Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 7: Change your Windows 8 or 10 password online
• Method 2 of 7: Changing your Windows 8 or 10 password in Safe Mode
• Method 3 of 7: Reset Windows password with a recovery drive
• Method 4 of 7: Resetting your Windows 7 or Vista password using a System Repair Disc
• Method 5 of 7: Using an administrator account to change your password on a Mac
• Method 6 of 7: Reset your Mac password with your Apple ID
• Method 7 of 7: Reset your Mac password with the "Reset Password" assistant
• Tips

Are you unable to log in to your computer because you have forgotten the password? It is frustrating not having access to your own computer, especially when you urgently need important files. Fortunately, there are easy ways to log in to your Mac or Windows computer without having the password.

To step

Method 1 of 7: Change your Windows 8 or 10 password online

1. Use a different computer to access the Live.com website for resetting your password. Using another computer, visit the website https://account.live.com/resetpassword.aspx. When the site is loaded, select Forgot your password and click on Next one.
   • This method only works if you requested a Microsoft account while setting up your computer, and use it to log in to your computer. Setting up a Microsoft account was the default, so you probably did (unless you selected another option).
2. Enter your Microsoft account email address in the blank field. Microsoft accounts often end with live.com, hotmail.com, or outlook.com. If your account name is not recognized by the website, make sure one of the domains is at the end of your username (for example, try to log in as [email protected] instead of joesmith). Enter the characters of the image below the email field when prompted and click Next one.
3. Select an authentication method. Choose one of the options to get a password reset code:
   • If you applied for a Microsoft account, you also provided a phone number and an email address (not from Microsoft) for password recovery. Select the email address or phone number and click Send code.
   • If you no longer have access to your phone or your recovery e-mail, indicate that you do not have access to it. below Enter a different email address than what you are trying to recover enter an email address that you can access (not your Microsoft account). click on Next one to send the code to the new email address.
4. Enter the code you received from Microsoft. Enter the code you received in the field below Enter your security code and click on Next one to reset your password.
   • If you received the code via text message or email, you can enter this password now. Once you have confirmed the new password, you will now be able to log in to Windows again with your Microsoft account.
   • If you don't have access to your phone account or email recovery account, you will be redirected to a form to fill in as much information about yourself for verification as possible. In addition to the standard contact details, you can also enter your bank account number and previous passwords. This information will be sent to a Microsoft representative who will review your information and contact you at your alternate email address, with a link to reset your password.

Method 2 of 7: Changing your Windows 8 or 10 password in Safe Mode

1. Restart the computer from the login screen. This way of restarting is slightly different from the one you normally use. Boot to the login screen and click the Power button. Keep ⇧ Shift while pressing Restart clicks. This is the first of the two reboots you will perform to boot into Safe Mode.
2. Choose a restart option. Once the computer has been restarted, a screen will be displayed with the message Select an option. click on Resolving problems and then on Advanced options and then on Startup Settings. click on Restart to start the machine in a screen with new options.
3. Press 4 or F4 to enter Safe Mode. The specific key for booting into Safe Mode varies by computer. The computer will now boot into the Safe Mode login screen.
4. Log in as Administrator. Click the arrow button to select the Administratoraccount. You do not have to enter a password now.
5. Open User Management. Press ⊞ Win+X and click on Control panel and then on User accounts.
6. click on Manage another account. In the list of accounts, choose the user account to reset the password for.
7. click on change Password. Now you can reset the password for the username that you otherwise always use. You will have to enter it twice for confirmation, then press Save clicks.
8. Restart the computer. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del and then the On / Off symbol, then Restart. The computer will now start up as usual, and you will be able to log in with your default username and the new password you created.

Method 3 of 7: Reset Windows password with a recovery drive

1. Find the recovery drive you created earlier. This method is only useful if you have previously created a recovery CD or USB stick. This method works for all versions of Windows from Windows 7. To reset a Windows XP password, read the article Recovering passwords in Windows XP.
2. Try to log in to Windows. If you entered an incorrect password, you will see an error message with the text The username or password is incorrect. click on OK.
3. Insert your recovery drive into the computer and click reset Password. This will start the Password Reset Wizard, which you can start by clicking on Next one.
4. Find the location of the passkey. In the menu you will see a list of drives on the computer. Select the location of your recovery drive and click next.
5. Enter a new password. Choose something that you will be able to remember. Type it again to confirm and then tap Next one to proceed to. You can also put a hint in the box below Think of a new reminder typing. The hint should be something to act as a reminder in case you ever forget your password. This is optional, but can be useful.
6. click on Complete to close password manager. You will return to the login screen, with which you can log in to the computer again with your username and new password.

