Forgot Windows 10 password and can't login in my laptop

If you’ve forgotten your Windows 10 password and can’t log in to your laptop, don’t worry — Microsoft provides several ways to reset it. You can visit the official support discussion here: Forgot Windows 10 password and can’t login in my laptop for detailed recovery steps. Using your Microsoft account credentials or a password reset disk usually helps you regain access quickly.

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Try all the command passwords you could think up. 

If you've forgotten Windows 10 password, here are a couple of other methods you can try:

(1) Password Reset Disk: If you created a password reset disk previously, plug it in and follow the prompts on the login screen to reset your password.

(2) Safe Mode: Boot into Safe Mode (restart your PC and press F8 or Shift + F8). Sometimes, in Safe Mode, you can log in with the built-in Administrator account, which may not have a password set. From there, you can change your password.

For more official help, check out：

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/reset-a-forgotten-microsoft-account-password-eff4f067-5042-c1a3-fe72-b04d60556c37

I’ve been in the same situation, so I feel your pain! If you’ve forgotten your Windows 10 password and can’t access your laptop, there are a couple of ways to reset it without losing your files:

(1) Use Microsoft Account Recovery: If your Surface is linked to a Microsoft account, you can go to the Microsoft password reset page on another device. Follow the steps to recover your account. Once you reset your password, you can log back in and access everything as usual.

(2) Offline Password Reset: If you're using a local account and don’t have any recovery options available, a tool like Offline NT Password & Registry Editor can help reset Windows 10 forgotten password without wiping your data. It involves booting from a USB and running the tool to remove the password, but it’s a bit more technical.

Either way, I’d recommend checking out the official Microsoft support page for detailed recovery options.

Hopefully, one of these methods gets you back in without having to reset everything!

The Offline NNT Password & Registry Editor (also known as chnttpw) is a well-known free tool that allows you to reset or remove Windows account passwords by booting into a specialized environment outside of Windows. It’s a powerful option if you forgot Windows 10 password, especially when other methods are unavailable, and it can reset your local account password without losing data.

However, since you specified not wanting to use bootable media or USBs, using this tool typically requires creating a bootable CD or USB, which you've indicated you'd prefer to avoid.

What you need: Another computer and a USB drive.

1. Create the bootable USB and boot from the USB
2. Follow the On-Screen Prompts.
3. The tool will boot into a blue/black text screen.

• It will ask you to select the Windows partition (drive). It usually highlights the correct one. Press Enter.
• It will ask for the registry path. The default is [Windows\System32\Config]. Press Enter.
• At the main menu, type 1 and press Enter for "Password reset [sam]".
• To list users, type 1 and press Enter. Note your exact username.
• If forgot Windows 10 password and change the password, type 2, enter your username, and press Enter.
• At the user menu, to clear/remove the password, type 1 and press Enter.
• Press ! to go back, then q to quit.
• CRITICAL: When it asks "Write hive files? (y/n)", you MUST type y and press Enter to save the changes.
• Confirm again by typing y when it asks "About to write file(s) back! Do it?".

4. Log In: The laptop will reboot. On the login screen, select your user and press Enter with no password. You will be logged in.

What you can do instead:

• Consider using Safe Mode with Command Prompt (if accessible) to reset your password. Or, if you can access the Advanced Startup Options, you might be able to enable the built-in 
• Administrator account and reset your password that way.
• Alternatively, contact HP support for specialized recovery options tailored to your device.

Did you have a Windows 10 password reset USB?

Think of it exactly like a spare key for your house. You don't create the spare key after you're locked out; you make it ahead of time and store it in a safe place. The Password Reset USB is that digital spare key for your computer.

If you forgot Windows 10 password, then follow the steps in below to get it solved:

1. On the Windows 10 login screen, type any wrong password and press Enter.
2. A link that says "Reset password..." will appear below the password field. Click on it.
3. The Password Reset Wizard will open. Click Next.
4. Insert your pre-created Password Reset USB.
5. Select the USB drive from the dropdown menu and click Next.
6. You will now be prompted to create a new password and a password hint.
7. Click Next and then Finish.
8. You can now log in to your account with the new password.

Note: This is only for resetting Windows 10 password of local account! 

By the way, this Windows 10 password reset USB is tied to the specific computer and local user account you created it for. You cannot use a reset disk from one PC to unlock a different PC.

Forgot Windows 10 password? Don't worry. If your account is linked to a Microsoft account, resetting the password via command prompt might not work directly; you'll typically need to reset the password online. If you’re locked out and cannot get into Windows at all, you might need to perform a factory reset or reinstall Windows, which can lead to data loss unless you back up beforehand.

You can use the built-in command prompt utility to reset Windows 10 password without data loss when you forgot Windows 10 password on any PC or laptop.

Forgot Windows 10 Password with Command Prompt Solution

Step 1: Make a Windows 10 bootable USB and boot the locked computer from it.

Step 2: On the Windows Setup screen, select your language and click Next. Then, click "Repair your computer" in the bottom-left corner.

Step 3: Troubleshoot > Advanced Options: Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.

Step 4: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter. This temporarily replaces the "Utility Manager" on the login screen with Command Prompt.

copy c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\

Then, type this command and press Enter:

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe

When asked if you want to overwrite, type Yes and press Enter.

Step 5: Close the command prompt and restart Windows 10. On the login screen, click the "Ease of Access" icon (the little person in the bottom-right corner). This will now open a Command Prompt window with system privileges.

Step 6: Find the user name and reset Windows 10 password with command prompt.

net user
net user YourUsername NewPassword

Step 7: Close the Command Prompt. You can now log in to the account using the new password you just set.

Is it a local account or Microsoft account? The approach is different for reseting Windows 10 local account and Microsoft account. No worries!

You can reset Windows 10 password without losing data for both accounts. And there are a couple of ways you can take advantage of if you forgot Windows 10 password.

There is a method called "Enable Built-in Administrator Account". This is often the most reliable method if forgot Windows 10 password. You'll use a bootable environment to enable the hidden Administrator account, which has the power to reset any other user's password.

What to do if you Forgot Windows 10 password:

1. Create a Bootable USB: On a working computer, download the MediCet USB toolkit or Hiren's BootCD PE. Use a tool to write the ISO file to your USB drive. These are all-in-one recovery toolkits.
2. Boot from USB: Insert the USB into your locked laptop. Turn it on and immediately press the key to open the Boot Menu (usually F9, F10, or F12 for HP laptops). Select the USB drive from the list.
3. Enable the Administrator Account:
   Once booted into the recovery environment, open the Start Menu and find a tool called "Passwords & Keys," "Lazesoft Recovery," or "NT Password Editor."
   These tools have a graphical interface. You simply select your Windows installation drive (usually C:) and browse the user accounts.
   Find the built-in Administrator account and enable it or set a blank password for it.
   Apply the changes and restart the computer, removing the USB drive.
4. Reset Your Password:
   On the Windows login screen, you will now see the Administrator account. Log into it (no password required).
   Once logged in, right-click on This PC and select Manage.
   Go to Local Users and Groups > Users, right-click on your locked user account, and select "Set Password". Follow the prompts.
   Log out of the Administrator account and log back into your own account with the new password.

Why it's great: It uses Windows' own built-in tools and is very safe for your data.