How to Unlock Your Laptop When You Forgot the Password in Windows 10

If you forgot the password to your Windows 10 laptop, you can usually get back in from the sign-in screen without losing anything. If the laptop signs in with a Microsoft account (an email address shows under your name), select I forgot my password and verify your identity with a code. If it uses a local account, enter any password, then select Reset password and answer your security questions. If neither works, you can reset the laptop to factory settings, which removes your files but gives you a working laptop again.

Applies to: Windows 10 laptops from any manufacturer, including HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and ASUS. Most steps also work on Windows 11.

This guide covers only methods for a laptop you own. If the laptop belongs to an employer or school, its IT department is the only one who can reset the password. Trying other methods can lock the account or erase company data.

First, work out which kind of account you have

Turn on the laptop and look at the sign-in screen. The method you use depends on what you see.

• An email address under your name: you have a Microsoft account. The password is the same one you use for Outlook.com, Hotmail, OneDrive or Xbox, and you can reset it online.
• Only a name: you have a local account. It exists only on this laptop, so the reset has to happen on the laptop itself.
• A work or school email, or text about your organization: the account is managed by that organization. Contact its IT help desk.

Before you reset anything, check whether you can still sign in another way. Select Sign-in options under the password box. If your laptop has a fingerprint reader or a face-recognition camera and you set up Windows Hello, you may be able to sign in with that and change the password from inside Windows. Safe Mode won’t get you around a forgotten password, because starting Windows 10 in Safe Mode from the sign-in screen still ends at a password prompt.

Reset a Microsoft account password from the laptop

This is the fastest fix for most people. The laptop needs an internet connection, so if the network icon in the lower-right corner of the sign-in screen shows no connection, select it and connect to Wi-Fi first.

1. On the sign-in screen, select I forgot my password under the password box.
2. Check the email address, type the characters shown on screen, and select Next.
3. Choose how to receive a security code, such as a text to your phone or an email to your backup address. Enter the missing part of the phone number or email if asked.
4. Enter the code you received and select Next.
5. Type a new password, type it again, and select Next.
6. Select Sign in and use the new password.

Your files, apps and settings stay exactly as they were.

Reset it from your phone or another computer

If the link doesn’t appear on the laptop, go to Microsoft’s password reset page on any other device and follow the same steps. Then turn the laptop on, connect it to Wi-Fi from the sign-in screen and sign in with the new password. If it still won’t accept the new one, restart the laptop once while it’s connected so it can sync.

If you can’t receive a security code

If you no longer have the phone number or backup email on the account, use the Microsoft account recovery form from another device. Microsoft asks for details only the owner would know, such as old passwords, recent email subjects and contacts. Fill in as much as you can, and use a device and location you’ve used with the account before. Microsoft usually replies within 24 hours.

Reset a forgotten PIN

Many laptops are set up to sign in with a PIN rather than a password. If it’s the PIN you forgot:

1. Select I forgot my PIN under the PIN box.
2. Enter your Microsoft account password when asked. If you don’t know that either, reset it first using the steps above.
3. Complete the verification, then enter a new PIN twice and select OK.

Reset a local account password

With your security questions

Windows 10 has asked for three security questions when you create a local account since the April 2018 Update, so most laptops bought or set up after that have them.

1. Type any password in the box and press Enter.
2. When Windows reports that the password is incorrect, select OK.
3. Select Reset password below the password box.
4. Answer the three security questions and select the arrow.
5. Enter a new password, type it again, add a hint, and select the arrow to sign in.

If Reset password doesn’t appear, the account has no security questions. Try one of the options below.

With a password reset disk

A password reset disk is a USB flash drive you prepared in advance from Control Panel. If you made one for this laptop:

1. Plug the USB drive into the laptop.
2. Enter a wrong password, select OK, and then select Reset password or Use a password reset disk instead.
3. Follow the Password Reset Wizard: choose the USB drive, enter a new password and a hint, and select Finish.

The disk keeps working after you use it, so store it somewhere safe.

With another administrator account

If someone else in your household has an administrator account on the same laptop, they can change your password for you.

1. Have them sign in to their account.
2. Open Control Panel > User Accounts > User Accounts > Manage another account.
3. Select your account and choose Change the password.
4. Enter a new password twice, add a hint, and select Change password.

Windows warns that you may lose access to files you encrypted with EFS, saved website passwords and personal certificates. Most home users don’t use EFS, but try your security questions first if you’re unsure.

