AskVG

How to Reset / Recover / Change Forgotten Administrator Password in Windows?

- Last updated on by

Many times we face this problem when we or our friends forget Administrator account password in Windows and can’t log into Windows. So here we are posting a few methods which can be used to change, reset or recover forgotten Windows password in Windows.

UPDATE: Windows 10 users should also check out following tutorial:

[Tip] How to Reset Forgotten User Account Password in Windows 10

Advertisement

DISCLAIMER: Following information should be used only if its your system and you have forgotten account password. Don’t use this information to access a system which is not yours without permission.

Method 1: Using “Net User” DOS Command

You can use a built-in DOS command “Net User” to change any desired user account password within seconds. You’ll need access to Command Prompt window in this method:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator as mentioned here and run following command:

net user

2. It’ll list all available user accounts in Windows.

3. Now run following command:

net user user_name new_password

Advertisement

Replace “user_name” with the desired user account name and replace “new_password” with your desired password.

For example:

net user “Vishal Gupta” 12345

Here “Vishal Gupta” is the user account name and 12345 is the new password.

Change_Administrator_Account_Password_Using_Net_User_Command.png

4. That’s it. It’ll immediately change the user account password.

Thanks to our reader “rkk djb” for sharing this trick…

Method 2: Using Password Reset Disk

Almost all Windows versions provide a built-in method to recover forgotten password by using “Password Reset Disk“. If you created a Password Reset Disk in past, you can use that disk to reset the password.

If you don’t know how to create a password reset disk, lets tell you in details. You can create the password reset disk using Control panel -> User Accounts applet.

First open Control Panel and click on User Accounts icon. It’ll open User Accounts window. Now click on your user account and then click on “Prevent a forgotten password” link given in left-side pane. It’ll open forgotten password wizard as shown in following screenshot:

Create_Windows_Password_Reset_Disk.png

Follow the instructions and you’ll have a password reset disk in your hand.

Method 3: Using Welcome or Login Screen

If you are using Windows XP, this method is the first thing which you should follow whenever you forget your Windows login password. When we install Windows, it automatically creates a hidden user account “Administrator” and sets its password to blank. So if you forget your user account password then try this:

1. Start your computer and when you see Windows Welcome screen (Login screen), press <ctrl>+<alt>+<del> keys twice and it’ll show Classic Login box.

Windows_Classic_Logon_Box.png

2. Now type Administrator in Username box and leave Password box empty. Now press Enter and you should be able to log into Windows.

3. Now you can reset your account password from “Control Panel -> User Accounts“.

Same thing can be done using Safe Mode. In Safe Mode Windows will show this in-built Administrator account in Login screen.

Method 4: Using Windows XP Setup Loophole

If the above mentioned tricks don’t work for you, try following trick which is actually a loophole in Windows XP Setup and also a big security hole:

1. Boot using Windows XP Setup CD and follow the instruction like Accepting EULA, etc.

2. When it asks to repair your existing Windows installation, accept it and press “R” key to run the repair.

3. Setup will start repairing your Windows and will start copying files, etc.

4. After a few minutes setup will restart your system and when it restarts, don’t press any key when it shows “Press any key to continue…”. Otherwise Setup will start from the beginning. Don’t press any key and setup will resume where it left.

5. Now it’ll start doing other tasks and will show a small progressbar with a few details in left side.

6. Look carefully at the details and when it shows “Installing devices“, press <Shift>+F10 keys together in your keyboard.

7. It’ll open a Command Prompt window. Now type nusrmgr.cpl and press <Enter> key.

Remove_Change_Administrator_Password_Using_Windows_XP_Setup.png

8. It’ll open the same “User Accounts” window which you see in Control Panel.

9. Now you can remove or reset any account password without any problem.

Method 5: Using Bootable Rescue Disk

You can also use various bootable rescue CDs to reset your Windows password as mentioned in following link:

Download FREE Bootable Rescue CDs from Kaspersky, BitDefender, Avira, F-Secure and Others

Method 6: Perform a Clean Installation of Windows

If all fails, simply reinstall Windows and create new user account. To recover lost data, you can use Data recovery tools available on net but the chances will be less to get your data back.

That’s all we can suggest. If you know about any other method or tool, feel free to share it in your comment…

Also check: How to Reset / Remove / Bypass a BIOS or CMOS Password?

Published in: Troubleshooting Guides, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

You are here: Home » Troubleshooting Guides » How to Reset / Recover / Change Forgotten Administrator Password in Windows?

Comments

NOTE: Older comments have been removed to reduce database overhead.

  1. Is there any way of finding out my administrator’s password without actually changing it. Just want to be able to know password on windows 7?

  2. Sir im sory but when i check my administator account with cmd it had 2 administator account Please help!!

  8. method 2 only works for my local account and method 3 requires my admin password which i forgot.

  9. acctully i forgetten my admin password ..but now i am using my pc with different (guest) account
    so how can i get my admin password or reset my admin password ,,without reseting pc

  10. hi my ex has changed my administrator password without my permission and I need to change it back I have tried to change it with the DOS command method but it is not working can you help me please

  12. I forgot the password. :o(
    I no longer want system interface connection (wife’s computer)
    I need to install/modify my system.

  13. This did not work because i tried the cmd and it said system error 5 has occurred access is denied how do i get around this

  14. This seems very nice and easier than what I tried but in vain before….However this is Windows…But XP.
    I’m searching for help with w7!

  15. Hi so from my understanding method 3 will work best for me, however when I type in net user “Brodie R” 12345 it said user not found. Can someone please help!

  16. help for got login pass word admin password is blank but it says it needs a password safe mode admid says it needs password but in f2 security admin password is blank how can I find admin password

  18. Please advise me on how to change my administrators password. I simply can’t recall it.
    Thanks, Dorothy

  19. Please advise on how to change user password on my windows 7. I cannot locate my password. Please help! My husband told me you could help me. Thanks, Dorothy

  20. My computer has Vista OS and my email program is Windows Mail. I am experiencing a problem where I can neither send or receive email – I keep seeing window titled Windows Security asking me to verify my User Name & Password. I have entered what I believe is the correct information but it is not accepted. I see a message that reads An Authentication Mechanism Must Be Entered, Where can I get correct Security information to permit my continued use of this program?

  23. Can’t get past Administrator log on window– locked out. Password reset key 2.1 won’t work. Help?

  27. I forgot and lost my Microsoft Password to open my desktop; but, thanks for your great tips on how to use the “Control, Alt, and Delete.” Now, I am back in business again. Thanks Buds for your help. … peace

  28. Method 4 worked as described through step 8 on an old XP system that I lost track of the Administrator password on and could only log in as Guest. The Admin account wasn’t available on step 8 but I could see the other local accounts and it let me create a new user account with admin priv. I figured I could log in with the new account and reset the Administrator password. But as setup continued the repair it came up to regional and language options after which it prompted to enter the product key. I no longer have access to the product key for this system and the repair resumes to that point every time I reboot it. Would have been nice to know before I started that Method 4 requires the product key to complete.

  29. Hey Tried to reset admin password as mentioned above received : System 5 error occurred
    Access Denied.. Any advise.??

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NOTE: Your comment may not appear immediately. It'll become visible once we approve it.