How to reset your Windows 10 password when you forget it

Learn how to reset your Windows 10 password whether you use a Microsoft account or a local account.

Uh-oh, you forgot your Windows 10 password. Maybe you changed it recently and don’t remember the new password. You may have entered a password that you think is the correct password, but Windows just won’t accept it. Windows 10 offers other login methods, such as PIN, fingerprint scan, and facial recognition. But even if you can log in using one of these other methods, you should still have a working password, meaning you’ll need to reset it if you forget it.

The process differs based on your account type. If you sign in to Windows with a domain or network account through your organization, you will of course need to contact your help desk or IT support to reset your password. For our purposes here, let’s say you’re using a Microsoft account or a local account on your own laptop or desktop computer.

You can reset the password for a Microsoft account from the Windows 10 login screen or from your Microsoft account webpage. Resetting the password for a local account initially required a password reset disk that you had to set up on a USB drive. But since 2018 you can reset a local password by creating predetermined security questions and answers. Let’s take a look at your options.

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Reset your Microsoft account password

On the Windows 10 login screen, click the link for I forgot my password (Image A).

Image A

On the Verify Identity screen, click the drop-down menu to choose how you would like to receive a code to confirm your identity. You can choose to receive it via email to your primary address or by text message to your mobile phone, both of which you should have set up when you created your Microsoft account.

Choose the option you want, then type your full email address or the last four digits of your phone number in the next field. Click the Get Code button (Figure B).

Figure B

Please check your email or mobile phone for the code. Enter that code on the next screen. Click next. On the next screen to reset your password, type a new password for your Microsoft account. Click next (Figure C).

Figure C

In the next screen you will see that your password has been changed successfully. Click next. You will be returned to the Windows 10 login screen where you can enter your new password to log in (Figure D).

Figure D

You can also reset your Microsoft account password from Microsoft’s website, a handy option if you can’t access your Windows 10 device or need to sign in to your account on the Internet. Browse to the Microsoft account website. Click the Sign Up button. Enter your email address in the Sign In window. Click next. In the password window, click the link for Forgot My Password (Digits E)

Digits E

Now choose whether you want to receive the security code by email or text message. Type your full email address or the last four digits of your phone number, depending on the option you choose. Click the Get Code button (Figure F).

Figure F

In the next screen, enter the code that you will receive via email or text message. Click next (Figure G).

Figure G

On the next screen, type your new password, retype it, and then log in to Windows 10 with the new password (figure H).

figure H

Reset the password for your local account

Maybe you use a local account on one of your Windows 10 computers and want to make sure you can reset your password if you ever forget it. When you first set up Windows with a local account, you are prompted to choose three security questions. Choose the first question and then type an answer. Do the same for the second and third questions. When you are done, click Next (Figure I).

Figure I

If you need to update your security questions or answers in Windows 10, go to Settings, select Accounts, and then select the Sign-in options setting. Click the option for Password. Then click the link for Update your security questions and make the desired changes (figure J).

figure J

At some point you forget your local password. At the Windows 10 login screen, type what you think your password is. If it’s wrong, Windows will display a link for Reset Password. Click on that link. Type the answer for each of the three security questions. Click Submit after the third reply (figure K).

figure K