Have you ever encountered a situation where you forgot your Windows 11 password and couldn’t log into your laptop? Don’t worry, this article will introduce resetting your Windows 11 password without logging in.
Resetting Windows 11 passwords depends on the account type. Next, we’ll discuss four ways to reset your Windows 11 password without logging in.
Method 1: Reset Windows 11 password by answering security questions
Method 2: Reset Windows 11 password with tool
Method 3: Reset Windows 11 Password Using Command Prompt
Method 4: Reset Microsoft account password without Signing in
The first three methods apply to local accounts, and the fourth method applies to Microsoft accounts.
Method 1: Reset Windows 11 password by answering security questions
When you create a local account and set a password, Windows 11 asks you to add a security question in case you forget your password. So, you can reset your Windows 11 password without logging in by answering the security question.
Open the Windows 11 login screen, enter any password, press Enter, and click the OK button under Incorrect password. Try again.
Go back to Windows 11 login and click the Reset Password button.
Three security questions will then appear on the screen. Enter the correct answer below each question and click the submit (arrow) button.
Reset your password on the screen. Windows 11 will automatically log in to the desktop with the new password.
Method 2: Reset Windows 11 password with tool
If you have forgotten your Windows 11 password and security questions, then try a tool like iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer to reset your Windows 11 password without logging in. First you need another accessible computer and a USB flash drive.
Step 1: Burn iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer to USB
Download and install the iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer program on another computer, then insert the USB drive into the computer.
Launch iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer and select the USB Device button.
Click Burning, click Yes, the software will automatically burn to the U disk and create a password reset disk.
Step 2: Boot PC from USB.
Insert the USB drive into the computer that needs to reset the Windows 11 password.
Start the computer, and when the first screen appears, press and hold the boot menu key (usually F12, F10, F2, or Esc) to enter the boot menu.
Select the USB drive in the Boot Menu and press Enter.
Step 3: Reset your Windows 11 password.
After the computer finishes booting from the USB drive, you will see iSumsoft Windows Password Refixer on the display.
Select your Windows 11 and the account for which you forgot the password and click the Reset Password button.
Click Yes.
Click Restart and disconnect the USB drive from your computer so your computer will restart to Windows 11.
When you get to the Windows 11 login screen, Windows 11 will log you in automatically without requiring you to enter a password.
Method 3: Reset Windows 11 password using Command Prompt
Go to the Windows 11 login, click power button, click Restart while holding the Shift key.
When you see the “Choose an option” screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
Click See more recovery options.
Select System Image Recovery.
The Reimage Your Computer window will open. You first need to click Cancel and then click Next.
Click Advanced.
Select Install Driver, click OK to launch Open dialog.
In the Open dialog box, select This PC on the left, then locate and open the operating system drive where Windows 11 is installed.
In the operating system drive, go to Windows > System32 and look for the file named Utilman. After locating the Utilman file, rename it to Utilman1.
Then find the cmd file and rename it to Utilman.
Continue to click Cancel to close all windows and you will return to the Choose an Option screen. Click Continue to login to Windows 10.
When you get to the Windows 11 lock screen, click the accessibility icon in the lower right corner. This will open a command prompt window instead of the accessibility menu.
Now you can reset your Windows 11 password without logging in using the command prompt. Type net user Ribia 12345 and press Enter. Replace Ribia means your account name and 123456 is your new password.
Now you can log in Windows 11 using your new password.
Method 4: Reset Microsoft account password without Signing in
If you’re signed in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account, follow the steps below to reset a forgotten Microsoft account password without signing in.
On the Windows 11 sign-in screen, click the “I forgot my PIN” or “I forgot my password” option, depending on whether you signed in with a password or a PIN.
Answer the on-screen questions to verify your account, then you can set up a new PIN or password for your Microsoft account.
