Forgot your Windows 10 local account password? You can log in to your PC with a PIN, picture password, or your face if you have any of these login options. You can also reset your password by answering security questions on the Windows login screen. But what if none of these work for you? Don’t worry, you can also reset your Windows 10 password with a USB drive. By plugging a USB drive into your computer, you can safely reset your forgotten Windows 10 password without losing any data. This post will demonstrate how to achieve it in three different ways.
Method 1: Reset Windows 10 password with standard password reset USB drive
All versions of Windows, including Windows 10, have a built-in feature that allows you to reset your local account password using a USB drive. This requires you to create a password reset disk for your account on a USB drive before you forget your password.
Step 1: Create a password reset disk on the USB drive.
Plug a USB drive into one of your computer’s USB ports, then go to Control Panel>User Accounts>User Accounts>Create a password reset disk.
When the Forgotten Password Wizard opens, simply follow its instructions to quickly create a password reset USB drive.
Step 2: Reset Windows 10 password with the USB drive.
Make sure that the password reset USB drive you created earlier is inserted into your computer.
Go to your Windows 10 login screen and then click on the Reset password option that appears after you enter the incorrect password.
The Password Reset Wizard pops up. Step through the wizard, enter a new password when prompted, and then click Next. That’s it; you’ve successfully reset your Windows 10 password using the USB drive.
Method 2: Reset Windows 10 password with a bootable password reset USB drive
What if you have now forgotten your Windows 10 password without a password reset disk created beforehand? In this case, a bootable USB drive will help you out. You will need a Windows password reset tool like iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer and follow the steps below.
Step 1: Create a bootable password reset USB drive.
Because you forgot your Windows 10 password and are unable to log in to your computer, you need to complete this step on a different accessible computer. If you don’t have another computer, borrow one from a friend.
Install iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer on any available computer and connect a USB drive to that computer.
Launch iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer and choose the Use device option.
Make sure your inserted USB drive is detected by the software, then click Begin burning.
Click Yes when prompted, and a password reset USB drive is automatically created successfully.
Step 2: Boot your locked PC from the USB drive.
Plug the bootable USB drive you just created on another computer into the computer on which you want to reset your Windows 10 password.
Start or restart your computer, and once the first screen appears, immediately press and hold the boot menu key (usually Esc, F2, F10, or F12, depending on the computer or motherboard manufacturer) until the boot menu appears.
On the boot menu, select your USB drive and confirm it, and your computer will boot from the USB drive.
In just one minute, your computer will complete the boot from the USB drive, and you will see the iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer window, displaying your Windows 10 and all user accounts.
Step 3: Reset your Windows 10 password.
In the iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer window, select your Windows 10, select the account for which you forgot your password, and then click Reset Password.
A small dialog box will pop up asking you to confirm that you want to reset your password. Click Yes and your password will be immediately reset to blank, which means it will be deleted.
Now that your Windows 10 account password has been reset, click Reboot, then click Yes and immediately unplug the bootable USB drive. Your computer will restart normally from its internal hard drive.
After your computer restarts, Windows 10 will automatically log in without a password because you have reset your passcode to blank.
Method 3: Reset Windows 10 password with USB installation disk
You can also reset your Windows 10 password with a Windows USB installation disk. By booting your locked PC from a USB installation disk, you will be able to reset your Windows 10 password with Command Prompt. This would be a good option if you prefer to reset your Windows 10 password manually instead of using any third-party software.
Step 1: If you don’t have a Windows USB installation disk, create one on another accessible computer using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool or an ISO file.
Step 2: Plug the USB installation disk into the computer on which you want to reset your Windows 10 password, and boot your computer from it.
Step 3: After the computer has finished the boot from the USB drive, you will see the Windows Setup window. Choose Next>Repair your computer>Troubleshoot>System Image Recovery.
Step 4: In the “Re-image your computer” window, choose Cancel>Next>Advanced>Install a driver>OK.
Step 5: An Open window appears. Open your operating system drive (usually drive C) and navigate to the WindowsSystem32 folder.
Step 6: In the WindowsSystem 32 folder, find the Utilman file and rename it Utilman1, then find the cmd file and rename it Utilman. You need to refresh the current folder before you can see the changes.
Step 7: Now, unplug the USB installation disk, close all the windows on your screen, and then choose to Continue to restart your computer.
Step 8: When you get to the Windows 10 login screen, click the Ease of Access icon in the lower right corner. This will bring up the Command Prompt window. All then you need to do is type net user <user name> <new password> and press Enter to reset your Windows 10 password. Note that you need to replace <username> with your actual account name and <new password> with your new password. After that, you’ll be able to log in to Windows 10 with your new password.
Conclusion
The above are three simple and effective ways to reset your Windows 10 password using a USB drive. Thanks to these methods, you don’t have to factory reset your PC or reinstall the system if you forget your Windows 10 password. To summarize, it is recommended that you use the Windows built-in feature to create a password reset USB drive for your account before forgetting your password. A bootable USB drive is your best option if you forgot your Windows 10 password before you could create a password reset disk.