How to easily reset a forgotten password on any version of Windows. If you suddenly forgot your password... We break the password in Windows! Program to remove Windows 10 administrator password

This happens: when you try to log in to Windows 10, a notification appears that the password is incorrect, and the system does not allow the user to access the desktop. Let's look at how to reset the password on Windows 10 without reinstalling the operating system. You should first make sure that:

• the Caps Lock key is activated or, conversely, inactive (check the button indicator on the keyboard);
• Switch the keyboard layout to the correct one and make sure that it does not automatically switch to the default input language installed on the system.

If you are convinced that you are entering the correct characters, but nothing helps, proceed to resetting the password.

The method is only relevant for users who work on a computer using a Microsoft account. If such an account does not exist or the password is not suitable for a local user, proceed to the next section.

1. To reset your password, follow this link: https://account.live.com/resetpassword.aspx in any browser.

We choose a more suitable option (it’s best to stop at the first one, so you can quickly begin the procedure of replacing the sequence of characters to protect your account).

The next step is to enter the phone or email associated with your account.

Resetting the password using bootable media with Windows 10 distribution

This option is provided for local account holders. We will use the official installation image recorded on a flash drive (although the LiveCD option with the appropriate set of options is also not bad).

1. If you have a disk/flash drive, connect the media and reboot, otherwise we are looking for an opportunity to create a bootable drive with the Windows 10 distribution itself.

2. Start the system from the installation disk via the BIOS Boot Menu.

3. Specify the language and accept the terms of use of the software.

4. In the window with the “Install” icon, press the “Shift + F10” keys to open the command line window.

It happens that the last operation does not lead to anything, if this happens, click “System Restore”.

1. Click “Next”, then again click on the “System Restore” icon.
2. Select the item responsible for detecting and eliminating faults.
3. Click "Advanced options".
4. In the menu, select the “Command Line” launch option.

5. Find out the letter identifier of the volume with the operating system.

Usually, this is the letter C\, but due to the presence of several hundred megabyte partitions on the disk, the label in this launch mode may appear differently.

We launch the disk utility diskpart by executing the command of the same name.

We execute “list volume” to visualize information about the partitions.

Based on the volume and name of the partition, we draw a conclusion about the letter label of the system volume.

Exit the diskpart program by executing “exit”.

6. Execute the command “ move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman2.exe» to rename a service file that provides accessibility features on the lock screen.

7. Then enter the line “ copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe"replace the utility with the command line.

8. Execute “shutdown /r” or close all windows to restart the PC.

9. On the lock screen, launch the “Accessibility” utility to open the command line (this was done in steps 6-7).

10. Enter “net user Administrator / active: yes” into the command line to obtain administrator privileges in the system.

Activation of an account with unlimited rights in the operating system is necessary to call the Computer Management utility and work with the registry using it

11. After successful completion of operations, the “Administrator” icon will appear in the lower left corner. Click on this icon to log in to the system with the appropriate privileges, which does not require entering a password.

The first login from your newly activated account may take a little longer than usual, so be patient.

12. Using the context menu or the Win+X key combination, call up the menu of the same name and select the “Computer Management” item.

This will launch a Windows 10 snap-in designed to perform actions on the system that require special privileges (they have been obtained).

13. Expand the first branch of the vertical menu on the left.

14. Open “Users” in the “Local Users” directory.

15. Using the context menu of your account, call the command to specify a password.

16. Take note of the contents of the next information window and click “Continue”.

17. Enter a new combination of characters to protect your local account and confirm it.

This concludes the instructions on the topic: How to reset the administrator password, but it is strongly recommended to restore the system to its original form.

18. Disable the administrator account by executing “net user Administrator /active:no” on the command line (launched via Win→X).

19. We return the launch of the “Special Features” utility.

Open the system32 directory in the Windows folder and erase the utilman.exe file, then delete the two with the name utilman2.exe. If it was not possible to perform actions through Explorer (the operating system denied access), the same can be done through the command line. We launch it and execute the following commands in the same sequence:

del C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe

move C:\Windows\System32\utilman2.exe C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe

If unsuccessful, you must start again in recovery mode (steps 1-4).

Now you can work, and if necessary, quickly recover your lost password or gain access to another computer (only the password will have to be deleted or changed).

