Windows 10: Reset Password of User Account in Windows 10

How to: Reset Password of User Account in Windows 10

How to Reset Password of Local Account or Microsoft Account in Windows 10


If you have a local account on the PC, then your Windows password is what you use to sign in to your user account in Windows on the PC.

If you have a Microsoft account, then your password is what you use to sign in to online Microsoft services and Windows on PCs and devices that you use the same Microsoft account on.

You can help keep your PC or device more secure by changing your password regularly and by using a strong password. If you forget or lose your password, there are several things you can try to remove it.

Reference:

• Reset your Windows 10 local account password | Microsoft Support
• How to reset your Microsoft account password | Microsoft Support
• Change or reset your Windows password | Windows Support
• Recover Microsoft Account | Microsoft ACSR

This tutorial will show you different ways to reset the password of your or any local account and Microsoft account in Windows 10 and online.

If your PC is on a domain, your system administrator must reset your password.

If you had set Windows to automatically sign in to a local account at startup that you just changed, reset or remove the password of, then you will need to set Windows to automatically sign in to the local account at startup again to update it with the new password.

A Microsoft account password can only contain up to 16 characters.

picture password sign-in options for all Microsoft accounts on the sign-in screen and in Accounts > Sign-in options > Settings.



Contents

• Option One: To Reset Password of your Local Account at Sign-in with Password Reset Disk
• Option Two: To Reset Password of any Local Account in Netplwiz
• Option Three: To Reset Password of your Microsoft Account Online at Microsoft
• Option Four: To Reset Password of your Microsoft Account at Sign-in
• Option Five: To Reset Password of your Local Account at Sign-in

OPTION ONE [/i] To Reset Password of your Local Account at Sign-in with Password Reset Disk
If you created a password reset disk for your local account and forgot your password anytime afterwards, then you can use the password reset disk to create a new password for your local account.

You can only use a password reset disk for the local account that it was previously created for.


1 Click/tap on OK after entering an incorrect password for your local account on the sign-in screen. (see screenshot below)



2 Connect the USB flash drive that is your password reset disk.

3 Click/tap on Reset password. (see screenshot below)



4 Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



5 Select the USB flash drive that you connected in step 2 above, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



6 Type in a new password and password hint, and click/tap on Next. You can leave the password fields empty if you wanted to remove your password. (see screenshot below)



7 Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)








OPTION TWO [/i] To Reset Password of any Local Account in Netplwiz
You must be signed in as an enable the built-in Administrator account to sign in and use to reset the password of the other account.

This option should only be used if the local user has forgotten his or her password, and does not have a password reset disk.

For security reasons, Windows protects certain information by making it impossible to access if the user's password is reset. When an administrator changes the password of another user's local account on the PC, that local account will lose all EFS-encrypted files, personal certificates, and stored passwords for Web sites or network resources.


1 Type netplwiz in the search box in the Start menu or on the taskbar, and press Enter.

2 If prompted by UAC, click/tap on Yes.

3 Check the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box, select a local account (ex: Brink_2), and click/tap on Reset Password. (see screenshot below)



4 Type in a new password, and click/tap on OK. You can leave the password fields empty if you wanted to remove the password. (see screenshot below)



5 If you had set Windows to automatically sign in to a user account at startup, then you will need to set this again.

6 When finished, you can close netplwiz if you like.





OPTION THREE [/i] To Reset Password of your Microsoft Account Online at Microsoft
1 Go to the Microsoft account password reset website.

