Forgot Your Windows 10 Administrator Password?

Windows 10 does not provide a setting that reveals a forgotten administrator sign-in password. To regain access, reset the password using the recovery method for that account. A personal Microsoft account uses online identity verification; a local account may use security questions or a password reset USB prepared earlier.

Administrator describes what an account can do on the PC, not a separate universal password. This guide covers recovering access to your own Windows 10 account. For a work or school computer, contact IT before changing an account or resetting the device.

Check the Account and Sign-In Method First

Select the correct user on the Windows sign-in screen. Open Sign-in options and check whether the box expects a password or a Windows Hello PIN. Those are different credentials. If your PIN still works, you can use it to access your desktop; it does not reveal the account password.

If you can already sign in, open Settings > Accounts > Your info to check the account. A local account belongs to this device. A personal Microsoft account is the account you use for Microsoft services. An email address can also belong to an organization, so do not assume every email sign-in is a personal Microsoft account.

Reset a Personal Microsoft Account Password

1. On another phone or computer, open Microsoft’s forgotten-password guide and follow its Reset password link. Enter the email address, phone number, or username for the account you need to recover.
2. Select an available verification method. Check that the partially hidden recovery address or phone number is yours, then follow the prompt to request a code.
3. Open the recovery inbox or phone, enter the code on Microsoft’s page, and complete the prompts to create a new password.
4. Return to the Windows 10 sign-in screen, connect the PC to the internet, select the password sign-in option, and use the new password for that same account.

If you cannot access or recognize the listed verification methods, use the sign-in helper linked in Microsoft’s guide. Creating another Microsoft account does not reset this one.

Reset a Local Account With Security Questions

Use this route if you configured security questions for the local account. They will not appear for every account.

1. At the sign-in screen, select the local account and its password option.
2. After Windows rejects the password attempt, select OK, then Reset password.
3. Answer the security questions you chose when setting up the account.
4. Follow the prompts to enter and confirm a new password, then sign in with it.

Microsoft documents this route in its local-account password reset instructions. If the questions are unavailable or you cannot answer them, check the next option rather than assuming Safe Mode removes the password requirement.

Use a Password Reset USB You Already Created

A password reset disk works for a local account and must have been created for that account while you could sign in. An ordinary USB drive or Windows installation USB is not the same tool.

1. Connect the previously prepared reset USB.
2. On the local account’s password-reset screen, select Use a password reset disk instead if that option appears.
3. Follow the wizard to select the reset disk and set a new password, then try signing in again.

You cannot create this disk retroactively from another locked account. After recovering access, Microsoft’s password reset disk guide explains how to prepare one through Control Panel and store it safely.

If Another Administrator Can Already Sign In

An existing administrator can set a new password for a local account; this does not show the old password or reset an online Microsoft account.

Microsoft’s local-password guide describes Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users, then right-clicking the correct user and choosing Set Password. Use that route only if the console is available and the administrator can already authenticate. Read its warnings before proceeding. If the account has encrypted files, certificates, or other protected data you need, get help assessing recovery before forcing a password reset.

If the required management console is missing, do not treat that as a reason to enable a hidden administrator account or use a password-cracking download. Ask the PC’s administrator or a trusted technician about the available recovery options.

If None of the Recovery Options Work

Microsoft says its support team cannot retrieve or bypass a lost password when the documented recovery options fail. For a local account with no usable recovery method or other administrator, resetting Windows may be necessary.

A PC reset is a separate recovery operation, not a password change. Back up accessible files and locate the BitLocker recovery key if the device is encrypted before considering it. Keep my files removes apps and settings; Remove everything also removes personal files. Read Microsoft’s reset-PC instructions and assess those consequences before starting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Command Prompt find the old administrator password?

A password-reset command changes a local password when run with sufficient existing permissions. It does not retrieve the forgotten password, and the instruction to run a command as administrator does not solve being unable to authenticate as one.

What if I forgot my PIN instead?

For a personal Microsoft account, the sign-in screen may offer I forgot my PIN. If it does not, try the password option and follow Microsoft’s PIN recovery guide. Do not enter the PIN in a box expecting the account password.

Can I view passwords I saved for websites?

Saved website passwords are separate from the Windows sign-in password. A browser or password manager may have a copy you deliberately saved, but Windows account settings are not a list of those passwords. Our saved-password guide explains that distinction for Windows 11.

Start with the account type and the recovery method you actually have. Browse our Windows password and account recovery guides for related sign-in tasks.