The same thing, but through the registry

1. Launch from the installation drive.

2. Call the Windows Recovery Environment using the combination “Shift” + F10.”

3. Run “regedit”.

4. Go to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE” branch.

5. Call the “Load hive” command via the context menu or the “File” item.

6. Open a document called System, located along the path System32\config in the folder with the operating system.

7. Enter the Latin name of the bush and press “Enter”.

8. Go to the new HKLM branch and select Setup.

9. In the right frame, replace the key value from “CmdLine” with the string parameter “cmd.exe”.

10. Double-click on “SetupType” and enter its value as “2”.

11. Reboot.

12. After loading the lock screen, a familiar command line window will appear, where you need to execute a command like: “net user user password”, where instead of “user” we enter the account name, followed by a space – the new password.

13. Execute “exit” and reboot the computer.

The advantage of the method is that all parameters are restored automatically the next time the operating system is booted.

A forgotten password can cause a lot of trouble for the owner of a personal computer. In Windows 10, the situation is made easier for those users who use a Microsoft account, because you can easily recover your password online, and then connect your computer to the Internet and log in with the new password. And those who do not trust Microsoft innovations and use a local account the old fashioned way will be forced to recover their password using a much more labor-intensive method, described in our last article, unless they have a password recovery flash drive. The presence of such a flash drive allows you to recover a password in a matter of seconds without affecting the user’s encrypted files.

A simple and quick procedure will help you avoid forgotten password problems in the future. Store the created media in a safe place. Remember the storage location of the created flash drive so that you can always reset the password.

1. First, insert removable media into your computer, which will be used as a reset flash drive. There is no need to format the media; one small file will be written to it.
2. In the Windows Start or Search menu, find the “Create a password reset disk” application and open it. You can also press Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard, then “Change Password” and “Create a Password Reset Disk.” In addition, this item is available in the Control Panel (accounts section).
3. The Forgotten Password Wizard will open. If this does not happen, check if the removable disk is inserted, restart the computer, turn it off, and then turn it on. Try opening the wizard again. Read the wizard's greeting and click "Next".
   
4. Select the media on which the reset file will be written, click “Next”.
   
5. At this point, enter your current account password. Leave the field blank if there is no password currently. The created floppy disk will not be tied to the current password and will continue to be valid even if the password is changed.
   
6. If a reset floppy has already been created, the system will warn you that after creating a new floppy, the old one will stop working. To continue, you need to agree with this.
   
7. If it happens that your flash drive already contains reset data, the wizard will ask if you want to overwrite this data. Those. One media can only contain password reset data for one account.
   
8. The operation will take a few seconds. Click Next to complete the wizard.
   
9. The last step is to read the wizard’s message and click “Finish”.
   

Resetting your password using a prepared flash drive

The procedure for resetting a password if you have a working reset floppy disk is an extremely trivial matter.

1. Insert the reset flash drive into the USB port.
2. If you enter your password incorrectly, click on the “Reset Password” link below the input field.
3. The Password Reset Wizard will open. Specify the media on which the reset file is stored, enter a new password and a hint for it.
4. Sign in to your account with your new password.

Something terrible happened - you somehow managed to forget the password for your Windows 10 account. What to do now? Of course, you can do it the old fashioned way - reinstall the operating system. Or you can try removing password protection using a USB drive. You can learn how to create a flash drive to reset a Windows 10 password on a computer, laptop, or tablet from this instruction.

Creating a flash drive to reset Windows 10 password using the official method

Windows provides built-in tools for creating a USB drive, which you can later use if your login password has been forgotten or lost. However, there are several disadvantages to this method that make it less practical. The first drawback is that you can create such a drive only by logging into Windows. It turns out that users should take care of preparing a USB flash drive in advance for future use. Second, a device prepared for password reset can help in the case of a local account. It will not be able to remove or replace the password from your Microsoft account.

If you are used to thinking ahead, or you have already learned from bitter experience and are now planning to create a USB drive that will help you reset your password in the future, you need to do the following:

The final result should be a userkey.psw file on your drive. It contains all the data needed to reset your password. Interestingly, this file, if necessary, can be moved to any other drive and used in case of an unpleasant situation. To use a flash drive with it, you need to connect it to the computer, enter the wrong password on the login screen and click on the item that appears to begin the reset.

Using Online NT Password & Registry Editor to reset Windows 10 password

If you have forgotten or lost your password, and you did not have time to create a drive to reset it before this unpleasant incident, then it makes sense to use third-party tools. In this case, the Online NT Password & Registry Editor utility. Like similar tools, it can reset passwords for user accounts, although only local ones. She can't reset her Microsoft account password. But it can help you bypass a blocked entry and get into the system.

