Reset A Windows 10 Password

5/2/2019 Reset a Windows 10 password – 4sysops
Reset a Windows 10 password

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4sysops - The online community for SysAdmins and DevOps
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Thu, Oct 30 2014 (https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-a-windows-10-password/)
password (https://4sysops.com/tag/password/)
235  (https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-a-windows-10-password/#comments)
The method to reset a Windows 10 password depends on the account type. A Microsoft account
requires a di erent procedure than a local account requires.
 
Ne
Mic
Azu
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About Latest Posts
Michael Pietroforte (Https://4sysops.Com/Archives/Author/Michael-

Pietroforte/)
Michael Pietroforte is the founder and editor in chief of 4sysops. He has more than 35 years of
experience in IT management and system administration.
(https://4s  
ysops.com
/archives/
https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-a-windows-10-password 1/84
author/mi
chael-
pietrofort
e/)
In my last post (https://4sysops.com/archives/recover-a-microsoft-account-password/), I explained

how you can recover a Microsoft account password using Microsoft’s online forms. If this failed, the
method described below will help you sign in again to your Windows 10 computer and access the
les associated with your Microsoft account. If you are used to signing in to your Windows 10
computer with a local account instead of a Microsoft account, you can use the method here to
reset your password.
 
Automate without programming - Easy to use

interface - Interact with anything Ne
Mic
Download VisualCron now! Ad
Azu
If you forgot the password for your Microsoft account and you were unable to reset the passwordMa
-A
with Microsoft’s online recovery methods, the best way is to create a new local account so you can
com
sign in again to your Windows 10 computer. This method will also allow you to access all of your
to t
Microsoft account’s local les. Ma
WARNING: If you encrypted les with EFS, you will no longer be able to access those les if you
follow this procedure.
 
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/This-password-is-incorrect.png)
 This password is incorrect 
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
-A
com
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Easy to use - Restore VMs, files or apps -

Free forever, unlimited number of VMs
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Following are the steps to reset a Windows 10 password:  

1. Boot from the Windows 10 DVD. Make sure that your PC setup is con gured to boot from a
DVD and that UEFI and Secure Boot are disabled.
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Boot-from-Windows-10-DVD.png)
Boot from Windows 10 DVD
2. Press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt.
 
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
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 
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Open-a-command-prompt-with-SHIFT-
F10.png)
Open a command prompt with SHIFT + F10
3. Replace the le utilman.exe with cmd.exe. Before you do this, you should make a copy of
utilman.exe so that you can restore it later. Note that you can only restore this le if you
boot again from the Windows DVD. Windows 10 is usually installed on drive D: if you boot
from a DVD. You can verify this with "dir d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe." If the system
can't nd utilman.exe, try other drive letters.
1 move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak

2 copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
 
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Replace-utilman.exe-with-cmd.exe_.png)-A
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Replace utilman.exe with cmd.exe to t
Ma
4. After you have replaced utilman.exe successfully, you can remove the DVD and restart your
problematic Windows 10 installation:
1 wpeutil reboot
 
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Reboot-Windows-10.png)
Reboot Windows 10
5. On the Windows 10 sign-in page, click the Utility Manager icon.
 
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
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 
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Click-the-Utility-Manager-icon.png)
Click Utility Manager icon
Since we replaced the Utility Manager with the cmd.exe, a command prompt should open
now. Don’t worry about the error message.
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Command-prompt-at-sign-in-page.png)
Command prompt at sign-in page
 6. You can now add a new user with the command below. We also have to add the user to the 
administrator group so that we regain full control of our Windows installation. Replace
<username> with the account name of your choice. Note that the account name must not Ne
exist on this Windows installation. Don’t let the Windows 10 screen saver distract you. Mic
Azu
Ma
1 net user <username> /add
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2 net localgroup administrators <username> /add
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 
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Add-a-new-user-and-adding-the-user-to-
the-administrator-group.png)
Add a new user and adding the user to the administrator group
7. Click the screen to make the sign-in page appear again. Your new account should show up
 and you can sign in without a password. 
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
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 
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Sign-in-with-new-local-account.png)
Sign in with a new local account
8. You can now access the les associated with your Microsoft account in the C:\Users folder.
 
Ne
Mic
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Ma
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(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Users-folder.png)
Users folder
9. If you worked with a local account instead of a Microsoft account, you can reset your
 
password in Computer Management. Right-click the Start button, select Computer
Management, and navigate to Local Users and Groups. Right-click your local account and
select Set Password.
(https://4sysops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Reset-Windows-10-password.png)
Reset Windows 10 password
A shorter way to reset the password of a local account is to replace the rst command in step 6
with the following command. (In this case, you don’t need to create a new user.)
1 net user <username> <password>
 Notice that resetting a password with this command doesn’t work with a Microsoft account. The
only way to reset a Microsoft account password (https://4sysops.com/archives/recover-a-microsoft-
account-password/) is through the online forms.
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(https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2F4sysops.com%2Farchives%2Freset-a-
windows-10-password%2F&title=Reset%20a%20Windows%2010%20password)
Articles in series
Reset Windows password
1. Reset Windows 7 / 8 administrator password (https://4sysops.com/archives/three-ways-to-reset-a-

windows-vista-admin-password/)
2. Reset Windows 8.1 password with the free tool ntpasswd (https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-windows-
8-1-password-with-the-free-tool-ntpasswd/)
3. How to reset a Windows 8 password (https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-reset-a-windows-8-

password/)
4. Forgot the administrator password? The Sticky Keys trick (https://4sysops.com/archives/forgot-the-

administrator-password-the-sticky-keys-trick/)
5. How to reset a Microsoft account password (connected account) (https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-

reset-a-microsoft-account-password-connected-account/)
6. O ine enable the Windows 8 built-in administrator account (https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-

enable-the-windows-8-built-in-administrator-account/)
7. FREE: NTPWEdit - Reset Windows 7 password (https://4sysops.com/archives/free-ntpwedit-reset-

windows-password/)
8. FREE: Trinity Rescue Kit (TRK) - Recover Windows using Linux (https://4sysops.com/archives/free-trinity-
 rescue-kit-trk-recover-windows-using-linux/) 
9. Forgot the domain admin password? (https://4sysops.com/archives/forgot-the-domain-admin-
password/) Ne
Mic
10. Prevent Windows password reset hacks (https://4sysops.com/archives/prevent-windows-password-reset-
Azu
hacks/)
Ma
11. Reset a Windows 10 password -A
com
12. Recover a Microsoft account password (https://4sysops.com/archives/recover-a-microsoft-account- to t
password/) Ma
(https://4sysops.com/archives/new-windows-server-10-storage-features/)
235 COMMENTS
(https://4sysops.com/archives/new-microsoft-azure-marketplace-a-quick-comparison-to-the-aws-
marketplace/)shamsuddin
4 years ago
 
after the complte pass word change ..how to remove utilman,exe utilman,exe,bak n
cmd.exe
1+
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=292600#RESPOND)

4 years ago
You have to boot again from your Windows setup DVD and follow steps 1-2. Then you
just copy your backup to the original les.
9+
Jonny123 2 years ago
I followed this guide on a di erent site step by step which didnt remind me to make a
back up of the utilman.exe before modi ng using cmd. Silly of me not to make a back
up, I know.
can I restore this in some way?
 2+ 
Ne
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 2 yearsMic ag
Azu
You can restore utilman.exe from a another Windows 10 installation. Another option Ma
would be to revert your computer to a previous restore point (Control Panel -> System -A
and Security -> System -> System Protection. Note that this will also reset passwordcom to
one you used at this restore point. The third is option is not to restore it. Do you reallyt
to
Ma
need this feature? You can just delete le, so nobody can use it to reset the password
on your computer.
3+
Prasad Siri 2 years ago  

Really Great Post ....Thank You So Much
1+
Smakx
4 years ago
Thanks a lot for the tip, good stu
2+
paul moody
4 years ago
Windows10 user admin seems to be borked .... created a new user ... cannot log in as th
new user and even when I change the password it says it did it but the new user cannot
still log in ...I know my install is a evaluation but someone is asleep at the wheel if we
cant change user passwords easily.
7+
 
Ylevin
Ne
4 years ago
Mic
Azu
Nice! Thank you!!
Ma
1+
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Sachin
4 years ago
Thanks for a Great Post!. I have done all the steps. In last I can see users I have created
command prompt, using net users, But Still I cant login with new user, it says invalid
username / password. My PC was on domain before upgrade to windows  10. When  I
login to domain, it says "the security database on the server does not have a computer
account for this workstation trust relationship" Please help
3+
Frank
4 years ago
What if you don't have a Windows 10 DVD to boot from?
12+
L L 2 years ago
Any bootable CD or USB disk will work. Look into Kali light, or "live" versions of Debian
or Ubuntu. These are free, and so are several programs that can burn the ISO les to
disk (I used rufus).
FreeDOS (comes with rufus) did not work because it couldn't nd the hard disk, but an
live OS that will let you manipulate the hard disk (so that you can cp cmd.exe
Utilman.exe) will work ne.
2+
 
