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Skyler-B's avatar
Skyler-B
Iron Contributor
Dec 30, 2024
Solved

Create windows 10 password reset disk without knowing the password?

My son was locked out of his Windows 10 PC and unfortunately, he don't remember the password he changed recently. I need to help him create Windows 10 password reset disk to regain access to Windows ...
device management
  • Bobomm's avatar
    Bobomm
    Dec 30, 2024

    It is now a very simple task to create a Windows 10 password reset disk even you don't know the password. I successfully reset my Windows 10 password without any data loss thanks to this helpful tutorial: https://www.readdwrite.com/reset-windows-password

    You can create a password reset disk on another computer and reset the forgotten password on a locked computer!

Hannaness's avatar
Hannaness
Iron Contributor
Dec 30, 2024

Creating Windows 10 password reset disk without knowing the password is a bit of a challenge, if you haven't set up a password reset disk before forgetting your password, that’s a bummer because Windows doesn’t allow you to create one after the fact. However, there are a few other tricks you might want to consider. Here’s what you can do:

1. Get a USB Drive: You'll need a USB drive, at least 8GB. It should be empty because it will be formatted during the process.

2. Create Windows Installation Media:

  • Head over to the Microsoft Windows 10 download page.
  • Download the Media Creation Tool and run it.
  • Choose "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC."
  • Follow the prompts to create the USB installation media.

3. Boot from the USB Drive:

  • Insert the USB drive into the locked computer.
  • Restart the computer and enter the boot menu (usually by pressing a key like F12, Esc, or Delete right after you turn it on).
  • Select the USB drive to boot from it.

4. Access Command Prompt:

  • Once you boot into the Windows Setup screen, select your language and click "Next."
  • Click on "Repair your computer" at the bottom left.
  • Choose "Troubleshoot," then "Advanced options," and finally select "Command Prompt."

5. Replace the Sticky Keys Utility with cmd: 

  • In the Command Prompt, type the following commands to enable the command prompt on the login
  • screen:
    CopyReplit
    copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\
    copy /y c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe
  • This replaces the Sticky Keys utility with the Command Prompt you can use at the login screen.

6. Reboot and Trigger Command Prompt: 

  • Remove the USB and restart your PC.
  • At the login screen, hit the Shift key five times to pop open Command Prompt instead of Sticky Keys.

7. Reset the Password:

  • Type this command to reset your password:
    CopyReplit
    net user yourusername newpassword
  • Replace yourusername with your actual Windows username and newpassword with your new password.

8. Log In: 

  • Now that you’ve reset your password, log in using the new one!

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