Last resort: reset the laptop to factory settings

If you can’t recover the password any other way, reinstalling Windows gives you a working laptop. This removes every account, app and personal file, so it’s only the right choice if your important files are backed up, for example in OneDrive, or if you don’t need them.

1. On the sign-in screen, select the Power icon in the lower-right corner.
2. Hold down Shift and select Restart. Keep holding Shift until a blue Choose an option screen appears.
3. Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Remove everything.
4. Choose Cloud download to get a fresh copy of Windows from Microsoft, or Local reinstall to use the copy already on the laptop.
5. Select Reset. Plug in the charger, because this can take an hour or more and the laptop restarts several times.
6. When setup finishes, create a new account. Use a Microsoft account if you want online password recovery next time.

If the laptop asks for a BitLocker recovery key during the reset, the drive is encrypted. Many newer laptops turn on device encryption automatically. If you used a Microsoft account on the laptop before, find the key at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey from another device.

Some manufacturers also include their own recovery tools that run from a key pressed at startup. Check the support section of your laptop maker’s website for your model if the Shift + Restart method doesn’t work.

Which method should you try first?

• Microsoft account: reset online. It takes a few minutes and keeps everything.
• Forgot only the PIN: use I forgot my PIN.
• Local account with security questions: answer them on the sign-in screen.
• Local account, another admin on the laptop: ask them to change your password.
• Nothing else works: reset the laptop, which erases your files.

Troubleshooting

“I forgot my password” doesn’t appear

The laptop is offline, or it has a local account. Connect to Wi-Fi with the network icon on the sign-in screen and wait a few seconds. If the link still doesn’t appear and there’s no email address under your name, follow the local account steps.

The new Microsoft password isn’t accepted

The laptop hasn’t synced the change yet. Make sure it’s connected to the internet, restart it, and try again. If you normally sign in with a PIN, select Sign-in options and choose the password key icon first.

Windows reports the account is locked

Too many wrong attempts can trigger a lockout. Leave the laptop on the sign-in screen for the time Windows shows, then try again carefully. For a Microsoft account, you can reset the password from another device while you wait. For other lock-out situations, see how to unlock Windows 10.

The keyboard types the wrong characters

Check that Caps Lock is off. On laptops without a number pad, Num Lock can turn some letter keys into numbers. If the sign-in screen shows a language code such as ENG in the corner, select it and pick the keyboard layout you normally use.

The laptop is second-hand and you don’t know the password

Ask the seller to remove their account, or to reset the laptop with Remove everything. If they can’t, the factory reset above will set it up fresh for you. If the reset asks for a BitLocker recovery key you don’t have, contact the seller or the laptop maker with your proof of purchase.

How to avoid getting locked out again

• Add backup contact details to your Microsoft account, such as a phone number and a second email address, so codes always reach you.
• Set up a PIN or Windows Hello in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. A fingerprint or face sign-in means you rarely need the password.
• Make a password reset disk if you use a local account. Search Start for Create a password reset disk and follow the wizard with a USB drive.
• Keep your files in OneDrive or another backup so a factory reset never costs you your photos and documents.
• Use a password manager to store the password somewhere you can reach from your phone.

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. If your laptop can run Windows 11, upgrading once you’re back in keeps it getting security updates.

Frequently asked questions

Will resetting my password delete my files?

No. Resetting a Microsoft account password, a PIN or a local account password keeps everything on the laptop. Only resetting the whole laptop with Remove everything deletes your files.

Can a computer repair shop unlock my laptop?

Reputable shops will help, but they’ll ask for proof that you own the laptop, such as a receipt. In most cases they use the same reset options described here.

Is my laptop password the same as my Microsoft account password?

Yes, if you sign in with a Microsoft account. Changing it in one place changes it everywhere, including Outlook.com and OneDrive.

Can I remove the password so this doesn’t happen again?

You can set up automatic sign-in or switch to a PIN, but a laptop without a password is easy for anyone to open if it’s lost or stolen. A PIN or fingerprint is a better balance. To turn on automatic sign-in for a home laptop, press Windows logo key + R, type netplwiz, clear Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer, and select Apply.

Once you’re back in, making a password reset disk protects you next time. HP owners can also try the HP-specific unlock options, and if you’d rather not type a password at all, read about removing the password on a Windows 10 laptop.