Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Know when to use this method. If you have a Windows 10 computer that uses a Microsoft account (e.g., an email address) to log in, you can reset your password from online.

    • You'll need to do this from a different computer.

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Reset your password page. It's a link in step 1 of the "Online" section.

  4. 4

    Check the "I forgot my password" box. You'll find it near the top of the form.

  5. 5

    Click Next. This blue button is at the bottom of the form.

  6. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter your email address. Type in the email address for the account for which you want to reset the password.

  7. 7

    Enter the letters from the puzzle. In the text box below the jumble of letters, type in what you see in the box.

    • Remember, the letters in the box are case-sensitive.

  8. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the page.

  9. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Select a recovery option. Check either the "Text" box or the "Email" box.

    • Depending on the recovery options you set up for your account, you may have only one of these options.

  10. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter the recovery phone number or email address. If you chose the "Text" option, you'll type in the last four digits of your recovery phone number; otherwise, you'll type in the full email address that's partially starred out.

  11. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Send code. It's at the bottom of the page.

  12. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Retrieve and enter the code. Depending on the recovery option you selected, do one of the following:

    • Text — Open your phone's Messages app, open the text from Microsoft, review the code in the text message, and type the code into the text box on your computer.
    • Email — Open your recovery email address' inbox, open the email from Microsoft, review the code in the email, and type the code into the text box on your computer.

  13. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the page.

  14. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter your new password. Type whatever you want your new password to be into both text boxes on the page.

    • Your password must have at least 8 characters.

  15. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the page. As long as your passwords match each other, you should now be able to log into your Windows 10 account by entering the password you just set.

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  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Know when to use this method. If you have a Windows 10 computer that uses a Microsoft account (e.g., an email address) to log in, you can reset your password using the "I forgot my password" feature on the Lock Screen.

    • If you don't have access to the computer right now, you can also change your password online.

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    2

    Start your computer. If your computer's login screen isn't up, press the "Power"

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    button on your computer to turn it on.

  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Open the login screen. Either click anywhere on the screen or press the spacebar to bring up the password entry field.

  4. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click I forgot my password. This link should appear near the bottom of the screen.

    • If there's a PIN text box instead, you'll first have to click Sign-in options and then click the horizontal bar icon which appears.

  5. 5

    Enter the letters from the puzzle. In the text box below the jumble of letters, type in what you see in the box.

    • Remember, the letters in the box are case-sensitive.

  6. 6

    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the page.

  7. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    7

    Select a recovery option. Check either the "Text" box or the "Email" box.

    • Depending on the recovery options you set up for your account, you may have only one of these options.

  8. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    8

    Enter the recovery phone number or email address. If you chose the "Text" option, you'll type in the last four digits of your recovery phone number; otherwise, you'll type in the full email address that's partially starred out.

  9. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Send code. It's at the bottom of the page.

  10. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Retrieve and enter the code. Depending on the recovery option you selected, do one of the following:

    • Text — Open your phone's Messages app, open the text from Microsoft, review the code in the text message, and type the code into the text box on your computer.
    • Email — Open your recovery email address' inbox, open the email from Microsoft, review the code in the email, and type the code into the text box on your computer.

  11. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the page.

  12. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter your new password. Type whatever you want your new password to be into both text boxes on the page.

    • Your password must have at least 8 characters.

  13. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the page. Doing so will reset your password to the one you just entered.

  14. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next again to return to the login screen. At this point, you can enter your new password to log in.

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  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Understand when you can use this method. If you have a local account for which you can't remember the password, you can use Command Prompt to create a new administrator account which you can then use to change the password on your original account.

    • Unfortunately, you can't use this method to reset the password for a Microsoft account-linked user.
    • If you have access to a Windows 10 administrator account but not the local account, you can use the administrator account to reset the password instead.

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Create a Windows 10 installation USB drive. In order to access the setup screen, you'll need to run the initial phase of the Windows 10 installation process; to do this, you can create an installation USB drive:

    • Go to http://microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 in your computer's web browser.
    • Click Download tool now
    • Plug an 8 gigabyte (or larger) flash drive into your computer.
    • Double-click the downloaded tool file.
    • Follow the prompts, making sure to select your flash drive as the installation location.