Method 4 of 7: Resetting your Windows 7 or Vista password using a System Repair Disc

1. Insert the system repair disc into the disc drive. If you don't have a previously created recovery disk for your system, ask someone else who has Windows 7 to make one for you.
2. Restart the computer from the recovery disc. When prompted to press a key to continue, press any key.
3. Select the operating system and disk. Unless you have multiple operating systems and hard drives, there may only be one option. Choose the option Windows and remember the drive letter (this is probably C: or D :). Make sure the radio button next to Advanced recovery tools is checked and click Next one.
4. Choose Command Prompt from the menu. This will launch a black window with a prompt after which you enter the following commands to rename a number of files:
   • Type C: or D: (the drive letter you remembered earlier) and press ↵ Enter
   • Type windows system32 and press ↵ Enter
   • Type utilman.exe utilhold.exe and press ↵ Enter
   • Type copy cmd.exe utilman.exe and press ↵ Enter
   • Type exit and press ↵ Enter
5. Press the eject button on the DVD / CD player and restart your computer. When the login screen appears, click the Accessibility button at the bottom left of the screen. Usually, that button will open the accessibility options, but this time it will open Command Prompt (you'll be undoing these changes in a minute).
6. Create a new password. Type net user your username your new password, but replace your username by your username and your new password by a new password. Typexit to close the command prompt.
7. Log in with your new username-password combination. Use the new password you just set to log in again.
8. Press ⊞ Win+S. to open Search. Type command in the text box and wait for Command Prompt appears in the search results. You see Command Prompt, then right-click on it and select Run as Administrator.
9. Type the following commands at the command prompt. Now you are going to undo the renaming of the files (which you have already done before).
   • Type C: (or whatever drive letter you memorized earlier) and press ↵ Enter.
   • Type cd windows system32 and press ↵ Enter
   • Type copy utilhold.exe utilman.exe and press ↵ Enter
   • Type exit and press ↵ Enter.

Method 5 of 7: Using an administrator account to change your password on a Mac

1. Log in to your administrator account. If you have an administrator account in addition to your personal account on your Mac, you can use it to adjust your profile setting.
2. Open System Preferences. If a lock appears, click on it and log in as administrator again. Then click on the icon Users & Groups.
3. Select the account you don't have access to. Click the Reset Password button, follow the prompts and enter a new password. When the user of the account logs in again after resetting the password, they must update or reset the password themselves.

Method 6 of 7: Reset your Mac password with your Apple ID

1. Try to log in at least three times. After signing in three times, you'll see a message telling you that you can reset your password with an Apple ID. If this message does not appear, your account type is not suitable for this method.
2. Click on the arrow. This button appears next to the message about resetting your password with an Apple ID.
3. Follow the instructions for creating a password. Choose something that you can easily remember and restart your computer when prompted.
4. Create a login keychain. When the computer has restarted, you can log in with your new password. You will have to create a new login keychain for everything to work.
   • You see a message with the notification Create a new Keychain then click on it and follow the instructions on the screen.
   • If no message appears, open the Applications folder and then the Utilities folder. Open Keychain access and choose Preferences from the menu. click on Reset my default keychain and follow the instructions on the screen.

Method 7 of 7: Reset your Mac password with the "Reset Password" assistant

1. Restart the computer in Recovery OS. If you are using FileVault (which is required for this method), wait for a message to pop up at the login screen saying something like Use the Power button to turn off the computer and restart it into Recovery OS. Press and hold the power button, wait a few seconds, then turn on the computer.
2. Connect to the Internet in Recovery OS. If your computer is connected to the internet with an ethernet cable (not a wireless connection), you are already connected to the internet. To connect to WiFi, move your mouse to the top of the screen to see the WiFi icon and click connect.
3. Choose an option from the word reset screen. When the computer boots into Recovery OS you will see a screen with the message reset Password and three options below it. Choose Forgot your password and click on Next one.
4. Enter your Apple ID and your password to sign in to iCloud. This is your iCloud / Apple account password, not the username and password you use to log into your computer. Once you are logged in, Recovery OS will retrieve the password recovery key from the iCloud server.
5. Reset your password. Once your recovery code has been downloaded, enter a new password for your local computer account. Once your password has been changed, click on Restart to restart your computer. When the computer has restarted, you can log in with your new password.
6. Create a new login keychain. You see a notification with a comment like The system cannot unlock your login key fob (its wording may change depending on the version of your OS), then click Create new keychain. Follow the instructions on the screen and the message should no longer appear. If no keychain notification appears, you will have to manually create a login keychain by going to the Applications folder, Utilities and then Open Keychain Access. click on Preferences and then on Reset my default keychain.

Tips

• If you are trying to reset a Windows XP password, read the article on this topic on wikiHow
• Always set a hint for your password and create a password recovery disk when you have that option.
• If you have a Windows 7 PC and you can handle Linux, you can also recover your password with a Linux DVD.