Before using Online NT Password & Registry Editor, you need to burn it to a USB flash drive. To do this, you still have to get a computer somewhere. Next, do the following:

If something went wrong, you can download the archive marked CD, extract the ISO image from it and use the WinSetupFromUSB program. Please note that in your case, when setting up this utility, you need to check the box next to SysLinux bootsector/Linux distribution using.

So, you managed to create a USB flash drive to reset your password. What to do next? Here's what:

1. Connect the USB drive to the computer on which you need to reset the password or somehow gain access to the system.
2. Turn on your computer and boot the USB flash drive by selecting it in the Boot Menu. You can read about how to call this menu in the instructions for your PC.
   
   
3. Many different messages should appear on the screen. Don't get lost. That's how it should be. Press Enter to move to the next step.
   
4. Now the utility should detect the system partition of the hard drive and display a little information about it. All you need to do is indicate its number and move on.
   
   
5. After checking the partition for the presence of all necessary files, a list of possible actions will appear on the screen. Since you are interested in resetting your password, you need to select the first option.
   
   
6. In the next step, you must also select the first item.
   
   
7. You will see a table with a list of user accounts. In the very first column you can see the so-called RID number of each account. See what number is assigned to the entry you need and enter it below. If you are trying to access a computer with a Microsoft account, you must select the hidden account Administrator.
   
   
8. Now you are offered a list of actions with the selected user record. In the case of a local account, you need to enter the number 1. If at the previous stage you selected a hidden administrator account, you need to enter the number 2.
   
   
9. As a result, a message should appear on the screen indicating a successful password reset, or a successful attempt to activate the administrator account.
   
   
10. Next, you just have to press Enter, then enter q, and then - y to finalize the changes.
    
    
11. This completes the work with the flash drive for downloading Online NT Password & Registry Editor. Pull it out and press it Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart your computer.

A password is the most important tool to protect user data from viewing and use by third parties. However, an unlearned password can also turn against the user himself. And if, for example, recovering a password for an account on any website is not a problem, then gaining access to a Windows account may raise questions. But there is a solution, and this is the Windows Password Recovery utility.

In fact, quite a few users find themselves in such a situation as losing the password for their Windows login account. In most cases, users resort to a complete reinstallation of the operating system, which can be avoided if you use the Windows Password Recovery utility to recover your password.

The Windows Password Recovery utility is an effective tool that allows you to recover or completely reset your password, as well as create a new administrator account or completely delete an existing one. The utility successfully recovers passwords for Windows 10 and lower versions of this operating system.

Password recovery progress with the Windows Password Recovery utility:

1. First of all, you will need to install the utility on any other working computer in order to create bootable media.

2. After launching the utility, you will be prompted to create a boot disk or flash drive. Please note that the trial version of the program can only create a bootable CD, and to create a bootable USB flash drive you will need to purchase the full version of the program.

3. Go to tab "Advanced Recovery" , where you will need to select the version of Windows for the computer on which the password will be recovered.

4. Return to the first tab. You will see that a third item has appeared on the screen, allowing you to save an ISO image with the utility to your computer. Subsequently, you can create a bootable disk or flash drive using any other program convenient for you.

5. If you create a boot disk (in the free version) through the Windows Password Recovery program, then all you have to do is click the button "Next" , and then "Burn" for the program to begin creating bootable media.

6. The process will begin, which will take a few minutes.

7. Once the process of writing bootable media is completed, a window will appear on the screen indicating the success of the procedure.

8. Now, armed with bootable media, you will need to connect it to the computer on which the password will be recovered, and then enter the BIOS and set the disk or flash drive as the main boot device.

9. If everything was done correctly, the following window will appear on the screen:

10. After waiting for the utility to finish loading, you will need to select the Windows disk on the screen on which the password will be reset.

11. Select the account in which the password will be reset, and just below, select the appropriate action: remove the password, change the password, delete the administrator account, create a new administrator account.

12. In our example, we are changing the old password to a new one, so, accordingly, in the next program window we will need to enter the new password twice.

13. After completing the procedure, you just have to restart your computer as usual. Ready!

Features of Windows Password Recovery:

• The utility has a free version, but there is one caveat: it works purely in trial mode, not allowing you to delete and reset passwords for Windows 8 and other versions of this OS, as well as delete an administrator account or create a new one. To complete these steps, you will need to purchase the paid version;
• The utility works with operating systems Windows XP and higher;
• The utility successfully resets and recovers the administrator password for Windows 10 and lower versions of this OS;
• Allows you to delete an existing administrator account or create a new one.