  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    3

    Access your computer's BIOS page. Restart your computer by clicking Power

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    and clicking Restart, then begin pressing your computer's BIOS key as soon as the screen goes black.

    • Your computer's BIOS key will change depending on your computer's motherboard, so you may have to look up the key for your computer's model. Common keys include the "Function" keys (e.g., F12), the Esc key, and the Del key.
    • If your computer finishes restarting to the lock screen, you'll need to restart and try a different key.

  4. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Change your computer's boot order. To do so:

    • Find the "Boot Order" or "Advanced" tab.
    • Select your flash drive's name (or the "USB" option) using the arrow keys.
    • Move the flash drive up to the top of the list by pressing the + key.

  5. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Save and exit the BIOS. Press the "Save and Exit" key as specified by the key legend that's either on the right side of the screen or at the bottom of the screen.

    • You may be prompted to confirm this decision before proceeding.

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    Open Command Prompt. Once you reach the setup screen, press Shift+F10 (or Shift+Fn+F10 on some computers) to bring up a Command Prompt window.

    • If your computer goes to the login screen instead of the setup screen, click Power

      Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

      , click Restart, and wait for the setup screen to appear.
    • You may first have to press a key to enter the setup page. This will usually be indicated by a "Press any key to continue..." message.

  7. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Replace the Utility Manager shortcut with Command Prompt. Once the Command Prompt window opens, do the following:

    • Type move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak into Command Prompt.
    • Press Enter
    • Type copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe into Command Prompt.
    • Press Enter

  8. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Remove the flash drive and restart your computer. You can do this by pressing and holding the "Power" button on your computer until your computer turns off, pulling out the flash drive, and then pressing the "Power" button again.

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    Open Command Prompt on the Lock Screen. Once you arrive at the Lock Screen, click the "Utility Manager" icon, which resembles a dial, in the lower-left side of the screen. This will open the Command Prompt window.

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    Create a new administrator user. Once Command Prompt opens, do the following:

    • Type in net user name /add making sure to replace "name" with a username of your choice.
    • Press Enter.
    • Type in net localgroup administrators name /add again replacing "name" with the name of the user you just created.
    • Press Enter

  11. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    11

    Restart your computer. Click the Power

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    button, then click Restart.

  12. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Log in with the new administrator. Click the administrator account name that you just created in the lower-left side of the screen.

    • Windows 10 will take a few minutes to set up your account.

  13. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Change the password using your new admin account. At this point, you can change the password of any local account by using Control Panel.

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  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Understand when you can use this method. If you have access to an administrator account on your computer but you don't have the password for a specific local account (not a Microsoft account), you can log into the administrator account and change the other account's password from Control Panel.

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Open Start

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    . Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Open Control Panel. Type in control panel, then click Control Panel in the search results.

  4. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click User Accounts. This heading should be on the right half of the Control Panel window. Doing so opens your user account page.

    • If clicking User Accounts opens another page with User Accounts listed at the top of the window, click User Accounts there.

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    Click Manage another account. It's a link below your profile picture. This will bring up a list of local accounts, one of which should be the account for which you want to change the password.

  6. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Select your local account. Click the account for which you want to change the password.

  7. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Change the password. It's to the left of the account's current profile window.

  8. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter a new password. Type your new password into both the "New password" and the "Confirm new password" text boxes.

    • You can also add a password hint in the "Type a password hint" text box. This may help you remember the password in the future.

  9. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Change password. It's below the profile window. Doing so will reset the password for your local account, allowing you to log in with your new password the next time you restart your computer.

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  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Try to log in at least three times. After three login tries, you’ll see a message that says you can reset your password using Apple ID. If this message never appears, your account isn't set up to be reset from online.[1]

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click the arrow. A right-facing arrow will appear next to the Apple ID option. Clicking it opens the Apple ID login page.

  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Log into your Apple ID account. Enter your Apple ID email address and password, then press Return.

  4. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Follow any on-screen prompts. Depending on your Apple ID, you may need to verify your identity using two-factor authentication, and Apple may ask you to answer some security questions.