Ne
cgramz Mic
4 years ago Azu
Ma
I followed the instructions but received this message "The system cannot nd the path -A
speci ed" com
The command I used "X:\sources>move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe ..." . Is it d:toist
Ma
the drive where Win10 installed on the pc? I even changed it to c:\, but got the same
error.
The Windows 10 Professional DVD, 10.0.10240.16405, downloaded from MS o cial site
Please advise.
Thanks  
6+
Salih (http://www.sqlkodlari.com)
4 years ago
That work. Thanks.. I am using W10 pro full (not preview or etc). Bu it is not ın the
domain. And the this knowladgebase is work for me
1+
cgramz
4 years ago
I found out the mistake when doing the steps. I left an external drive on, it took the
name "d"! After disconnect that drive, the steps have worked like a charm. Thank you
very much for this wonderful solution.
4+
 Elis Mar 
4 years ago
Hi, Ne
Mic
I got locked out from Windows 10 after upgrading because of "Password is wrong. Pleas Azu
make sure you are using your Microsoft account password. You can reset at ....". Ma
-A
I tried using this method to create a new admin user. When I try to log on, I get the com
following error (translated from Norwegian): Log in failed for User Pro le Service. Theto t
user pro le can't be loaded. Ma
Any thoughts on that?
1+
 
gjanzso
4 years ago
I repeat one of the unanswered questions, what if there is NO WIN10 DVD? My laptop
doesnt even have a CD player. I don`t have an admin account and Win7 was upgraded
to Win10. So I dont have a recovery solution as this also requires admin password to
setup.
4+

4 years ago
If you have no CD drive, you can create a bootable USB stick

(https://4sysops.com/archives/free-rufus-a-better-windows-7-usb-tool/). You can
download the ISO le from Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-
download/windows10ISO).
4+
Imaad Khan
4 years ago
 
I made a new account using cmd and followed all the steps but the only account that
shows up is the one i cant log in to Ne
please help Mic
Azu
2+ Ma
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com
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Tri Thuc 2 years ago Ma
I got the same issue. After creating new user with command prompt, restart the
computer that worked for me.
Hope this help for someone else.
1+  
Nel Acht
4 years ago
Thank you so much!
I had a wrong Win Live password AND made mscon g to stay o ine at reboot.. couldn't
log in anymore (Windows 10; o ine it asks for password instead of pin code). Changed
Win Live password, created a temp user, changed mscon g back, rebooted.. and could
log in again with both pin code and (new) password.
2+
j
4 years ago
works for Windows 8, too
1+
 Martha 
4 years ago
This save me another sleepless night reinstalling Windows 10. good job! Ne
Mic
1+ Azu
Ma
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com
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Bennie
Ma
4 years ago
Good day. I have downloaded the new Windows 10 free upgrade. My desktop only start
up, but it doesn't allow me to type in the passwords. I even checked my keyboards, but
still, nothing. Any help available or suggestion. Hope someone can help me.
1+  
Locked Out
4 years ago
Thank you very much! Perfectly explained. Cheers!
2+
StampyLongNose55
4 years ago
Will I lose les or something like that??
1+

4 years ago
You will loose les that you have encrypted with EFS and stored passwords in Internet
Explorer.
 
1+
Ne
Mic
Azu
John Ma
4 years ago
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com
Great Article, I ran into a problem with Step 7, I can't get the new user to show up on to
the
t
sign in screen. Any ideas? Ma
5+
xpee
4 years ago
 
This is awesome, thanks a million time, don't know how to thank u enough, I have been
having headache upon what to do until I stumbled upon this write up. You are such a
great help. Any way to transfer my data on the lost account to the new ine?
2+
Kathie (https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-a-windows-10-password/#comment)
4 years ago
Windows 10/says I have to change password before I can log into my PC. I don't use a
password to log in. I changed my password through MS from my phone but it still
doesn't work but don't have a window 10 DVD. What can I do?
1+
Tim
4 years ago
Great guide. Used it to solve a locked account within Fusion on a Mac.

 
I replaced drive letter in your guide to the drive letter of my guest OS (D:=C:)
Worked like a charm. Thanks
Ne
1+ Mic
Azu
Ma
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Jan to t
4 years ago Ma
Hi,
thanks for great guide. But im stucked with the same problem as "cgramz says:
August 6, 2015 at 11:42 am I followed the instructions but received this message “The
system cannot nd the path speci ed” The command I used “X:\sources>move
d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe …” . Is it d: is the drive where Win10 installed 
on the
pc? I even changed it to c:\, but got the same error."
Im running WIN 10 boot sequence from USB....
Cant really understand this solution: "cgramz says:

August 7, 2015 at 8:08 am
I found out the mistake when doing the steps. I left an external drive on, it took the
name “d”! After disconnect that drive, the steps have worked like a charm. Thank you
very much for this wonderful solution."
I dont have external drive on, just two HDD - C:\ with windowns and d:\ that i use for
documents and so on... SHould I physically disconnect D HDD??
thanks again for any advice!

Jan
2+
Jan Cerveny
4 years ago
hello and thank you for perfect step-by-step guide.
but ive ran into same problem as cgramz earlier on August 6, 2015 at 11:42 am
 receiving message “The system cannot nd the path speci ed” The command I used 
“X:\sources>move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe …” . Is it d: is the drive where Win1
installed on the pc? I even changed it to c:\ and d:\ (my other non-system HDD), but got
the same error. Ne
Mic
Im using WIN 10 bootable USB... I dont have any external drives on, only C and D HDD. Azu
Could it be maybe virtual Clone Drive running or something else?? Ma
-A
Please advice! Thank you! com
to t
Jan
Ma
Thanks
1+

 
4 years ago
Jan, try the di erent drive letters (for instance c:, d:, e:, etc.) and check with dir if there is
a windows folder. This is probably the drive where your Windows is installed.
2+
Olivia
4 years ago
Upgraded to Windows 10. Worked ne for one day. Then the next day, I was unable to
enter my password. I tried the following 2 days and again it did not allow me to enter m
password. If for some reason, I am locked out how do I solve this issue.
4+
Jan Cerveny
4 years ago
Hello Michael,
thanks, Ive already tried that...
 
Win 10 is installed on C:\ drive but when i dir cmd that drive it shows no les
whatsoever...
Ne
:puzzled Mic
Azu
2+ Ma
-A
com
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Ma
4 years ago
Maybe the drive is encrypted with BitLocker?
1+
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=293146#RESPOND)  
Jan Cerveny
4 years ago
I never encrypted it knowingly, but will check when I get home. I was wondering maybe
some other setting in BIOS?
1+
Taylor
4 years ago
YOU JUST SAVED MY LIFE!!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THIS HELPING GUIDE!!
2+
sweargen
4 years ago
You got me into my computer when I thought my head was gonna explode. Many thank
1+
 
Ne
PYL Mic
4 years ago
Azu
Ma
Thanks, I managed to create an administrator account using your technique. -A
com
There is however still one problem: the only account on the computer is now the onetoI t
Ma
have created.. Luckily I can still access les from my previous account through c:\ users,
but is it possible to restore my previous account? It seems quite cumbersome to move
all the les from the "old user" maps to the "new user" maps.
1+
 
Jeroen
4 years ago
This guy deserves a price for out-of-the-box thinking!
1+
Matthew Hall
4 years ago
Followed all the steps and not working, clicking on the utility manager icon does nothing
Does not bring up utility manager or cmd. Any suggestions?
2+

4 years ago
Matthew, this procedure always works. If clicking the icon does nothing, you most likely
made a mistake somewhere. Just try it again, and make sure that you understand every
 step. 
1+
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
ROE -A
4 years ago
com
to t
If you havent got a boot DVD you can connect your harddrive to any other Windows PC
Ma
and do the changes from there (unless you have bitlocker or some crap).
And instead of the net user commands, you can run compmgmt.msc and get the GUI
1+
 
Shantanand
4 years ago
This works perfectly,
Thank you for your post.
2+
Jim M
4 years ago
If you don't have or can't read DVD you can abort the start up by holding the power
button down for three or so times to get the Automatic Repair to start and do the
changes in the advanced settings command prompt.
2+
Cat
4 years ago
Okay, now I understand why none of your techs can answer a question.
 
Apparently, NONE of you actually READ the question, you just spout the same answers
all of the time, on every forum.
1) Mom bought her computer at Best Buy after it had been on display. Some twerp ther
Ne
decided to throw everything that was supposed to come with it away. Mic
Azu
2) This means DVD came with it. So, no way to reload anything.
Ma
3) Downloaded Windows 10 to replace the 8.1 system. -A
com
4) Your so-called Windows 10 download is not accepting any passwords. Yes, I have the
written down and sitting next to me. to t
Ma
5) The screen keeps saying Verify Error!! Press Enter to continue.
6) I feel like shipping this to you in several tiny pieces.
7) There was nothing wrong with Vista. I still have that on my tower and it has never
given me any issues. You should have left well enough alone and not messed with
anything until you ad ALL of the bugs worked out.
Hopefully, I can load Vista on this POS that your precious Windows 10  into a
has turned
$400.00 doorstop.
Now, How to we completely bypass the enter passcode screen????????? As you can tell,
this laptop will have a date with a sledgehammer.
And people wonder why I choose ice skates over atari's pong game when they were bot
o ered to me.
1+
Stephanie
4 years ago
I searched the windows/system32 folder and there is no utilman.exe located in the

directory. Could it be called something else?
1+
Kevin Perreaut
3 years ago
Hello, thank you for the tutorial.

