Reset Forgotten Windows Admin Password

What to do if you forgot Windows password?

Here's a simple method to reset forgotten Windows admin password on Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista. This trick requires you to have a Windows installation media (CD or USB).

Step 1: Boot from Windows installation media

Boot your computer with Windows installation media. If your computer is configured properly to boot from CD, you'll see this message on your screen that prompts you to press a key.

Step 2: Open Command Prompt during Windows Setup

After a while, you'll be taken to the Windows Setup screen. DO NOT click Next. Hold down the Shift key and then press F10, this will open the Command Prompt.

Step 3: Find your Windows Partition

Use the dir command to find the drive letter of the partition where your Windows system was installed. Usually the drive letter is C:\ or D:\.

Step 4: Replace Sticky Keys application

Here we need to replace Sticky Keys application (sethc.exe) with Command Prompt (cmd.exe). Type the following two commands and run each one by one: copy d:\windows\system32\sethc.exe d:\ copy /y d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\sethc.exe Note: replace d:\ with the actual drive letter of Windows partition that you've found in step 3.

Step 5: Cancel Windows Setup

After replacing sethc.exe, close the Command Prompt and quit Windows Setup. Reboot your computer without the installation media.

Step 6: Reset Windows Admin Password

When you're back at Windows logon screen, press SHIFT key continuously 5 times to open the Command Prompt. From there, you can use the following command to reset a lost admin password: net user user_name new_password Once you've reset the password, close the Command Prompt and you can then log in to your account with the new password. That's it!