2 Enter your Microsoft account email address, phone number or Skype name if not already, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshots below)





3 If you don't want to use the Microsoft Authenticator app (Windows 10 Mobile, Android, iOS), click/tap on the Use a different verification option link. (see screenshot below)



4 Select (dot) how you would like to get your security code to verify your identity, enter the required information, and click/tap on Get code. (see screenshot below)



5 Enter your security code sent using the method you selected above, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



6 If you have two-step verification turned on for your Microsoft account, you will need to select (dot) a second way to get your security code to verify your identity again, enter the required information, and click/tap on Get code. (see screenshots below)




A) Enter your security code sent using the method you selected above, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



7 Type in a new password, reenter the new password, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



8 Your Microsoft account has now been recovered and reset with the new password. You can now Sign in to your Microsoft account on your devices with the new password. (see screenshot below)








OPTION FOUR [/i] To Reset Password of your Microsoft Account at Sign-in
This option is only available starting with Windows 10 build 16237.

You must be connected to the Internet to be able to do this option.

Starting with Windows 10 build 18305, Microsoft has revamped the Windows Hello PIN reset experience with the same look and feel as signing in on the web.






1 Click/tap on the I forgot my password link for your Microsoft account while on the sign-in screen. (see screenshot below)



2 You will now see the screen below for Just a moment. (see screenshot below)



3 Enter the characters you see, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



4 Select how you would like to get your security code, enter the required information, and click/tap on Send code. (see screenshot below)





5 Enter the code you received from Microsoft, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



6 If you have two-step verification turned on for your Microsoft account, you will need to select how you would like to get a security code one more time. Enter the required information, and click/tap on Send code. (see screenshot below)






A) Enter the code you received from Microsoft, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)




7 Enter a new password you want for your Microsoft account, and click/tap on Next.

Passwords for a Microsoft account must have at least 8 characters and contain at least two of the following: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

You must create a password that you haven't used before. To help protect your account, you need to create a new password every time you reset or change it.




8 Your Microsoft account password has now been reset and changed. Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)



9 You can now sign in to Windows 10 and your devices with your Microsoft account using the new password. (see screenshot below)








OPTION FIVE [/i] To Reset Password of your Local Account at Sign-in
This option is only available starting with Windows 10 build 17063.

If you already have a installing a new PC using a local account, setup will walk you through adding these questions and answers right there in the workflow. Once your security questions are set up, if you find yourself unable to remember your password on the sign-in screen, you will see a link to reset your password, whereupon clicking you’ll be prompted to enter the answers to your security questions.


1 While on the sign-in screen for your local account, enter an incorrect password, and press Enter or click/tap on the arrow. (see screenshot below)



2 Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)



3 Click/tap on the Reset password link. (see screenshot below)



4 Type the answers to your security questions, and press Enter or click/tap on the arrow. (see screenshot below)



5 Enter a new password you want for your local account, and press Enter or click/tap on the arrow. (see screenshot below)



6 Your password will now be reset, and you will now be signed in to Windows 10.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Add Password to Local Account in Windows 10
• How to Allow or Prevent User to Change Password in Windows 10
• How to Change Password of Local Account or Microsoft Account in Windows 10
• How to Force Local Account to Change Password at Next Sign-in in Windows 10
• How to Remove Password of Local Account in Windows 10
• How to Create a Password Reset Disk on USB Flash Drive in Windows 10
• How to Automatically Sign in to User Account at Startup in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Password Expiration for Your Microsoft Account
• How to Enable or Disable Password Expiration for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Change Maximum and Minimum Password Age for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Enforce Password History for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Change Minimum Password Length for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Change Account Lockout Threshold for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Change Account Lockout Duration for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Change Reset Account Lockout Counter for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Add or Update Security Questions for Local Account in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Use of Security Questions for Local Accounts in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Passwordless Sign-in for Microsoft Accounts in Windows 10

:)

 

How do I reset the password for my PC login screen

I found lots of good information with this web search: windows
10 reset user account password

 

Startup/login password non acceptance

Reset Password of user account. All possibilities here:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/14699-reset...

 

Actually I noticed this depends the location you pick when you create your account.

MS accounts ending in .com (i.e. US) are more restrictive in terms of password complexity than .ae or .hu where you can pick any old password you want. Not sure if it an oversight on their part or some character set issue.

 

Interesting. Thank you. *Smile