  5. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter your new password twice. When prompted, type your preferred password into both text boxes, then press Return.

  6. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Restart when prompted. Doing so will restart your Mac, at which point you'll arrive back at the login screen. At this point, you can select your account and log in using your new password.

    • Doing this will prevent you from being able to access your old login keychain, but you'll be asked if you want to create a new one upon logging in.

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  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Restart the Mac. Click Restart at the bottom of the login screen. Your Mac will begin to restart.

    • If your Mac has FileVault enabled and you don't know the password to disable it, you won't be able to use this method.

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Open the recovery menu. Press Command+R as soon as you finish clicking Restart, and don't let go until you see the Apple logo appear on-screen.

  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click . It's at the bottom of the screen.

  4. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Utilities. You'll find this menu item at the top of the screen. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.

  5. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Terminal. It's in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens a Terminal window in which you can type commands.

  6. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter the password reset command. Type in resetpassword and then press Return, then wait for the password reset page to open in the background.

    • Once the password reset page opens, you can close Terminal.

  7. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Select your account. Click your account's name to select it, then click Next.

  8. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Create a new password. Type your preferred new password into the "New password" and "Verify password" text boxes.

  9. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Next. It's at the bottom of the screen.

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    Click Restart. You'll find this option at the bottom of the screen. Clicking it prompts your Mac to restart to the login screen, at which point you can log in with your new password.

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  1. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    1

    Log into your administrator account. Select your administrator account, then enter the password for the account to log in.

  2. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Open the Apple menu

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    . Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

  3. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    3

    Click System Preferences…. It's in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the System Preferences window.

  4. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Users & Groups. You'll find this option in the System Preferences window. Opening it prompts a new window to appear.

  5. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click the lock icon. It's in the bottom-left corner of the Users & Groups window.

    • If the lock icon resembles an open lock, skip this step and the next one.

  6. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter your administrator password. In the text box that appears, type in your administrator password, then press Return.

  7. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Select the locked account. Click the name of the account for which you want to reset the password.

  8. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Reset Password…. It's a button near the top of the menu.

  9. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Enter a new password. Type the password you want to use into the "New password" text box, then re-enter the password in the "Verify" text box.[2]

  10. Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

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    Click Change Password. It's at the bottom of the pop-up window. This will change the user's password.

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Add New Question

  • Question

    If I got my computer from someone else, is there a way to get the password sent to me or to remove their account altogether?

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    Robert Kelly

    Community Answer

    This is entirely dependent on your version of Windows, as well as the level of access you have. I would always recommend wiping and reinstalling Windows when you get a used computer.

  • Question

    How do I log onto Windows XP if I forgot my password?

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    Reboot the computer and press "F8" before the Windows screen initializes. A boot option menu will appear. Select "Safe Mode" from the list of boot options and press "Enter." Allow Windows to boot up automatically. Log in as the Administrator and click "Yes" when the message to continue in Safe Mode appears. Click on the "Start" menu button, select "Control Panel," and then switch to Classic View. Click on the "Users" icon. Select the user account whose password you forgot and need to change. Select "Change Password." Type in the new password, confirm it and click "OK." Reboot the device and allow Windows to boot up normally. Type in the new password to log in.

  • Question

    How do I log on to a Dell studio computer with Vista?

    Can you get into a computer if you forgot the password?

    Get onto another computer and find some kind of password bypassing software. Put it on a flash drive and put that into your computer.

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  • Windows 10 computers use a four-digit PIN by default. If you don't remember your password but you know your PIN, click Sign-in options on the Lock Screen, click the dial pad icon, and type in the PIN to log in.

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  • As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

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  • If you can't get into your account, you may have to take your computer to a professional data recovery site. You may also have to wipe your computer and start over; if you have your data backed up to an external source (e.g., an external hard drive), you can use the data to restore your computer later.

    As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Go to the Windows 10 password reset support page.
2. Click Reset your password page.
3. Select "I forgot my password" and click Next.
4. Enter your email address.
5. Enter the CAPTCHA letters and click Next.
6. Select a recovery option.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions.

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