EXE”, renamed to “utilman.exe”, will open. A single command is now sufficient to replace the forgotten password with a new one:
net user [account] [password]

If you have also “forgotten” your account (which looks more like a break-in), use the account that is currently displayed on the login screen. The password assignment is valid immediately — you can therefore log in to the Windows system immediately with this password.

4. Remove Windows password with Linux system

Without a Windows setup DVD, you can take the almost simpler route via a Linux system. The PC-WELT emergency system is particularly suitable as an alternative operating system.

After starting the system, you can in principle also follow the path described in point 2, because after the “writable” mounting of the Windows partition via “Drives” (in the bar at the top) you have full access to the “/Windows/System32” directory.

But there is an even simpler way: Without worrying about mounted drives, select the option “New password (new version)” under “Rescue tools.” The Linux system then automatically searches for the Windows partition and the registry file “SAM.”

If it finds them, it displays the user accounts entered there and you select the account whose password you want to delete. That’s it! You then start Windows and are logged in without a password.

If the “New password (new version)” tool does not automatically find what you are looking for, there is an older version “New password” in the “Rescue tools” that requires some supporting interaction.

5. Change password with Offline NT Password & Registry Editor

The free Offline NT Password & Registry Editor resets the password of your Windows account with just a few clicks. The open source tool can delete or replace the password, but cannot display it in plain text. It is also possible to make a Windows user with limited rights an administrator. A simple editor for editing the Windows registry keys is included.

The Offline NT Password & Registry Editor is embedded in a live system based on Linus. Download the ISO file, which is only a few megabytes in size. Then write the CD image to a blank disc using a free tool such as Imgburn. Alternatively, you can use a USB stick and create a multi-boot stick with the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor using the freeware Sardu, for example.

When you boot the system, the tool displays all recognized hard disk partitions with their names. Select your Windows system partition by entering the number and confirming with the Enter key.

In the next step, press Enter to accept the default directory for the registry. Press 1 to call up password mode. Press 1 again to display a list of all users. Now type in the user name for the account whose password you want to reset. Please note here: As is usual with English keyboards, the Y and Z keys are reversed. Press the Enter key.

Selecting 1 deletes the password, pressing 2 allows you to edit the password. Press 3 to change the user’s rights. Press ! and Q to exit the editor. Press Z to save your changes.

6. Simply change a forgotten Windows password

You can also simply replace the Windows password with a new one — even using the standard Windows tools. However, there is one restriction: The file and folder encryption of the operating system is linked to the password. So if you have encrypted data with the Windows tools, you will no longer be able to access it after changing the password.

If, on the other hand, everything is stored unencrypted on your hard drive or you use an external program such as Veracrypt, you can safely follow the following tip. All you need is the Windows DVD; a bootable USB stick is also suitable.

Boot your computer from the DVD and make sure the correct language is set as the installation language in the first “Install Windows” window. Click on “Next” and “Install now.” While Windows is still considering, press the key combination Shift+F10.

The command prompt appears, in which you type “regedit” to load the registry editor. Select the key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE” and open the menu command “File > Load structure.” In the following window, locate the system partition C: and the Windows System32config folder there.

In this folder you will see a file called SOFTWARE. But be careful: The registry editor does not display any file extensions. The file you need is simply called SOFTWARE. However, there is also a software.txt in Windows. You can recognize the correct file by switching on the “Details” view at the top and paying attention to the “File” type.

Select SOFTWARE and click on “Open.” The editor will now ask you for a key name. Enter a name of your choice, such as “Password,” and confirm with “OK.” Now click through to the registry key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEPasswordMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionImage File Execution Options

Right-click on the folder and go to “New > Key.” Give the new key the name “utilman.exe”. Click on it with the right mouse button, select “New” and “String.”

Enter “debugger” as the name, double-click the character string, enter “cmd.exe” as the value, and close the window with “OK.” Finally, go back to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEPassword, select this key and click on “File > Remove structure.”

Confirm the removal with “Yes,” close the editor and the command prompt, and reboot Windows. If the prompt “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” appears, do nothing and let Windows boot from the hard drive.

As soon as the password prompt appears, press the key combination Windows+U This will open the command prompt, where you enter the command “net user [username] [password],” replacing “[username]” with your login name and “[password]” with the new password you want.