 
I followed scrupulously your instructions. I performed to restart the pc and I can open
the cmd though the utilman button. I also created a new user but when I try to give the
administrator rights for the new account I have a system error 1376 "the local speci Ne
ed
Mic
group doesn't exist". Do you have any cues for me ? Again thank you in advance
Azu
1+
Ma
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REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=293454#RESPOND) com
to t
Ma
Kevin Perreaut
3 years ago
I found the problem. The language is in french so I had to replace administrators by

administrateurs. When I try to remove the former password there is a warning message
which said some informations will be lost during the process. Do you know what kind of
informations will be lost ?!
 
Thank you !
1+

3 years ago
Kevin, you will all information that was encrypted by Windows (Encrypting File System,
stored passwords in Internet Explorer and Edge, etc.)
1+
Lost
3 years ago
Or use NTPWEdit. Easy as pie. Just make sure you turn o secure boot and change hdd
to ata.
1+
 
Tomski (http://abtec.net)
3 years ago Ne
Mic
Saved my bacon. Thank you Thank you! Azu
Ma
1+
-A
to t
Ma
Ken Burkholder
3 years ago
This x did not work just like all Microsoft updates nobody tests them except the public
Apple looks better all the time.
1+
 
sam
3 years ago
I have a new one for ya. Only happened this morning and after spending the last 5 hour
going back and forth with Microsoft don't have the heart yet to try your system. Will do
after I calm down a bit.
Installed Windoze 10 on my laptop, did not assign a microsoft account at rst although
kept asking. Finally decide to do it with an account that I had created on my Desktop PC
but at rst it tells me this username is not available (as I have it already no doubt) and
I'm 99% sure I did use existing account, not create new account.
Anyway I end up making a typo somewhere in the email for the account, and of course
get the message that they are sending an code to the incorrect email. I procede to try
and correct the problem to no avail. However nothing is changing as I have never
activated said account. This morning lo and behold my darling laptop, love of my life is
requesting the password for the account that has the "typoed" email, and no one can ge
past it due to security reasons as I cannot access said email to recover anything.
Aye, just looking for commiseration I will be back after I have the energy to try some
recovery e orts.
3+
 
Ne
Troy Mic
3 years ago Azu
Ma
Boot F8 / Safe mode with command prompt. No need for DVD. -A
com
1+ to t
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=293552#RESPOND) Ma

3 years ago
Troy, did you try to reset a password this way without having an account on the
 
machine?
3+
Sameer
3 years ago
Thanks a lot for posting this.
After I copied cmd.exe as utilman.exe and remove startup USB drive, computer does no
boot saying no boot information available. When I change boot option from legacy to
ufe1, it again goes back to old screen and I don't see Utility Manager icon. Am I messing
up something?
1+
Sameer (http://Citi)
3 years ago
Ignore my earlier comment. It worked......Thanks a ton. You are a savior!!!!!!!!!!!
1+
 REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=293568#RESPOND) 
felix Ne
Mic
3 years ago
Azu
I followed all the steps and got into the compute again, but when I open computer Ma
-A
management there is no Local Users and Groups option, any help with this would be
com
appreciated? to t
Ma
1+
Ryan Rester
3 years ago
 
I managed it with a copy of TAILS I carry on a microSD. I keep it on my keychain in one o

those pill bottle things you can clip to a keyring. I also keep a copy of Kali, BlackArch,
Hiren's, and a few other bootable OS's along with a tiny mem card reader in there. Good
stu ! Never know when you might need 'em.
As for this bypass method... hilarious!!!! I love the fact that this slipped into the nal
product. I wonder how long until they patch it.
I really just don't like Win10 and this gives me even more reason to step away from it on
my personal devices.
Thanks!
1+
Craig
3 years ago
"Make sure that your PC setup is con gured to boot from a DVD and that UEFI and
Secure Boot are disabled"
Why so many suggest this knowing that there is nothing you can do if you had not done
 
this prior to forgetting your password and being at the point your illustration "This
password is incorrect" shows prior to step1.
Ne
1+ Mic
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=293642#RESPOND) Azu
Ma
-A
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) com
to t
3 years ago
Ma
Craig, so many are suggesting this because it works. You don't need a Windows
password to change your PC setup (BIOS). Only if you also have set a BIOS password,
won't you be able to change your PC setup.
1+
Mandy
3 years ago
You saved my life! I just had a windows 8 dvd so shift f10 didn't work or I did it wrong. I
went to advanced options then command prompt. net user username password saved
me
1+
David
3 years ago
I tried that just now the copy\move commands said that they completed, although I had
to change the drive letter. Booted to windows and no cmd.exe. The narrator just started
with the utility commands. What Next????
1+
Philip
 3 years ago 
Hi, I have somehow the same problem. I have Lenovo X1 Carbon. It does not have
Ne
CD/DVD drive.
Mic
I had windows 7 on my laptop and didn't have local/microsoft account. My laptop is Azu
Ma
equipped with a ngerprint reader and I used to loggin only by nger printing. Last wee
I updated my laptop to Windown 10. I didn't set any new password during update - A
com
process and windows 10 accepted my ngerprint setting. I was working very well, until 2
to t
days a go, and in 2 days a go, the start up page did not show nger printing option and
Ma
asks for password. I do not have any password and cannot loggin. In the start up page
there is not any other option to change the loggin from pasword to nger print.
Can you please help me.
1+
Olso
3 years ago
we haven't any boot dvd - machine was upgrated from Seven

anyway we need to set administrator built in account enable
1+

3 years ago
Oslo, you can also use a Windows 7 boot DVD. If you don't have a boot DVD, you have to
create one (https://4sysops.com/archives/free-rufus-a-better-windows-7-usb-tool/).
1+
Pieter
3 years ago
 Also very handy if you get into a safe mode loop because of a not working Microsoft 
Account password (no internet) all i had to do with the new local account, is going to
mscon g and disable the safemode switch. Should be something to disable in advanced Ne
options. MS still does not think as a user. Mic
Azu
1+
Ma
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=293804#RESPOND) -A
com
to t
Jason Ma
3 years ago
Windows 10 laptop. Followed all instructions, renaming les worked ne. NO new user
account shows up when command window is closed. Suggestions?
1+
 
Jerad
3 years ago
AWESOME! Works like a charm!! Wow, windows still isnt secure and can be cracked
easily...
If you get the error “The system cannot nd the path speci ed” - change the drive letter
from d to c.
So...
move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
Just FYI that when you are done, copy back utilman.exe:
copy c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
Yes to overwrite
2+
Anonymous
3 years ago
 
Briiant nice workaround to replace the two programs. Thanks
1+ Ne
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=294058#RESPOND) Mic
Azu
Ma
Niclas -A
com
3 years ago
to t
i get the error systemerror 1376 when trying to make the new account administrator.Ma
th
designated local group dosnt exist
1+
Niclas 3 years ago

 
im on a swedish computer btw if that matters
1+
Amanda (http://mandie.net)
3 years ago
If you get system error 1376, run this to see what your machine's local groups are, since
your Windows installation apparently didn't use "Administrators" as the name of the
administrators group (see French poster in an earlier comment):
net localgroup
BTW, works like a champ on a Surface Pro - when the machine is o , plug in the USB
stick with the Win 10 install image, hold down the Volume Down key and press the On
button (don't hold the On button down!). When the "Surface" splash screen appears,
release the Volume Down button and start from Step 2.
I used Rufus 2.7 to make a bootable USB drive formatted as FAT32 and selected MBR
partition scheme for UEFI. The image wouldn't quite t on a 4GB drive, so you'll need at
 least an 8GB one. Remember that making the USB drive will blow away anything 
currently on there!
Ne
Mic
Those of you complaining about the lack of security in Windows 10: it is even more Azu
Ma
convenient to break into an unencrypted Mac (no boot image necessary). If you're really
worried about security, encrypt your drives, no matter what OS. Of course, if you did - A
com
that, this whole trick would be pointless
to t
1+
Ma
WSMathias
3 years ago
 
i had little problem with D: then i found out my C drive content was in G: not D: then it
worked
thank you
1+
Luc
3 years ago
Your method worked perfect.
I used a window 8.1 full 64 bit cdrom to repair a newly installed win10 system.
Thank you
Luc
1+
joik
3 years ago
 In step 6. if your windows language is not English you must translate the groupname 
"administrators" to get it work. In german it is "Administratoren" for example.
net localgroup Administratoren <username> /add Ne

Mic
1+ Azu
Ma
-A
com
to t
Ajit Ma
3 years ago
Hey Mike , quick question if it is so easy to crack the windows password.. where is the
security? So if loose my laptop anyone crack the laptop open?
1+

3 years ago
There is only one way to protect a computer when an attacker got physical access. You
have to encrypt all data on the device. On a Windows machine, you can do this with
BitLocker or third-party tools. There is the security.
1+
Pauli
3 years ago
Hi, I managed to get to step 7 end, almost. My computer says now (translated to ENG)
"Service's user pro le service login failed. User pro le cannot be loaded".
Any help on this step to get forward?
Pauli
1+
 
Austin G
3 years ago Ne
Mic
So if i dont have the cd im screwed and have a 400 dollar paper weight Azu
Ma
1+ -A
to t
Ma
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 3 years ago
Right. Or if you feel that your computer is too heavy as a paper weight, you can
download Windows 10 (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-
download/windows10ISO)and create a bootable CD or USB media
(https://4sysops.com/archives/free-rufus-a-better-windows-7-usb-tool/).
 