Windows Password Recovery is an effective tool for both ordinary users and professionals who repair computers. Despite the lack of Russian language support, the utility is extremely easy to use, and therefore can be recommended to everyone for quickly gaining access to a locked computer.

Sometimes Windows 10 clients 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 an old password without reinstalling Windows 10. Today we will look at all possible methods.

When 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, you must ensure the following:

1. The Caps Lock button is disabled. It converts characters to upper case, that is, if it is active, only capital letters are typed. Typically, desktop computer keyboards have a special indicator for this key. If it is on, turn it off (press it once). On laptops, as a rule, there is no indicator, so try pressing this button and entering the password again.
2. The required keyboard layout is installed, that is, the text language for typing. If it does not match the character language in your password, hold down the Shift + Alt key combination 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 the desired layout is installed, try to remember possible combinations that you could use as a password. If no options come to mind, proceed to the methods described below.

Changing your account password online

This method will solve the login problem only if you previously worked on the device using a Microsoft account. If you have not registered it or you have it, but you simply use your PC as a local user (that is, it is a separate account 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 don’t remember my password.” After that, click on “Next”.
   Provide a 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 your account was linked. In the second field you need to type 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. A letter with a special code will be sent to your email, so you must have access to your email account. Open it and look for the email from Microsoft Live (it usually sends right away or within a few minutes). Copy the code or just remember it and enter it in the appropriate field on the Microsoft website. Click “Next” now.
   Enter the code that was sent to you by email into the field.
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, or better yet, record it in a notebook to which only you have access. After entering, click on “Next”.
   Enter your new password in the first field and repeat it in the second
5. On the next page you will be notified that your password has been successfully changed.
   You are notified that access to your account has been successfully restored

You can now log into your account using the new combination.


Enter the new account password in the field

Video: changing a forgotten Microsoft account password

Via installation disk or flash drive

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

1. Turn on the computer. When it starts loading, 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 regarding this button on the website of the manufacturer of your device or in the instruction manual that came with the device if the Delete key does not work.
2. In the blue BIOS menu, in the First Boot Device parameter, set to boot from media that contains the Windows distribution.
   Install the Windows distribution media in the First Boot Device option
3. Connect the drive with the Windows 10 distribution 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, “Command Line”.
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 “Advanced parameters” item. The next step is to launch Command Prompt.

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

1. We print the word diskpart in the line. Click on 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. You will subsequently enter this letter at the beginning of all subsequent commands. To exit the first diskpart command, type exit and press Enter on your keyboard.
   Execute the diskpart and list volume commands alternately
2. We are not saying goodbye to the Command Prompt, as we need to enter a few more commands in it. The first one will be move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman2.exe. Copy it using the context menu or the Ctrl + C key combination and paste it into the black editor. Press Enter to complete it.
3. The second command is: copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe. We also copy and paste in the editor, and then press Enter.
   Run two commands in Command Prompt in turn
4. Now you need to restart the device. To do this, type 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 reboot 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 already familiar black editor for entering commands will start again.
   Re-open Command Prompt after restarting your PC
7. We print the following in the window: net user username new password. To run the command, press Enter as usual. If the username, that is, your account, consists of not one, but several words, you need to put it in quotes.
8. If, unfortunately, you do not know what your name is in the system, use the net users command to view 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 press Enter each time. Please note that characters will not appear as you type. This is done for security reasons. You can now 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: setting a new password using installation media

Using the 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 do not have a Microsoft account and an installation flash drive or disk, this instruction will be one of the best options for you.

The solution to the problem is to log in using an administrator account and then change the password in the Computer Management window. Let's talk about the steps in detail:

1. Launch the black “Command Line” editor on your PC using the instructions from the “Using an installation disk or flash drive” section 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 as follows: 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 the command net user Administrator /active:yes into the Command Prompt
3. After these steps, another “Administrator” account will appear in the lower left corner. Go through it. There is no 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. From the large list of options, select the “Computer Management” section. Select Computer Management from the context menu
5. In the window that opens, in particular, on the left side, find the item “Local users and groups” and click on it.
   Open the "Local Users and Groups" section
6. In the right part of the window, double-click the “Users” folder. We are looking for ourselves (our account) in the list. Right-click on this item. In a small menu we select “Set password”.
   In the context menu of the item that corresponds to your account, click on “Set password”
7. Read the system warning message and click “Continue.”
   Read the warning and click on “Continue”
8. We print the new password and save it. Now you can log into your account using the new combination.
   In the new window, enter the password twice and click OK
9. After the computer restarts, at the login screen, open Command Prompt again and enter the command net user Administrator /active:no in the black editor so that the administrator account disappears from the list of available ones.

