Passwords are essential to accessing various accounts and devices in our digital lives. Whether it’s logging into your computer, unlocking your smartphone, or accessing your bank account, passwords are ubiquitous in today’s interconnected world.
However, with the many passwords we manage, occasionally forgetting one is not uncommon. It can be frustrating, especially if we haven’t securely stored our passwords or used a reliable password manager.
Losing your password feels like standing at your front door after a long day’s work, only to realize you’ve misplaced your house keys! But fear not—there are ways to regain access to your device even if you’ve forgotten your Windows 10 computer password.
In this step-by-step tutorial, I will guide you through the process of resetting your Windows 10 password without relying on any third-party tools. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Obtain a Windows 10/11 Bootable USB Drive
Before we begin, you’ll need a Windows 10 bootable USB drive. If you don’t have one, don’t worry—follow this tutorial on creating one.
Step 2: Boot Your Computer from the USB Drive
Insert your Windows 10 bootable USB drive and restart your computer. Upon restarting, your computer will launch the Windows setup program. Click on “Next” to proceed.
On the next screen, click on the “Repair your computer” link. This will take you to the Troubleshoot options.
Click on the Troubleshoot option;
Click on the “Command Prompt” option to display the command prompt window.
Step 3: Identify Your Windows 10 Partition
It’s important to identify the partition on which Windows 10 is installed since it may not always be the C: partition when you boot from a Windows 10 USB drive.
To identify the Windows 10 partition, type the following command: “bcdedit“.
On this particular computer, Windows 10 is installed on the E: partition. However, on your computer, it might have a different partition letter.
Step 4: Modify the Utility Manager Behavior
type the following commands:
copy e:\windows\system32\utilman.exe e:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak
copy e:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe e:\Windows\system32\utilman.exeStep 5: Reset Your Password
Now, unplug the USB drive and restart your computer.
On the sign-in screen, click on the “Utility Manager” icon to display the command prompt screen.
To reset your user password, enter the following command:
Net user [your username] [new password]Replace “[your username]” with your actual user account name and “[new password]” with the desired new password. For example:
"Net user zinou Azerty123"Step 6: Sign in With The New Password
Now, you can use the newly set password to sign in to your user account.
Step 7: Restore The Original Utility Manager
Once you’ve successfully signed in to your computer, it’s important to restore the original utilman.exe program to ensure your system behaves as expected.
To accomplish this, open a command prompt with administrator privileges and execute the following command:
copy Utilman.exe.bak Utilman.exe
By following these steps, you should be able to reset your Windows 10 computer password without relying on any third-party tools.
For a visual walkthrough of this process, you can also refer to this helpful video tutorial:
Remember to exercise caution and ensure you’re following the instructions accurately. With these steps, you’ll be able to regain access to your