2+
Eddie C
3 years ago
Everything works ne up until the point where I'm supposed to click on the screen and
see the user accounts. It only shows the one available (main/only local admin account)
and has the prompt for the password. There's nothing on the screen for me to click on
that will allow me to select the new user. I can see that the accounts are there when
using the "net user" command.
Can you help?
1+
There should be an option "Other user" on the logon screen. If not, then maybe the
other user account is deactivated. You can activate an user account with this
command: net user UserName /active:yes
1+
 
Bob
3 years ago Ne
Mic
Thanks very much! This sorted out my log in problem for me. Azu
Ma
1+ -A
to t
Ma
Michael
3 years ago
When booting from the disk and the windows setup screen appears, pressing shift+f10
does nothing.
1+
 

3 years ago
Does the setup screen look like in step 1? If SHIFT+F10 doesn't work, you can follow the
wizard and instead of installing Windows you choose the repair option. You should then
see a menu point for the command prompt.
1+
Jim Varu
3 years ago
Tnx!! It worked!
I used on laptop with win10 upgrated from win8.1
I didnt have win10 dvd for boot, so i use win8.1 dvd and it worked!!
but when u make new user (after step 6) u must restart the pc , to see the new
user account.
click on screen didnt work for me.

 
1+
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=300534#RESPOND) Ne
Mic
Azu
Gary Williamson Ma
3 years ago -A
com
Great stu however I cannot reset the password in Computer Management. I do not to t
have an online account for this user so only on my PC. Ma
I have "run as administrator" but it will not let me change the password due to
permissions;
"The System is not authorative for the speci ed account and therefore cannot complete
the operation........"
 
I can work with the new account I created but it would have been great if that last bit
work too.
Thanks!!
1+
Casey Hayes
3 years ago
So I went thru this process and successfully moved and copied the command prompt
into the utilman location. My problem is that after I ejected the Win 10 CD and rebooted
no OS was available.
I did disable UEFI and Secure boot in BIOS rst as well.
I restored the utilman.bak le and cmd to the proper location from the recovery disk an
Windows booted back up ne back to the password I don't remember.
Any suggestions???
1+
 

Ne
Casey, I don't think that your problem is related to utilman.exe. You have to set yourMic
UEFI and Secure boot settings to the original con guration if you want to boot Window Azu
from the hard disk. Ma
-A
1+ com
to t
Ma
Ceo Phil
3 years ago
Thank u so much OP this stu really saved my ass....I just tried it once and voila got it
down...with love from Phil in Nigeria
 
1+
DCT
3 years ago
Tried and tested .. Nice one MP, great solution. If those having problems follow the task
exactly it will work
1+
DonovanMoser
3 years ago
Q- is this maybe something that has been recently patched or ? looked, veri ed the
rename and copy successful, but on boot utiliman icon does not pull up command
prompt.. re-did and re-tested. not working.?
1+
Ne
Larry Mic
3 years ago Azu
Ma
I went thru these procedures and it worked very well. However when I tried to reboot
-A
com
from the USB stick to restore the utilman le it would not reboot from the USB and I
to t
assume its still set up to reboot from the USB and UEFI is disabled.
Ma
Also F2 won't work to get back into Bios. Any suggestions?
3+
 
Larry, I think your assumption is correct. The BIOS con guration prevents your
computer from booting from the USB drive. If you managed to access the BIOS with th
F2 key before, it should still work. You can try to continuously hit the F2 key after you
turn the computer on until the BIOS screen appears.
1+
Larry
3 years ago
Please disregard
I gured out what I was doing wrong.
1+
Lakshmi
3 years ago
 
Dude, I'm not kidding you, thanks to your post and how much it helped me, I now want
to learn more about computing. You helped me login to my computer and rekindled my
Ne
interest in computers. Mic
Azu
Thank you.
Ma
-A
1+
com
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=306060#RESPOND) to t
Ma
Je
3 years ago
or if you are simple minded and don't like using command lines in a DOS window from
35 years ago all you need to do is boot from a Linux Live CD, go into the windows
 
system32 folder and change the les , boot into windows ladadadada add a user in the
Command Window from above, 2 lines of code real simple and the only time to use
code...lol..., boot back into Linux change them les back and your done.... I don't have a
windows 10 DVD on hand, I did the free upgrade but I did have a Ubuntu CD (Linux) and
just ran it live and it works, took me less than 10 minutes to get into windows. Someone
said to download the windows 10 iso le , well its like almost 4 gigs, a Ubuntu CD is like
600 megs and it ts on a cd... size does matter....
1+
Je , I don't think that there really is a di erence between Windows and Linux here. Any
OS that supports NTFS will do. You don't have to download Windows 10. Any old
Windows ISO or CD works. You can even use Windows PE.
2+
T Riki
3 years ago
Hello:
 Your idea to enable Reset a "Windows 10 password" did not work in my case. I was 
upgrading to W10 from W7Pro locked me out at the login screen without any way to get
into system or shutdown other than physically turning o the power Ne
Mic
Upgrading from windows 7 to 10 on my stand alone desktop PC, totally changed the
Azu
color scheme and new interface. After 3 days of guring out to navigate, wanted to go Ma
back to w7. That required the deleting of the automatically created the user admin - A
account with same old local admin name without the other user and guest accounts.com
to t
While trying to create a new admin account disbled the default login admin account witMa
the old name and new user admin name and password lled up , both done in the
same window, some thing happened and the system was shut down. This lead to
starting system with no way to login. The error displayed on the login screen is "Your
account has been disabled.Please see your system administrator" without the other
users and guest. In place of 'password entry' OK is shown. Further, there are no other
buttons for shut down or ease of access shown. Repeated attempts typing the OK  go
into the same loop . The only way to shut the PC is shutting the power to to the system
Did searches on this error and searched on "Get into safe mode", "Unable to enter
Administrator password in User Account Control on windows10" and "net users".
Bootable w10 on a pen drive created through MS media creating tool, shows all the les
root screen and the old user folder to be OK. But users dir does not have the new adm
user name that was originally and now is on the login screen. Regediting registry show
users but without the new login user. NET USER shows the same info. Enabling default
admin user works okay but with msg some errors occurred
Anyway to re-enable the new system created user account again without losing all the
Program Files and Program Files (x86) in the setup through the reset(reinstall) option?
Thanks.
T Riki
Jul 8, 2016
1+
I guess your local account was converted into a Microsoft account when you upgraded
from Windows 7 to Windows 10. You can try to reset your password online
 
(https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12429/microsoft-account-sign-in-cant). If th
doesn't work, you can enable the built-in admin account
(https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-activate-the-built-in-administrator-on-windows-Ne
Mic
10-without-signing-in/).
Azu
1+
Ma
-A
com
to t
T Riki 3 years ago Ma
Jul 11, 2016
I do not recall having established a MS account. Your suggestion lead me to creating a

new Account.
The "net user administrator" command ends up with "one or more errors" but
activation of the default administrator and guest, or a new user account completes
successfully. The user Dir shows them during the session but new user vanishes on re
boot in safe mode. This seems to be the behavior with w8 recovery pen drive on a W8
laptop. In W8 safe mode either boot time or after normal loading of system the
regedit do no show the other local users who login. and the login does not show the
default admin or guest. "some thing happened" in 3rd para in my previous post seem
to have been a system crash and W10 recovery form the crash. This was in the
desktop of the user account that is not available during the boot.
How do I get to log in with the default admin or gust accounts when the login screen
does not have any button or access to the system? I am running out of 1 month
period to revert to W7 in about 5 days!
Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks.

Riki
1+

3 years ago
First of all, there is no di erence here between Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows
10. The procedure is always the same. Second, you don't need safe mode. You simply
reset the password or create a new account, then you boot up Windows as usual and
 
log on with the new account. If this doesn't work, you most likely made a mistake
somewhere along the way.
Ne
1+ Mic
Azu
Ma
-A
T Riki com
3 years ago to t
Ma
My problem is disabled user (admin) created by the the upgrade process. Not forgotten
password. I cannot enter into the system in normal boot. During reating a new admin
user was when the problem created. I did not have w10 setup dvd but had pen drive.
The safe mode does show drive x but all my les were on c:\. Neither x nor c has any
program wpeutil in their directories. Reboot by exiting safe mode, removing pendrive
and starting normally goes back to the same lockup screen.  
Following was followed :
1. A sample W8 screen for login. Has user pic, id and pswd entry space, left arrow for
other users and at the bottom corners power and ease of access buttons.
2. Locked up screen has user pic,name, error message 'ok' in place of pswd entry and
no other thing. Any entry of pswd is impossible except 'enter' showing the same
screen. 5 times quick hitting of space key puts out sticky key msg and activation does
not seem to do any good. Window key and x or l etc do nothing. Fn keys seem to be
useless.
3. Booting from w10 setup pen drive displays choice to continue with upgrade 'yes or
no'.
4. Selecting no leads to language and other preferences screen. Chosing 'next' leads to
install or repair screen
5. Repair screen leads to 'trouble shoot or turn o pc' screen
6. Trouble shoot option leads to 'reset or advanced screen'
7. Reset screen leads to 'keep my les or remove everything' and 'back arrow' options
8. Back arrow and then advanced selections lead to 'system restore', 'system image
recovery', 'start up repair', 'command prompt' and 'go back to previous build'.
9. 'recovery, image recovery and previous build fail. Repair completes successfully.
10. Command prompt leads to x drive and other drives. The commands are then
executable. there is no wpe
 11. Shift+F10 at 4 also goes to step 10 above. 
12. There was no way to get into command-administrator.
Ne
Any suggestions to re-enable the disabled account or crate a new one on this locked up
Mic
upgrade? Azu
Ma
Thanks.
-A
Riki com
to t
Ma
1+