Using "Registry Editor"

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

1. Log in again under the “Administrator” account as described in the “Using the Command Line” section of this article. Open “Command Prompt”.
2. In the editor, enter the word regedit. It is this that will launch the “Registry Editor” we need.
3. On the left side 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 the top panel of the window and click on “File”, and then on “Load hive”.
   Click on the "File" section and select the "Load Hive" option
5. In Windows Explorer, look for the config folder, and then the SYSTEM file. Now click on “Open”.
   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 a custom name in the field and click OK
7. Go to the newly created branch 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. In the list we also find the SetupType item, open it and set the value to 2.
10. In the left part of the window, left-click on the section you created earlier. Now click on “File” and then on “Unload Hive”. After this, 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, “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 run the exit command to exit the black editor and return to the login window. We write a new password and finally log into our account.
    Type the command exit and press Enter to exit the Command Prompt and enter a new password in the login field

Resetting your password using account recovery apps

If you do not have an installation drive with a Windows distribution, you can download a special password recovery program onto any blank media and log into the system from it to change the password. The 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 write the image.

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor: Free utility without interface

Offline Windows Password & Registry Editor is a free bootable disk image. The main feature is the lack of a graphical interface. To work in the utility, you need to enter commands from the keyboard.

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

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

What are the advantages of this utility?

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

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

Renee Passnow: paid but convenient program

The Renee Passnow utility is a paid boot disk image. The principle of its operation is to bypass the local account password and Windows OS by changing the encrypted password in the Sam registry file.

What are the program's capabilities and advantages?

• does not delete data stored on the PC;
• turns a 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 backup copies of data stored on hard drives without Windows;
• erases information from built-in storage devices completely or section by section;
• Recovers the Windows system after DBR or MBR errors occur during OS startup.

The disadvantages of the utility include the limited functionality of the free trial version. Using the latter, you will not be able to reset your password: it only gives you the opportunity to find accounts on your PC. The cost of the main paid version is 1290 rubles, and the professional version is 1790 rubles. The distribution weight is 95 MB.

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

Creating a Password Reset Disk

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

A floppy disk is only valid for the computer on which it was recorded. If you don’t remember your password and don’t have a standard floppy disk, this method of solving the problem will not work for you, since you will no longer be able to create it without access to your account. In this situation, bootable media is written using special utilities from third-party developers 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 into the computer's disk drive or connect a flash drive.
2. Launch the “Control Panel” through “Windows Search” (the magnifying glass icon on the “Taskbar”). Just enter the relevant query into the search field. Type "Control Panel" into Windows Search
3. Now launch the “User Accounts” block.
   Click on the "User Accounts" link
4. On the left side of the window, find the link “Create a password reset diskette.” She will be third. Click on it so that a window called “Forgotten Password Wizard” opens on top of the “Control Panel”.
   Select the "Create a password reset disk" link on the left side of the window
5. Read the information about the option and click on the second button “Next”.
   Click “Next” on the start page of the “Forgotten Password Wizard”
6. Using the drop-down menu, select a flash drive or disk as the storage medium for the future floppy disk.
   Select the desired media from the drop-down menu that you previously connected to your PC
7. Type the current account password and left-click “Next” again.
   Write the current password for your account
8. After this, you need to wait until the creation of the floppy disk is completed. When it is 100%, click on “Next”.
   Now you can use this drive as a method to recover your password 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 storage device. The standard Windows utility for password recovery will be stored in it. The drive can be used many times to recover your password.
11. When you need to change your password, connect the drive that contains the password floppy disk. Enter any combination of characters in the field.
12. A message will appear on the screen indicating that you entered the wrong password. The system will prompt you to enter it again. Click on OK.
13. Under the field for entering the combination there will already be the necessary “Reset password” link. 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 in this case the device is loaded not from the installation disk, but from 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.

Resetting Hard Reset

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

Let us describe this procedure in detail:

If you don't remember the password for your Windows 10 account, you have the right to delete it and set a new one. There is no need to reinstall the operating system: there are many other ways. If you do not have an installation disk with the OS distribution, select the “Command Line” method, that is, by logging in using the local “Administrator” account, or create bootable media using a special utility.