Forgot your Windows password and can't get into your PC? Start with an existing sign-in method or a saved password, then move to an account reset. The right reset option depends on whether you use a personal Microsoft account or a local Windows account.
Try your PIN or Windows Hello first
Windows has no general consumer menu that displays your existing local account password. Your options are to retrieve a copy you saved separately, reset the password, or use another configured sign-in method.
At the Windows 11 or Windows 10 sign-in screen, select your account. Under Sign-in options, choose PIN sign-in. Enter your existing PIN to reach the desktop without the forgotten password.
Already set up face or fingerprint recognition? Choose the appropriate option under Sign-in options. Look at your Windows Hello camera or touch the enrolled fingerprint sensor.
Once you're signed in, open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Password > Change. For a personal Microsoft account, select Forgot my current password and complete identity verification to create a replacement password. For a local account, select I forgot my password and answer your configured security questions to create the replacement.
Find a saved password on another device
A password saved on an accessible phone or computer gives you another way back in. An outdated copy won't work, and browser password managers do not extract your local Windows password.
In Edge, use a profile signed in with your personal Microsoft account, then open the three-dot menu > Settings > Passwords and autofill > Microsoft Password Manager. Select the saved Microsoft sign-in entry's right arrow. Complete device authentication if requested. Then select the eye icon to view the saved password.
On desktop Chrome, open More > Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager. Select the saved Microsoft entry under Passwords. Choose Show password. Complete any required authentication.
For passwords saved to your Google account, open passwords.google.com on another device. Sign in to the Google account holding your saved passwords. Inspect the saved Microsoft entry. Passwords saved only on a device are not automatically available there.
On an iPhone or iPad running iOS or iPadOS 18 or later, open Passwords. Unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. Select the saved Microsoft website entry.
An existing password-manager vault is another place to check. A local Windows password must have been stored there manually. If no saved entry exists, or the password no longer works, reset your Microsoft or local account password using the matching method below.
Reset a personal Microsoft account password
This replaces the forgotten password for your personal Microsoft account. At the Windows sign-in screen, select I forgot my password. Complete Microsoft's identity-verification prompts. Create a replacement password.
To reset from an accessible phone or computer instead, open account.live.com/password/reset. Submit your account identifier with Next. Confirm your chosen verification destination with Next. Supply the requested email-address portion or phone digits.
Select Get code. Submit the received code with Next. Submit your replacement password with Next.
Back on the locked PC, select Network. Connect the PC to the internet. Retry your recovered Microsoft account credentials.
Use your local account's reset options
Submit a password attempt using the password-entry button on the Windows sign-in screen. Select OK. Select Reset password.
Answer the security questions configured for your local account. Create a replacement password.
If you previously created a password reset USB for this account, connect it to the PC. The USB must have been created before the lockout, and it cannot reset a Microsoft account password. Select Use a password reset disk in the local-account reset flow. Complete the wizard.
If neither route is available, sign in to another existing administrator account you can access. An administrator-forced reset can affect access to password-protected credentials or encrypted material. On Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education, open Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users. This interface is unavailable in Windows Home.
Right-click the affected local user. Select Set Password.... Enter and confirm the new password.
Keep your local-account password reset USB safely stored for future lockouts; changing the account password does not require recreating it.
Recover access when Microsoft can't verify your identity
If your verification methods are unavailable or Microsoft doesn't recognize your account identifier, open support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/i-can-t-sign-in-to-my-microsoft-account and select Sign-in Helper. Enter your account email address or mobile phone number. Answer the diagnostic questions and follow the account-specific instructions.
To use a previously saved Microsoft account recovery code, enter your username at account.microsoft.com/account. Select Other ways to sign in > Use my password > Forgot password? > Use a different verification option > I don't have any of these. Enter your saved code at Do you have an account recovery code? and follow the password-update prompts; Microsoft specifies a 30-day wait for changes when two-step verification is enabled.
After trying Sign-in Helper, open support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form and select Account recovery form. Supply an accessible contact email and account-history information, preferably from a familiar device and location. Microsoft sends its decision within 24 hours, and you can retry unsuccessful requests up to twice daily.
The recovery form cannot overcome two-step verification when all alternate verification methods are unavailable. Installing Microsoft Authenticator now also cannot recover an account that never registered that authentication method.
Reset the PC only as a last resort
Preserve your backups before starting recovery. A PC reset reinstalls Windows; it does not recover your old password or restore a lost Microsoft account. Subsequent setup can still require account authentication.
For a device encrypted with BitLocker, record the recovery-key ID before attempting recovery that preserves files. Without the required key, you risk losing access to the encrypted files.
On another device, open aka.ms/myrecoverykey if the key is backed up to your personal Microsoft account. For a work or school device, open aka.ms/aadrecoverykey or ask your organization's IT department. Find the recovery key that matches the recorded ID. If you need another place to look, check an existing printout or USB/text-file backup for the key.
At the Windows sign-in screen, hold Shift while selecting Power > Restart. At Choose an option, select Troubleshoot. Select Reset this PC.
Choose Keep my files or Remove everything. Keep my files preserves personal files but removes apps and settings; Remove everything also removes personal data. Choose Cloud download or Local reinstall. Complete the reset prompts.
Keep your BitLocker recovery key separate from your Windows account credentials, since it unlocks the encrypted drive rather than your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my Windows PIN the same as my Microsoft account password?
No. A Windows Hello PIN and a Microsoft account password are different credentials.
What if I forgot my PIN too?
For a Microsoft account, select I forgot my PIN below the PIN box and complete identity verification. If that option is absent, use Sign-in options > Enter your password after recovering your password. Once signed in, open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello). Select I forgot my PIN, verify the account, and create a replacement PIN.
Can Safe Mode bypass a forgotten Windows password?
No. Safe Mode requires a password and disables PIN and biometric sign-in. It is not a forgotten-password bypass.
How do I recover a work or school account password?
Open mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info and select Can't access your account? Enter your work or school identifier and CAPTCHA. Select Next and complete the configured identity verification to set a replacement password. If self-service recovery is unavailable, select Contact your administrator.