 
I don't know what you mean with "pen drive" here, but you de nitely have to boot up
from an external media with Windows setup. It doesn't have to be Windows 10 setup.
Any Windows version will do. Then you have to follow this procedure
(https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-activate-the-built-in-administrator-on-windows-
10-without-signing-in/) to enable the built-in admin account.
Alternatively, you can create a new user in step 6 with this command:
net user MyNewUser /add
And then you can add your new user to the admin group with this command
net localgroup administrators MyNewUser /add
Then you boot up Windows 10 and you can login with the administrator account or wit
your new user.
3+
ahmad
3 years ago
 
Hi ,
Ne
I have sony vaio ultrabook, windows 10. I forgot the password and it doesnt have any cd
Mic
drive in it and also i can't open the BIOS to make usb as bootable. Can you please help
Azu
me how to reset my password or remove it or any way to get into my laptop again. I trie
Ma
so much and its just making me tired. -A
com
I really need help with this problem. to t
Ma
Regards
Ahmad
1+
 
3 years ago
This site (http://www.sony-

asia.com/microsite/vaio/htmlmanuals/20123Q/SVD1121/eng/contents/04/21/02/02.htm
describes how to enter the BIOS on Vaio computers. You have to boot from an external
media. This is the only way.
1+
Srinadh
3 years ago
Great Help Michael.. I am glad to sort the issue
1+
Blll
3 years ago
Pins, passwords, Microsoft Accounts, Windows Accounts, Domains, Admins, DVDs, ISO,
etc...
 
Who came up with this "system?" Most users I know keep a le with their myriad
passwords, etc. for all their aps on their computer. Those who do keep o -line thumb
Ne
drives or DVDs with their security data more often than not can't nd them when
Mic
needed and do not bother to keep them up to date. By attempting to make occasional Azu
updates or changes to windows (W10) access data, it's far too easy to get locked out of
Ma
the W10 system -- and if we do, how do we get to our password les to get back into -ou A
OS to recover so we can do anything? com
to t
Your recovery suggestions above appear to work successfully, but still require inordinat
Ma
time and frustration for the non-technician who does not live in this world every day to
su er through.
What am I missing?
1+
 
Paul
3 years ago
Great tip. It works. I had all accounts with admin rights disabled and this saved me to do
a new installation. With
diskpart
>list volume
> exit
you can nd the drive letter of the hard disk.
1+
Jack
3 years ago
I do all commands but naly in start page i cant open cmd.exe.
2+
Denishia Ware Ne
Mic
3 years ago
Azu
Is it possible to recover my email if I am using a mobile phone? Ma
-A
1+ com
to t
Ma

3 years ago
You mean your outlook.com or hotmail.com email address? You have to read this

(https://4sysops.com/archives/recover-a-microsoft-account-password/). 
3+
Marvin
3 years ago
My asus X540L windows 10 have a problem, my pin is not working even if i put right
code. And if i use my microsoft account the computer say, your device is o ine.please
sign in with the last password. What can i do? Please help me to solve it. Thank you..
1+
Ensure that you are really using the correct password by clicking the eye symbol in the
password eld. If that doesn't help, someone has changed password. Make sure that
the computer has access to the internet (perhaps a Wi-Fi connection you've previously
used) and then try it again. If that doesn't work reset the password online
(https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12429/microsoft-account-sign-in-cant) and
then try to log on again. If that still doesn't work, you have to follow the procedure
described in the article above.
 
1+
Ne
Mic
Marvin Azu
3 years ago Ma
-A
I did everything but nothing happend, til i found the solution post by someone in com
internet. I hold shift then i restart my laptop then options appeared. Then i hit the to t
Ma
restore and restart. Thanks,this forum gives me idea to nd more options
1+
Marvin  
3 years ago
My next question, is there any posible to downgrade my windows 10 to windows 7 even

if i buy this original windows 10?
1+
Corrine
3 years ago
what if you removed your Microsoft account from the computer before it automatically
downloaded the new windows 10 and now it has locked me out and even with these
steps I'm unsuccessful and frustrated. I have also tried a software to reset passwords
and it did not work. Am I locked out inde nitely now or what? Help I need a hacker!
Ridiculous!
1+
If you removed your Microsoft account, you had a local account before the update. Thi
 account should still exist and you can log on with it. If you really have no account, you

can enable the built-in administrator account (https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-
activate-the-built-in-administrator-on-windows-10-without-signing-in/). And you don't
Ne
really need a hacker. The procedure is is relatively simple.
Mic
Azu
1+
Ma
com
to t
Danny
Ma
3 years ago
After I created a new account, I logged in but it would not let me click on the start butto
or most of the stu s on the task bar. Do you have a solution to this?
1+
Could be a problem with the pro le. Right-click the on Start, open a command
prompt with admin rights, and try to create another account.
1+
Jaxsun
3 years ago
Found this after hours of searching. Worked perfectly except it would be helpful to tell
others that "D:" drive may be incorrect. If you have upgraded from Win 7 to Win 10 it is
likely "E:". From the initial prompt: type in dir d:\ If you don't see a Windows le, try dir
e:\ and other drive numbers other than x:\
1+
Thanks for the hint. I added a sentence about the problem.
1+
 REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=315020#RESPOND)

anil (https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-a-windows-10-password/) Ne
Mic
3 years ago
Azu
nice command Ma
-A
1+ com
to t
Ma
Steve
3 years ago
Responding here because this was the rst piece of success I had and I don't know
where else to report a variation that WORKED.  
THIS WORKS ON A WINDOWS 10 connected account even though the link below will say
windows 7
My problem was it seemed my connected account was not connecting. I knew I had the
right password but reset it online with a di erent computer anyway (then forgot the new
password 6 times after that urrgggg). This did not free up my computer. I found this and
created a new account.
As you can expect, this did not reset my password but I enjoyed learning about the net
command. Everything I tried rendered no results and it seemed all was lost. I logged int
my account online and it said my device was o even though I was looking right at it and
knew it was on.
After much more research, I found microsoft's version of xing a corrupted user pro le
at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14039/windows-7- x-corrupted-user-pro
I did a modi cation of this procedure on a Windows 10 connected account. Used cmd to
create new account AND activate administration account. From there I was able to
perform this x but...
I copied the ntuser les of the bad account to a temporary folder. Then copied ntuser
les of the new account (from administrator) to the bad account. Then logged into the
bad account. It nally accepted my password but immediately logged me out. Then I
went into admin account again and recopied the old ntuser les back to their original
location except I did not copy the updates (the ones with hex-code identi ers). Logged
into the bad account again and it worked. It took a few minutes to update which gave m
 a long blank screen but IT WORKED. 
I hope this help others that have read this far into the comments. Perhaps the
Ne
webmaster will copy into a new post to make it easier to nd for others to nd.
Mic
1+
Azu
Ma
-A
com
to t
Lexington Kentucky IT Firm (http://cssi.us) Ma
3 years ago
This is so awesome.
1+
 
Adrian (https://webtemple.ca)
3 years ago
I am trying this on a parallels machine so I was able to gain access to the disk using the
parallels drive mounter (http://kb.parallels.com/en/117557
(http://kb.parallels.com/en/117557)).
The rst problem was that the Command Prompt would not launch when pressing the
accessibility button. I restarted I think 3-7 times to get it to come up ( les were changed
in Windows\System32).
Eventually it worked and I got in.
Now I reverted the changes and Windows hangs on startup. Any ideas as to what could
be going wrong or what I could check
1+
Hannely
2 years ago
I guess your local account was converted into a Microsoft account when you
 upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10. You can try to reset your password 
online (http://www.iseepassword.com/reset-windows-10-password.html). If this
doesn’t work, you can enable the built-in admin account
Ne
(https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-activate-the-built-in-administrator-on- Mic
windows-10-without-signing-in/). Azu
Ma
-A
thanks, how can I reset my windows server 2008 r2 password? com
to t
1+
Ma
The procedure described in this post works essentially the same way in all Windows
editions.  
1+
F.Negm
2 years ago
This procedure working with me on Windows 8.1 but reboot should be done after step
to show up new user
thanks a lot Michael.......!!!
2+
You are welcome, but I don't think that you have to reboot after you create the user.
1+
F.Negm 2 years ago
 for me, new user didn't appear until i reboot my system .. 

