It all starts with one question: does the sign-in screen show an email address under your name? If it does, the account is a Microsoft account, and you reset the password on the recovery site from another device in minutes (Solution 4). If only a name appears, it is a local account, and the ways out are the security questions (Solution 5) or a reset disk created beforehand (Solution 6). Before that, try the PIN: nearly every Windows 11 machine has one, and it can be reset from the lock screen itself (Solution 3). If the computer has another administrator user, they can change your password in thirty seconds (Solution 7). Solution 8 is the last resort and involves losing programs and, depending on the path, files.
What causes this problem
- The Microsoft account password was changed on another device and never typed again on this computer.
- Daily use of a PIN or fingerprint, which makes the long password fade from memory within weeks.
- A keyboard layout different from the expected one, swapping characters such as the at sign and semicolon.
- Caps Lock on or the number pad off, with Windows rejecting the correct password.
- A local account created in a hurry during setup, with no security questions and no reset disk.
- A work computer joined to a domain, where only the IT team can reset the password.
- Look carefully at the sign-in screen. If there is an email address below the user name, the account is a Microsoft account. If there is only a name, it is a local account. That detail decides which solution works for you.
- Have another internet-connected device at hand, such as a phone. Microsoft account recovery happens outside the locked computer.
- Find your BitLocker recovery key if your drive is encrypted. Some recovery paths ask for that key, and without it the data stays out of reach. It is usually saved in your Microsoft account, in the devices area.
- If the computer belongs to a company or school, stop here and contact IT support. Domain accounts are not reset through the paths in this guide.
- Be patient with the temporary lockout: after several wrong attempts, Windows forces a wait before it accepts new ones.
Solutions, in the order to try them
1Find out whether your account is Microsoft or local
This step does not restore access on its own, but it is what prevents hours lost trying the wrong method. The two account types are recovered in completely different ways: a Microsoft account can be reset over the internet, and a local account depends on something that had to be prepared in advance. The sign-in screen already gives you the answer.
- Turn the computer on and stop at the sign-in screen without typing anything.
- Look at what appears under the user name: an email address means a Microsoft account; its absence means a local account.
- Click your name in the bottom left corner to see whether there are other users on the computer. That opens the door to Solution 7.
- Look for the sign-in options link too, which shows whether a PIN, fingerprint or face recognition is set up.
- With the answer in hand, go to Solution 4 if the account is Microsoft, or to Solutions 5 and 6 if it is local.
2Rule out keyboard, Caps Lock and layout first
A sizeable share of 'forgotten' passwords are right in your head and wrong on the keyboard. Windows accepts more than one layout, and the sign-in screen may be using a different one from the one you type on every day, moving symbols and accents around. Checking takes a minute and avoids jumping to methods that erase things.
- Check the Caps Lock and number pad lights before typing.
- See whether there is a keyboard language selector in the bottom right corner of the sign-in screen and switch between the options available.
- Type the password into the user name field, where it shows as text, to check the characters. Then clear it and type it in the right field.
- If the password has symbols, test both layout possibilities for each one.
- On laptops, try an external USB keyboard. Faulty physical keys produce exactly this symptom.
3Sign in with the PIN, or reset the PIN from the lock screen
Most Windows 11 computers have a PIN set during installation, and plenty of people forget it exists. The PIN is independent of the password and is usually easier to remember. Better still: when the account is a Microsoft account, Windows itself lets you reset the PIN right on the lock screen, using the computer's own internet connection.
- On the sign-in screen, click Sign-in options and look at the icons available, such as PIN, fingerprint or face.
- If there is a PIN, try signing in with it.
- If you cannot remember it, click the option for having forgotten the PIN, just below the field.
- Connect the computer to Wi-Fi using the network icon in the bottom right corner of the sign-in screen. Without internet, the reset cannot finish.
- Confirm your identity with the code sent to the account's email or phone and create a new PIN.
