The fastest way depends on whether you remember any part of your password

If you can log in to Windows but forgot your password, you do not need to find it — you can change it to something new right from your account settings. If you cannot log in at all, you have three realistic paths: use a password reset disk if you made one before, reset it through your Microsoft account online, or use a local administrator account if one exists on your machine.

Windows does not store your password in a place you can retrieve and read. It stores a mathematical transformation of your password called a hash. This is intentional — it means even someone with full access to your computer files cannot straightforward read your password out. What you can do instead is reset it to something new, which is what the steps below cover.

Key Takeaways

  • If you can log in, go to Settings > Accounts > Your info > Password and select Change to set a new one without needing the old one.
  • If you cannot log in and have a Microsoft account, use another device to visit account.microsoft.com, select Security, and use the password reset flow to unlock your account.
  • A password reset disk created before you locked yourself out will let you reset your password at the Windows login screen without needing your Microsoft account.
  • If you have a second administrator account on the machine, you can log in as that user and reset the forgotten account's password through Settings > Accounts > Other people.
  • If none of these paths work, a Windows installation disk and the command prompt recovery mode can reset a local account password, but this requires technical steps and access to installation media.

Resetting your password when you can still log in

Open Settings by pressing the Windows key and typing "settings", then press Enter. Select Accounts on the left side, then Your info at the top. Look for the Password section and select Change.

Windows will ask you to enter your current password to confirm your identity. Type it in and select Next. You will then create a new password, type it again to confirm, and optionally add a password hint. Select Next, then Finish. Your new password takes effect when ready.

Using your Microsoft account to reset a forgotten password

If your Windows account is linked to a Microsoft account (you log in with an email address rather than a local username), you can reset your password from any other device with internet access. Go to account.microsoft.com and select Sign in. Enter your Microsoft email address.

Select "Can't access your account" at the bottom of the password field. Microsoft will ask you to verify your identity using a recovery email address or phone number you set up previously. Once verified, you can set a new password. Return to your Windows machine and log in with your new password at the login screen.

This method works even if you have never created a password reset disk. The delay is usually a few minutes for Microsoft to process the change, though it can take up to an hour in some cases.

Using a password reset disk you created before

If you created a password reset disk on a USB drive or external drive before you forgot your password, you can use it at the Windows login screen. Insert the disk, then at the login screen select "Reset password" below the password field.

Windows will launch the Password Reset Wizard. Select the disk drive containing your reset disk, then select Next. Create a new password, confirm it, and optionally add a hint. Select Next, then Finish. You can now log in with your new password and remove the reset disk.

To create a password reset disk for future use, open Settings > Accounts > Your info, select Password on the left, then select Create a password reset disk. Follow the wizard to save it to a USB drive or external drive and store it somewhere safe.

Resetting another account's password using an administrator account

If a second administrator account exists on your machine and you can log in to it, you can reset the forgotten account's password without needing the original password or a reset disk. Log in to the administrator account, then open Settings > Accounts > Other people.

Find the account you need to reset in the list and select it. Choose "Reset password" and create a new password without needing to know the old one. The account holder can then log in with this new password and change it again to something only they know.

Resetting a local account password using recovery mode

If you have no Microsoft account recovery option, no password reset disk, and no other administrator account, you can reset a local account password using Windows Recovery Environment. This requires a Windows installation disk or USB drive and involves using the command prompt.

Insert your Windows installation media and restart your computer. When prompted, select your language and region, then select "Repair your computer" at the bottom left. Choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Command Prompt. At the command prompt, type the command to list user accounts and then the command to reset the password for your account. The exact commands vary by Windows version — search for "reset local account password command prompt" plus your Windows version number to find the precise syntax.

This method is technical and straightforward to get wrong. If you are not comfortable with command-line tools, consider taking your machine to a local computer repair shop, where technicians can reset the password for a service fee.

Why you cannot straightforward retrieve your password

Your password is not stored anywhere on your computer in a form you can read. Windows converts it into a hash — a one-way mathematical transformation — the moment you create it. When you log in, Windows hashes what you type and compares it to the stored hash. If they match, you are in.

This design protects you. If someone steals your computer's hard drive, they cannot extract your password even with full access to every file. They can only try to guess it or use specialized tools to crack the hash, which takes time and is not may provide to work. The trade-off is that you cannot retrieve a forgotten password — you can only reset it to something new.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see my password if I saved it in my browser?

Yes, but only if you can log in to Windows. Open your browser, go to Settings or Preferences, find the Passwords section, and search for the website. Most browsers will show you the saved password if you confirm your Windows login. This does not recover your Windows password itself, only passwords you saved for other websites.

What if I do not remember my Microsoft account password either?

Go to account.microsoft.com and select "Can't access your account". Microsoft will verify your identity using a recovery email or phone number, then let you reset your Microsoft password. Once that is done, you can use the Microsoft account password reset flow described above to reset your Windows password.

Is there a way to bypass Windows password protection entirely?

Not without specialized tools or physical access to the hard drive, and those methods are outside the scope of normal password recovery. If you have locked yourself out completely and none of the methods above work, a local computer repair technician can help, though there will be a service charge.

Can I reset someone else's password without their permission?

Only if you have administrator access to the machine and they have given you permission to do so. If you are the primary account holder and need to reset a family member's account, you can use the "Other people" method in Settings. If the account is not on your machine, you cannot reset it.

How do I make sure I do not forget my password again?

Create a password reset disk now and store it in a safe place. Write down your Microsoft account email and recovery phone number and keep that information somewhere find. Consider using a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password to store your passwords securely, so you only need to remember one strong master password.