1+
Mic
Azu
Rob Ma
2 years ago -A
com
When I click on the ease of access button nothing happens. Any ideas? to t
Ma
1+
I guess something went wrong at step 3. Ensure that cmd.exe was really
 replaced
 with
utilman.exe.
1+
Arsal
2 years ago
Excellent, thanks a lot Michael....
1+
joy
2 years ago
Hi there, I am stucked at step 3. Am currently trying to get to the part where I can create
a new account to access my locked PC (forgot my local login password for Windows10).
No matter what I try, it says "The system cannot nd the le speci ed".
Please help, could a kind soul help me step by step?
Regards
JL
 
1+
Mic
Azu
Ma
-A
Windows is probably installed on a drive with a di erent drive letter. Read the
com
instruction in step 3 how to nd the correct drive letter.
to t
Ma
1+
asd
2 years ago
 
I used to use this trick all of the time but recently I've been running into PCs where after
substituting the le Windows repairs the drive restoring the le to its original state. Is
anyone else seeing this? I can see why Microsoft would want to patch this. It basically
makes passwords useless.
1+
First of all, this trick does not make passwords useless because it only works if someon
has physical access to your computer. You can also avoid such hacks by encrypting you
system drive.
Second, I just tried the procedure on a freshly patched Windows 10 Pro and it still
worked. Thus, you either made a mistake when replacing cmd.exe with utilman.exe or
third-party solution restored the les.
2+
thangasamy
2 years ago
how should I replace utilman.exe.bak to utilman.exe after recovering my account?

 
1+
Ne
Mic
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 2 yearsAzu
ago
Ma
You have to through step1 and step 2 and then instead of step 3 you enter this -A
command: com
to t
move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe Ma
1+
Areeb (http://areebyasir.com/about-areeb-soo-yasir-and-compevo-communications/)
2 years ago  
Hey Michael thanks for the useful tutorial, it's nice to always know more ways into
Windows when you are locked out. A lot of cases I come by are from
peers/owners/managers who've acquired a business or had key IT sta leave and are
without access to critical business infrastructure.
1+
John Rispoli (https://4sysops.com/members/jjr70/)

2 years ago
I joined the site just to say THANK YOU!! You saved me a lot of headache. It worked like
charm!
To speed things up, after I entered my workstation, I was able to manually delete
utilman.exe (actually cmd.exe) before I used the DVD method and restored the original
utilman.exe.
1+
 Macus 
2 years ago
Ne
I guess your local account was converted into a Microsoft account when you Mic
upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10. You can try to reset your password Azu
online (https://goo.gl/lddIxD). If this doesn’t work, you can enable the built-in Ma
-A
admin account (https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-activate-the-built-in-
com
administrator-on-windows-10-without-signing-in/). to t
Ma
I want to thank you for sharing such a great post. I managed to get into my computer
without losing any data. One trick is that you should disable UEFI and secure boot in
order to boot from external USB drive.
1+
 
Eric Kesselring (https://4sysops.com/members/erickesselring/)

2 years ago
This is the great stu . Somewhat tedious, but good never the less. Careful attention an
you are GTG. Nothing like it for a reasonable cost when a boss tosses 5 laptops on my
lap.
Again, Major props!
1+
Mihai Ditiu
2 years ago
Thank you Michael! Good job!!!
1+
guest
 2 years ago 
when i try to run " move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak" command it gives me the le cannot be Ne
accessed by the system. how to solve this problem Mic
Azu
1+ Ma
-A
com
to t
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 2 yearsMa
ago
Did you follow steps 1-2?
1+
 
guest 2 years ago
yes
1+

2 years ago
Did you verify that utilman.exe exists on drive D: as described in step 3?
1+
guest 2 years ago
Mine in exists in C:\. there is utilman.exe exists. when i type util and click TAB its
completes the utilman.exe.
1+

2 years ago
Then why did you use D: in the command?

 
1+
Mic
Azu
guest
Ma
2 years ago
-A
com
sorry about the above comment. i just copied your from post.
to t
i tried it following: Ma
move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak"
i guess system not allow me to do it.

 
1+
What is the exact error message? And are you sure you really booted from the DVD an
not from the hard disk?
1+
guest
2 years ago
http://oi63.tinypic.com/n1qmc7.jpg (http://oi63.tinypic.com/n1qmc7.jpg)
1+
Maybe you moved the le already? Can you see it with this command: dir
c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
1+
 
guest 2 years ago Ne

Mic
utilman, cmd both exes exist in that directory. Azu
Ma
1+ -A
to t
Ma
2 years ago
That's not possible. Your error message clearly indicates that the le does not exist a
the location. Can you create a screenshot of the dir command followed by the move
the command?
 
1+
Jonas
2 years ago
Very useful! Thanks a lot!
1+
Grace
2 years ago
Hi Michael,
This post never gets stale.
I'm getting ready to brave this task and read elsewhere that you can simply use the
command, net user username newpassword, with username being the existing
username that has the forgotten password and newpassword being the new password
that you will be using. Then you exit the command prompt and log in using the new
password that was just set up.
This seems to bypass the need to create a new user in order to change the password of
 the existing user. 
Will this method work and is there a downside?
Ne
Thanks for continuing to tend this post and answer questions. Mic
Azu
2+
Ma
com
to t
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 2 yearsMa
ago
The only downside of this method that you will lose EFS encrypted data and saved
passwords in Internet Explorer of this account.
1+
 
grace
2 years ago
Hi Michael,
Please ignore my previous comment. I got bogged down with making sure I understood
all of the technical details of getting into my BIOS, using the command prompt, backing
things up and restoring it all afterwards and I was not a careful reader. I just did one las
re-read before getting started and realized that you put in the username
newpassword method at the end.
Thanks again for being a great resource!
1+
Akexandra
2 years ago
Hi;
I bought a computer online with a copy of Windows 8 and was never sent a disk, and go
an upgrade to Windows 10, still no disk.
I recently had some issue in a game I was playing, called their support and requested
assistance. They had me make a Windows account so that I may tweak a setting in the
 
XBox app (VR setting..) (neither of which I put on the computer), and the next night I
went to log in, my local pro le turned into a connected Microsoft account, and the
password I'd used in a rush while on the phone with the tech support person from my Ne
game was of course one I didn't write down nor remember, so my computer pro le has Mic
been held hostage from me since this happened. Azu
Ma
Because the Microsoft account (email) was so new, there are no email contacts or - A
subject lines to "identify me properly" and Microsoft will not assist in triggering a com
to t
password reset.
Ma
Any advice?
I can't change the password of the local account that was taken hostage in net user
command because of the connection now, "the system is not authoritative...". Microsoft
is no help whatsoever.
should I go back in time to before the computer had this happen?  

1+
Borrow a Windows disk from a friend and then follow the instructions in the article.
There is no other way.
2+
Alexanda
2 years ago
Shoot. Okay. A system restore previous to the addition of the password won't do it?
Thanks for the reply!
1+
 
If you know the password that you used when the restore point was created, you can
also do a system restore.
1+
Ne
Mic
Azu
Ma
-A
CompuGeek
com
2 years ago
to t
Ma
HUGE thanks! Saved my Win 10 free upgrade.
1+
Dhananjay  
2 years ago
Thanks a bunch...
Saved lot of my time using this trick, otherwise I had only one option, reinstall windows.
Regards,
Dj
1+
Stuart
2 years ago
Worked like a champ. My drive was C: however, not D:
1+
Samuel (http://www.elegantoccasions.co.ke)
2 years ago
Thanks a lot. I spent a whole day trying to get an acer laptop to boot to usb and even dv
to no avail. This solution really saved me a slide into depression. Am very grateful.
 
1+
Ne
Mic
Azu
furqan Ma
2 years ago -A
com
Thanks a lot to t
Ma
2+
ChristLike
2 years ago
 
Woaw! Michael Pietroforte! This is awsome! You deserve rewards for making me gain
access to my PC.
See, this procedure SHOULD WORK for EVERYONE. If you still have problems, just
navigate to system32 so that the command will be simpler (without the path). You can
even use 'rename' command!
If your Users dissapear after reboot, please make sure you work with the command
prompt you got when you click the utility manager icon which runs CMD from your
installed OS and not from disk X. You can slave your HDD or use any lightweight OS from
external to do these easily.
2+
Emil Alexe
2 years ago
The ONLY thing that worked to reset/break a password.
I've tried dozens of so-called "free" software that actually you had to pay for to be able t
reset the passwords.
GOOD JOB!
4+
 REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=374696#RESPOND)

Ne
Masahiro Umehara Mic
2 years ago Azu
Ma
Thank you very much!! -A
com
This article helped me out.
to t
Ma
I forget to uncheck a box of "Password never expired" and saw a message "Access
denied" on the login screen.
3+
 
Masahiro Umehara
2 years ago
Thank you very much!!
This article helped me out.
I forget to uncheck a box of "Password never expired" and saw a message "Access
denied" on the login screen.
3+
Olivier
1 year ago
Hello,
Thanks for this post, but it doesn't work for me, I'm stuck at the adding the rescue user
into the administrators group, it ends wit he following error code;
"System error 1376"
"Speci ed local group doesn't exist"...
Thanks for you help,

 Regards, 
Olivier
Ne
3+ Mic
Azu
Ma
-A
Olivier 1 year ago com
to t
Solved, french version administrators = administrateurs... Ma
Big thanks for your help!!!
OV.
3+
Olivier
1 year ago
Could not use the MMC component on my version, used cmd instead.
Thanks again,
Regards,
OV
3+
Swastik
1 year ago
hello,
everything went alright for me with the formation of account and everything
but at last when i try to sign in ,its saying "The User Pro le Service service failed the sign
in. User Pro le cannot be loaded"
please help me with this

 
3+
Ne
Mic
Azu
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 1 year ago
Ma
-A
Instead of adding a new user, you can try to enable the built-in administrator account
(https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-enable-the-windows-8-built-in-administrator- com
to t
account/) in step 6 with the command net user administrator /active:yes and then
Ma
follow this procedure (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/947215/you-receive-a
the-user-pro le-service-failed-the-logon-error-message) to solve the problem with the
user pro le.
3+
 
jay
1 year ago
in number 6 step.. it says password does not meet the password policy
requirements.what should i do?
3+
Try a more complex password. Include capital letters and numbers.
2+
Janek
1 year ago
Got through to Step 5, however when I press the Utility Manager Icon nothing happens.
1+
 
Ne
If nothing happens, then something went wrong in step 5 where you replaced cmd.exe
Mic
Make sure that you are on the correct drive. Maybe it is not d: on your installation. Azu
Ma
1+
-A
to t
Ma
Sezgin
1 year ago
you are a wizard man!