Leave out the inverted commas and square brackets. After you have pressed the Enter key, “The command was executed successfully” appears as confirmation. Close the command prompt and enter the new password in the login window. Finally, open the registry editor again and delete the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionImage File Execution OptionsUtilman.exe.

The trick exploits the fact that Windows loads the utilman.exe file during login, behind which the Ease of Use Center is hidden. The change made to the registry calls up cmd.exe instead, i.e. the command prompt. The password can then be changed using its command set.

7. Crack Windows password with the help of Ophcrack

By now you have read how to skip, reset, or overwrite the Windows password. However, there are also tools that attempt to guess the original password using a brute force attack. They try out character combinations in quick succession until they find what they are looking for. With shorter, uncomplicated passwords, this can be done quite quickly; with longer character strings, the process can take days or weeks. The advantage: If you have encrypted files on your hard drive, you can access the data again in this way.

Caution: Cracking other people’s passwords is illegal! Only use such tools to recover your own password. In addition, many antivirus programs regard these tools as Trojan viruses. You should therefore temporarily deactivate your antivirus program (if you use one) before using them.

One of these tools is Ophcrack. Burn the Ophcrack ISO file onto a CD or DVD. Alternatively, pack the contents onto a USB stick using Rufus. Please be careful: This will delete all existing files.

You can find information on Rufus at https://rufus.akeo.ie/. Ophcrack works with rainbow tables. When cracking a password, it is not necessary to try out all possible character combinations — which would be time-consuming and costly.

Instead, the tool can use ready-made character tables and thus work much faster. Rainbow Tables for Windows XP, which uses LM hashes, is also supplied. On the website of the manufacturer, the Swiss company Objectif Sécurité, further tables are available for newer Windows versions with NT hashes, including some paid versions for professionals.

8. Reset password for Windows 11 (24H2)

Note: This method only works with a local account and if a recovery partition has been set up for the system.

As a number of changes have been made to the operating system since the last major Windows 11 update (24H2), some of the recovery methods presented may no longer work properly.

With the current Windows 11, however, you can also proceed as follows to regain access to your OS if you no longer know the password. To do this, we first boot to the login screen where we previously failed to enter the password. There we click with the mouse on the power symbol in the bottom right-hand corner. A small window opens.

While holding down the Shift key, click on “Restart.” This will take you to the menu that you can see in the screenshot above.

Click on the entries “Troubleshooting > Advanced options > Command prompt.” Now we proceed similarly to method no. 3:

First, we need to find out the drive identifier of the installed Windows. Start with the following two commands
c:
dir

and continue with “d:”, “e:” until the “dir” command displays the typical root directory of a Windows system with “Windows” and “Program Files.” Note: As a rule, “c:” is the system drive. There you go with
cd windowssystem32

to name the folder with the system programs, with
ren utilman.exe utilman.ex_

to an executable file and copy the command prompt to this name:
copy cmd.exe utilman.exe

Now you can type “exit” and exit the command prompt. In the menu (screenshot above), simply tap on “Continue” to return to the Windows login.

There we are no longer interested in the power button, but in the accessibility button (right next to it). As soon as you tap it, a window for the command prompt opens again. Here we use the command
net user

command to find out what Windows calls our account (if you don’t already know). You will find three entries in the first line (Administrator), the third of which (after “DefaultAccount”) is the name of the account you are looking for. Now we are almost finished and enter the command
net user [KONTONAME] *

Please enter the account name without brackets and confirm the command with Enter. Windows will now prompt you to enter a new password.

Attention: There is no feedback when you enter the password! To be on the safe side, you must enter the assigned password again afterwards. You can now exit the prompt and log in with the new password in future. Finally, we should undo the changes we have made. To do this, you can now hold down the Shift key and click on the Power button in Windows 11 and switch to the Command Prompt (exactly as described above) via the troubleshooting function.

There we navigate again to the “System32” directory (use the instructions above if necessary) and enter the following commands:
del utilman.exe
ren utilman.ex_ utilman.exe

Windows 11 will now run as before and you will have a new password.

Further reading: Already using random passwords? Great. It’s still not enough