4Microsoft account: reset the password on the official site
This is the fastest route and the only fully reversible one: nothing is erased from the computer. The reset happens on Microsoft's recovery site, from any phone or other computer, and the new password takes effect on the PC as soon as it reaches the internet. That is why turning on Wi-Fi while still at the sign-in screen matters.
- On another device, open the official Microsoft account site and choose the option for not being able to access your account.
- Enter the email, phone number or user name of the locked account.
- Confirm your identity with the code sent to your alternative email or registered phone.
- Create a new password and write it down somewhere safe.
- Go back to the locked computer, join the Wi-Fi network using the icon on the sign-in screen and log in with the new password. If no network is available, plug in an Ethernet cable.
5Local account: answer the security questions
Local accounts created on recent Windows versions ask for three security questions during setup, and that is exactly where many people recover access without losing anything. The link only appears after a failed password attempt, which is why so many never discover it exists.
- On the sign-in screen, type any password and confirm, so the incorrect password message appears.
- Click the reset password link that shows up below the field.
- Answer the three questions exactly as you did when you created the account, watching capitals and accents.
- Set a new password and sign in to Windows as usual.
- Once inside, open the account settings and update the questions to answers you will easily remember.
6Local account: use the password reset disk
A reset disk is a USB stick prepared in advance that works as a master key for the local account. It only works if it was created before the lockout, and it is worth checking your drawers before dismissing it: anyone who followed the setup recommendations may have one. A single stick covers one account and stays valid even after several password changes.
- Plug the reset USB stick into the locked computer.
- Type a wrong password so the reset link appears below the field.
- Click that link and follow the wizard, selecting the drive that matches the USB stick.
- Create a new password and a hint that makes sense to you.
- Keep the stick somewhere safe: anyone holding that disk can get into the account without knowing the password.
7Ask another administrator on the computer to reset your password
If the computer is shared and another user has administrator rights, the problem is solved from inside Windows in under a minute, with no file lost. Worth knowing: a change made by another administrator makes the account lose passwords stored in the old browser and any files you had encrypted, which is rare in home use.
- Sign in with the other administrator's account.
- Open Windows Settings and go to the accounts and other users area.
- Select your account and use the option to change the local account password.
- Set a temporary password, note it down and change it once you are back in.
- If your account is a Microsoft account, this option does not appear: use Solution 4, which is the correct method for that account type.
8Last resort: reset Windows, knowing what you lose
When the account is local, there are no security questions, no reset disk and nobody else is an administrator, no official path gives the password back. The way out is resetting Windows from the recovery screen, which removes installed programs and, depending on the option chosen, your files as well. Before that, copy what matters using a Windows installation USB, and have your BitLocker key ready if the drive is encrypted.
- First, save your files: create Windows installation media on another computer, boot the locked PC from it and use the recovery environment's command prompt to copy your folders to an external drive.
- To reset, hold the Shift key, then click the power button and Restart, still on the sign-in screen.
- In the blue menu that appears, choose Troubleshoot and then Reset this PC.
- Read the options carefully: keeping your files preserves documents and photos but removes programs, while removing everything wipes the whole drive.
- At the end, create the account again, preferably tied to a Microsoft account, and set up a PIN and security questions before anything else.
- Do not turn to third-party programs promising to crack the password: beyond the risk of installing something malicious, they can permanently break access to protected files.
Applies to
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 (all home editions) | Confirmed |
| Windows 10 (21H2-22H2) | Confirmed |
| Company or school computers on a domain | Only the IT team can reset the password; the methods in this guide do not apply |
| Windows 8.1 and earlier | There are no local account security questions; only the reset disk and another administrator remain |
Menu names can change slightly between versions. If a step above does not match what you see on screen, the official support page from the manufacturer has the most current wording for your version.
Frequently asked questions
Last checked: Oct 6, 2026 · We review this guide whenever the manufacturer changes the process.