Thank you very much
1+  
Sezgin
1 year ago
at the end of all I deleted utilman.exe. Than I copied utilman.exe.bak from system32 to
desktop. And I renamed it utilman.exe.bak to utilman.exe, then copied it system32 folde
again. easy nish
1+
vipin
1 year ago
simply great solution
1+
July
1 year ago
 And 4 years later and it seems that this post once again was very helpful, to ME!! lol. 
Easy instructions yet detailed just saved me hours of frustrations with Windows 10 for
Ne
my wife cause she doesn't want to use Apple softwares so I get sucked to x her
Mic
Windows stu LOL. Azu
Ma
Thank you.
-A
1+
com
to t
Ma
Ashish
1 year ago
I was getting big trouble by system 32 Trojans... And after reading few site I downloaded
a malware to remove it. The rebooted the windows 10. But window doesn't accept  the
correct password. I double checked it with microsoft website. Then I thought to reset
the password, but the laptop is not connecting to any wi internet although showing
various available . I tried resetting windows, repairing it as well but it asks for password
Is there a way to protect my les on F drive because win10 is in C. My win 10 is an
upgraded version of 8.1 which comes with laptop. No Cd. Help me please
1+
Your system is compromised and you need to format C and reinstall Windows. If the
malware didn't destroy the data on F, you should be able to access your les after you
reinstall Windows. However, you will need a Windows 10 CD or USB drive.
Some laptops allow you to reset the system. Check the laptop's manual or contact the
vendor. They should also be able to tell you if drive F will be overwritten with a factory
reset.
However, the safest way is to rst boot from external media and then copy the data to
an external drive. Make sure to clean the drive with anti malware software from a
known vendor before you use the data.
Good luck!
 1+ 
Ne
Mic
coder187
Azu
1 year ago
Ma
Excellent Post - Thank You -A
com
1+
to t
Ma
David
1 year ago
Worked perfectly! Thanks a lot!  

David
1+
Roshan
1 year ago
Without using the windows 10 installation DVD is there any other way to reset the
password
1+
Yes, there are many ways to reset a Windows password

(https://4sysops.com/archives/three-ways-to-reset-a-windows-vista-admin-password/).
In general, everything that worked with Windows 7 and Windows 8 also works with
Windows 10.
1+
 
tedlaj (http://none) 1 year ago
Does this include the free NTPWEdit? Ne

Mic
1+ Azu
Ma
-A
com
JH 11 months ago to t
Ma
This is extremely wrong. Nothing that worked in 7 or 8 works in 10. You need a local
administrator account to do anything at all.
Further the method described here which is also at many other tech sites does not
work with everything Windows 10. I've been given a brand new Latitude 3180 to
evaluate for student use with disabled accounts and is running Windows 10 Pro ver
1709 and it doesn't work.  
1+

11 months ago
This method works perfectly with Windows 10. However, it does not work with any
Windows version if the system drive is encrypted. Of course, there also other ways
(https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-prevent-cleaning-lady-hacks/) to prevent acces
to the system drive.
JH, you have to be careful with generalizations. Just because you weren't able to mak
it work on one computer, doesn't mean that the method doesn't work in general.
4+
Calvince
1 year ago
I did my best to keenly read the post and even the comments that followed.
Unfortunately am realising that none seems to be addressing the scenario am
experiencing. I can't even login to my HP EliteBook 840 laptop, I have tried all the
 passwords I can remember and I only get "incorrect password"! 
This means that am technically locked out of my laptop and can't access anything in it
save for the login page. So how do I even access the start button or much that have bee
Ne
explained above? How can I bypass the password and access the laptop and then Mic
change the password thereafter? Azu
Ma
1+ -A
com
to t
Ma
Andy
1 year ago
Now my brother using this to reset my password, when he suppose to be ground from
video games how do revert this?
 
1+
yoplip (http://no.com)
10 months ago
Thank you for this method, which worked.
I could reset password, but I have lost all the session encrypted data when I modi ed th
password.
A nice warning in bold letters could be a Plus, for the idiots like me, like
"FIRST, you may access your local les and backup it through the newly created user,
before reseting the former account password via command line prompt as all data will
be lost at the moment you reset the password.
The le we needed is now lost forever.

thanks anyway
1+

10 months ago
 
Thanks for the hint. I added a warning now. But no worries, your encrypted data
probably was lost anyway. A backup of encrypted les won't help because only the use
who encrypted the les can decrypt them. In the rst EFS version this really worked.Ne
This was a big security hole and it caused quite stir when I published an article in a Mic
Azu
German magazine. It took Microsoft quite a while to x this bug.
Ma
Now, only the recovery agent in an Active Directory domain is able to recover EFS les. -A
com
1+ to t
Ma
Andrew
9 months ago
Hey, thank you so much for the steps, but I'm able to log-in with my 4 pin (4 numbers)
 
password, but I forgotten my main password. For 'Local Users and Groups', I can't seem
to locate it in the Computer Management. I further understood that my Windows 10
edition does not allow me to edit the information above. Is there any way that I could
proceed with the resetting of my Windows 10 main password?
Thank you.
1+
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 9 months a
The procedure described in this article works with any Windows 10 edition.
1+
Peter Lewis
9 months ago
Thanks for this. I had a brand new Dell Latitude 7390 turn up from a local computer
exchange shop but they left a password on it and didn't disclose it. Knowing it'll take a
few days for them to even acknowledge an issue, this allowed me to avoid their laziness
and x it myself in minutes.
 
1+
Ne
Mic
Azu
steven Ma
8 months ago -A
com
dont forget to run this command after you have access to the account: to t
Ma
copy d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
1+
Milad  
8 months ago
Dear sir,
I want to reset the password of windows 10 which is in domain.
Can u tell me the steps. If possible in my email
1+
Tom
7 months ago
Damn ... used this multiple times before. Always worked as a charm... and it saved the
day on more than one occasion... But not today.
Windows Defender found and blocked the new 'Utilman.exe', classifying it is a Trojan
(from one point of view, not entirely wrong of course).
Anyone found another approach to accomplish this for local accounts on windows 10?
1+
Michael Sylvester
 
7 months ago
Hi really pleased to nd this posting, then remembered my laptop doesn't have a CDNe
Drive!! Mic
Azu
Is there a method of creating a boot le either for a USB or similar external drive? Ma
(Windows was pre-installed on laptop) -A
com
Many thanks
to t
Mike Ma
1+

 
Yes there is. If you have the ISO le, you can create a bootable USB drive. I described it
here (https://4sysops.com/archives/install-windows-8-1-from-a-usb-stick-with-
winsetupfromusb/) for Windows 8.1, but I guess the procedure is essentially the same
for Windows 10.
1+
Lisa Kordich (https://4sysops.com/members/kordichearthlink-net/)

7 months ago
Thank you for this post. My password removal tool was hanging at Booting Kernel, whic
was frustrating me. Finally I found this, but also was not thinking about creating a copy
of the utilman.exe le since I started on a di erent site. I copied the le from my
operating system into the corresponding folder on the other computer but now that is
not working for the Ease of Access. I really wish I would have found this link rst. Thank
you so much.
1+
 Bill Sparrow 
7 months ago
Ne
I have the same problem as Tom. When I click on the Ease of Access icon, nothing
Mic
happens. Azu
Ma
I am testing the procedure on a machine where I DO know the password, before I use it
-A
for real to recover my friend's machine. After failing to get a command prompt, I logged
com
in to my machine and it told me it had detected a virus. to t
Ma
Trojan:Win32/AccessibilityEscalation.A
Alert Level: Severe
Status:Active
Date 06/10/2018
 
Recommended action: Remove the threat now.
Category: Trojan
Details: This program is dangerous and executes commands from an attacker.
Learn more
A ected items:
le C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe
1+
I don't think that antivirus software is a problem for this method because you are
booting from external media. If you failed to get a command prompt, you did not follow
the procedure correctly.
1+
Bill Sparrow
7 months ago
 Hi Michael. I guess I did not explain myself very well. Here is a revised version of my 
post...
Ne
I have the same problem as Tom. When I click on the Ease of Access icon, nothing
Mic
happens. Azu
Ma
Here is the sequence of events...
-A
com
Before trying your procedure, I tried clicking on the "Ease of use" Utility Manager icon,
to t
and it successfully displayed the Utility Manager as expected, so then I went ahead with
Ma
your procedure.
I booted from USB media and got to a command prompt.
At the command prompt I made a backup copy of utilman.exe and then overwrote
utilman.exe using the command copy cmd.exe utilman.exe.
Utility Manager
I booted back into the normal Windows and clicked on the "Ease of use" 
icon, and absolutely nothing happened.
Since I was testing the procedure on a machine where I DO know the password, before
using it for real to recover my friend's machine, I then logged in to the machine.
Windows Defender announced that it had protected me from a virus. Delving into the
details of the event, it displayed the following...
Trojan:Win32/AccessibilityEscalation.A
Alert Level: Severe
Status:Active
Date 06/10/2018
Recommended action: Remove the threat now.
Category: Trojan
Details: This program is dangerous and executes commands from an attacker.
Learn more
A ected items:
le C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe
 So I concluded that Microsoft has modi ed Windows Defender so that it looks out for
changes to utilman.exe
Thankfully, I visited my friend today and was able to successfully use your procedure.Ne
I
forgot to check if she was using a third party anti-virus that had disabled Windows Mic
Azu
Defender. I will ask her.
Ma
1+ -A
com
to t
Ma
Okay, I see the problem now. Maybe Microsoft changed Defender. You probably have t
disable Defender after you booted from external media. You could try to rename the
Defender folder in the Program Files directory.
 
1+
Bill Sparrow
7 months ago
Interesting! I tried your suggestion of renaming the Windows Defender folder in Progra
Files (while I was booted from external media). Not only did the machine still prevent m
running the overwritten utilman.exe, but once I had "put everything back to normal", I
found I was left with two entries in the full history of quarantined threats that won't go
away when I try to clear history!
1+
Yeah that is interesting. I will try to take a closer look in the weeks to come.
1+
Andres 2 months ago
1. replace utilman with cmd as described

 
2. reboot to troubleshooting and advanced , where you see menu with many
diferent startup option select disable early malware detection ( orsomething
similar) - then Defender doesnt replace utilman.exe and you can run prompt forNe
Mic
longer time
Azu
Ma
writen by memeory, not very accurate description -A
com
0
to t
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=477100#RESPOND) Ma
Bo
6 months ago
Yeah, I have Windows 10 version 1803, in normal startup it no longer works, Ease of
Access does not show any window.  
But it still works in safe mode. After the change, try booting into safe mode, the CMD
window will show up.
1+
Bernhard Diener
6 months ago
I can con rm what Bo says. The utilman trick only works in safe mode since Microsoft
has enabled Defender to nd the renamed cmd.exe
Another Dave
6 months ago
I can con rm Bo, and add that it in safemode it worked one time for a minute, then the
command shell got closed and would no longer work. SmartDefender again. Corporate
antiviruses are not so picky. Tried unplugging network cable to prevent a call to
SmartScreen but no longer worked. Turns out the renamed cmd.exe was removed. Trie
renamed powershell.exe but it can't handle the /debug ag that is passed. Tried
 concatenating a space on the end of cmd.exe and still detected. taskmgr.exe didn't wor

either.
So is there another helpful exe already in windows that scan spawn processes with the
Ne
/debug ag enabled? Or a hand-coded VBS if that can be named .exe? Mic
Azu
0 Ma
com
to t
Ma
ivoK
6 months ago
you need reboot between steps 6 and 7, ie for newly added user to appear....
Nachu & Aaki
5 months ago
Thankx a lot Buddy
Texas
3 months ago
Ok, really? If I can't login to the local computer, how can I get to any of these steps??? Al
have is a login screen when the computer boots up. I've created a 'Recovery USB' drive
from another MS Windows 10 computer.
So what do I do to reset / delete this users password or create a new user?
There is not 'Microsoft' account (thank GOODness!) The computer is not on a network
and will not connect to WiFi until you login.
 a
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 3 months
Did you read the article? It explains what you need to do. By the way, if you have a
newer Windows 10 installation, you also have to disable Windows Defender. I mightNe
Mic
describe this in a future post.
Azu
2+
Ma
-A
com
to t
Ma
Ian H
1 month ago
Hi Michael, did you manage to get around to posting about how to disable windows
defender?
I've got the problem where nothing happens when you click the utilman icon. I've tried t
 
disable early malware protection in bootup but that didn't work. Thanks
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 1 month ag
Ian, Bo mentioned (https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-a-windows-10-

password/#comment-445061) that the procedure still works in Safe Mode.
Let us know if this works for you too.
Ian 1 month ago
Perfect that worked Michael.
I had to redo the copy cmd.exe to utilman and also reboot after adding the new user
(when i clicked back to the login screen the user still wasn't there).
After the reboot, the new user was there and i could login.
Thanks very much!
1+
 
(https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) Ne
Mic
REPLY (/ARCHIVES/RESET-A-WINDOWS-10-PASSWORD/?REPLYTOCOM=482781#RESPOND) Azu
Ma
-A
Allan van Heerden com
1 month ago to t
Ma
Hi Michael
Thanks for the great posting
I copied cmd.exe to utilman.exe but when executed, they behave di erently. when
executing cmd.exe within the cmd window, I get a windows version response. when
executing utilman.exe (copy of cmd.exe) I get a di erent response  
The system cannot nd message text for message number 0x2350 in the message le
for application
Thanks
Allan
Daniel
1 month ago
Hello,
I have windows 10 pro..C: drive encrypted by bitlocker. I forgot admin password but
have a user account to login as regular non-admin user. Does this procedure work
because I am getting "System error 5 has occurred. Access is denied. "?
Thanks for your help
Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/) 1 month ag

 
This procedure does not work with encrypted system drives. The main purpose of
Bitlocker is exactly to prevent such attacks.
Ne
0 Mic
Azu
Ma
-A
Paolo Ma ezzoli (https://4sysops.com/members/paolo/) 1 month ago com
to t
The only way is the USB ash drive with the startup key generated during disk
Ma
encription process.
1+
(https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)
 
Paolo Ma ezzoli (https://4sysops.com/members/paolo/) 1 month ago
Or recovery password stored in Active Directory.
Lisa Kordich (https://4sysops.com/members/kordichearthlink-net/)

3 weeks ago
This is saving me once again. I wish people would stop using pin numbers on these
systems, which cause them to forget the real password.
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5/2/2019 Reset a Windows 10 password – 4sysops

4sysops - The online community for SysAdmins and DevOps

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Michael Pietroforte (Https://4sysops.Com/Archives/Author/Michael-

In my last post (https://4sysops.com/archives/recover-a-microsoft-account-password/), I explained

Automate without programming - Easy to use

 This password is incorrect 

Easy to use - Restore VMs, files or apps -

Following are the steps to reset a Windows 10 password:  

2. Press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt.

Open a command prompt with SHIFT + F10

1 move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak

5. On the Windows 10 sign-in page, click the Utility Manager icon.

1 net user <username> <password>

(/#facebook) (/#twitter) (/#linkedin) (/#reddit) (/#email)

Reset Windows password

1. Reset Windows 7 / 8 administrator password (https://4sysops.com/archives/three-ways-to-reset-a-

3. How to reset a Windows 8 password (https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-reset-a-windows-8-

4. Forgot the administrator password? The Sticky Keys trick (https://4sysops.com/archives/forgot-the-

5. How to reset a Microsoft account password (connected account) (https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-

6. O ine enable the Windows 8 built-in administrator account (https://4sysops.com/archives/o ine-

7. FREE: NTPWEdit - Reset Windows 7 password (https://4sysops.com/archives/free-ntpwedit-reset-

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Jonny123 2 years ago

can I restore this in some way?

Prasad Siri 2 years ago  

Thanks a lot for the tip, good stu

What if you don't have a Windows 10 DVD to boot from?

The Windows 10 Professional DVD, 10.0.10240.16405, downloaded from MS o cial site

Any thoughts on that?

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

If you have no CD drive, you can create a bootable USB stick

Hope this help for someone else.

Thank you so much!

works for Windows 8, too

Thank you very much! Perfectly explained. Cheers!

Will I lose les or something like that??

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Great guide. Used it to solve a locked account within Fusion on a Mac.

Im running WIN 10 boot sequence from USB....

Cant really understand this solution: "cgramz says:

thanks again for any advice!

hello and thank you for perfect step-by-step guide.

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Maybe the drive is encrypted with BitLocker?

This guy deserves a price for out-of-the-box thinking!

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

This works perfectly,

Thank you for your post.

I searched the windows/system32 folder and there is no utilman.exe located in the

Hello, thank you for the tutorial.

I found the problem. The language is in french so I had to replace administrators by

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Thanks a lot for posting this.

Ignore my earlier comment. It worked......Thanks a ton. You are a savior!!!!!!!!!!!

I managed it with a copy of TAILS I carry on a microSD. I keep it on my keychain in one o

Can you please help me.

we haven't any boot dvd - machine was upgrated from Seven

Michael Pietroforte (https://4sysops.com/members/michael-pietroforte/)

Niclas 3 years ago

im on a swedish computer btw if that matters