Ever since Microsoft released Windows 95, its users could use a password login feature to lock their computers safely. Over the years, the “strongest password” policy kept evolving. Today, users are advised to use 12-character long passwords that contain small and capital letters, numbers, and special characters.

If you are using a strong password, you know how hard it is to memorize it, especially if you rarely use it because your PC is mostly on. However, there’s no need to worry if you forget your password.

You can count on USB flash drive to reset password. Follow the guide and find out how to reset your Windows 10 password with a bootable USB.

In this article
    1. Use a Password Reset Disk
    2. Reset the Windows 10 Password With a Bootable USB

Why Need a USB Flash Drive To Reset Password?

Forgetting your Windows 10 passwords can be a problem because you won’t get access to user files and your workstation in general. It can quickly escalate into a bigger problem if you don’t add a security question.

Fortunately, under these circumstances, a Windows 10 password reset USB drive can come to your rescue. Let’s see what you need to do.

note
If you are a Windows 11 user, learn how to do Windows 11 password reset With USB. Read more...

How to Reset Windows 10 Password With USB

You have two options if you want to reset your Windows 10 password after forgetting it. You can use a USB password reset disk or bootable USB.

Use a Password Reset Disk

Creating and using password reset is very easy. You should always create one and keep it around in case you forget your password. Let’s see how to create one and use it in an emergency.

  1. Sign into your local account. To create a password reset disk, you must sign into your local Windows 10 account.
    icon note
    Note: If you don’t know your password and don’t have a password reset disk, skip to the “Reset the Windows 10 Password With a Bootable USB ” section.
  2. Start the Forgotten Password Wizard. Open Control Panel > User Accounts > User Accounts.
    accessing user accounts in control panel on windows 10

    Now click the Create a password reset disk option in the left-side menu to start the Forgotten Password wizard.

    creating a password reset disk on windows 10
  3. Create a password reset disk.

    Follow the Forgotten Password wizard’s instructions. Insert your USB thumb drive and select the right USB drive letter.

    using forgotten password wizard on windows 10

    Click Next again. You must provide the current user account password to create a password reset disk.

    confirming usb passsword reset disk with password
  4. Open sign-in options.

    Turn on your PC and click the Sign-in options below the password box.

    accessing sign-in options on windows 10

    Select the password option.

    accessing password option on windows 10
  5. Start password reset.

    Click the Submit button (button with an arrow) right next to the password field. Click OK and choose the Reset password.

    accessing reset password option on windows 10
  6. Choose use a password reset disk.

    On the next screen, choose the “Use a password reset disk instead” option.

    using a password reset usb
  7. Select the right USB drive letter.

    You will need to select the correct USB drive letter in the new window. Once you do it, click Next.

    selecting the right drive letter for usb
  8. Create a new password.

    Once you click Next, you can create a new password and password hint. Click Next once you do it, and complete the process by clicking Finish.

    setting a new password on windows 10 with usb

Reset the Windows 10 Password With a Bootable USB

Windows 10 password reset with USB is also possible if you have a bootable Windows 10 installation USB. If you don’t have one, you can create it in a few simple steps. Make sure that your USB thumb drive capacity is at least 8 GB.

  1. Download the Media Creation Tool.
  2. Visit the official Microsoft website and click the Download tool now button to download the Media Creation Tool.

  3. Start the Media Creation Tool.
  4. Navigate to your download directory and start the tool. Select the Create Installation Media option and click Next.

    creating bootable USB to reset windows 10 password
  5. Select language, architecture, and edition.

    On the next screen, you should check the box in front of the Use recommended options for this PC and click Next.

    using the recommended options for a bootable USB stick
  6. Select the USB flash drive and create it.

    Finally, select the USB flash drive option, click Next, and click Finish to create a Windows 10 password reset USB.

    creating windows password reset usb
  7. Start your computer with a USB drive.
  8. Restart your PC and ensure your USB thumb drive remains in the relevant slot. Make sure to boot your PC from USB.

  9. Start System Image Recovery.
  10. Once the boot-up is complete, you can access the Windows Setup window. Click Next > Repair your Computer > Troubleshoot > System Image Recovery. It will open the Re-image of your computer window. Click Cancel > Next > Advanced > Install a driver> OK.

  11. Locate and rename Utilman and cmd files.

    The Install a driver “Open” window will let you navigate through your local drive. Go to C:\Windows\System32 folder. Find the Utilman file, right-click it, select rename, and rename it to Utilman1. Locate the cmd file and rename it Utilman.

    renaming utilman and cmd files
  12. Restart your PC.
  13. Unplug your USB bootable drive, close all windows, and click Continue to restart your computer.

  14. Access Ease of Access and change password.

    Once you can access the Windows 10 login screen, navigate to the lower right corner and click on the Ease of Access icon. It will open the Command Prompt window. Type the following command to reset your password:

    net yourusername newpassword
    setting new password via command prompt
  15. Now, Congrats! You’ve already reset admin password with bootable USB on Windows 10.

    Bonus Advice: How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Data From Your USB?

    When creating a USB flash drive to reset your password on Windows 10, you might accidentally delete important files from it. You shouldn’t worry or enter panic mode. With access to the right tools, such as Wondershare Recoverit, you can get all your accidentally deleted data from USB. Just follow these steps to do it.

    Free Download
    Free Download
    1. Download and install Wondershare Recoverit.
    2. Visit the official Wondershare Recoverit website and download and install the software. Follow the installation wizard’s instructions to complete the installation. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete it.

    3. Plug your USB drive in.
    4. Connect your USB drive. Once your system recognizes and detects it, you can go to the next step.

    5. Open Wondershare Recoverit and select USB drive.

      Start Wondersahre Recoverit. Go to the right section of the screen and navigate to your USB drive. Place your mouse pointer over your USB drive and click Scan.

      selecting USB drive for data recovery
    6. Scan the USB drive.

      Now, the scanning process is running. Wondershare Recoverit will scan your USB drive. Meanwhile, you can view all the recoverable files on the drive. You can choose to pause the scan or stop it altogether. You can see the progress percentage at the bottom left corner.

      scanning USB drive with wondershare recoverit
    7. Recover your files.

      Once the scan is complete, you can preview all the recoverable files. Select the files you want to recover, click the Recover button, and select the location to store them.

      recover deleted files from usb with wondershare recoverit

    Conclusion

    As you can see, forgetting your Windows 10 password is not as disastrous as you might’ve previously thought. Now you know the two fail-safe procedures for resetting a Windows 10 password with a bootable USB. If you don’t have a password reset disk, you must create a bootable USB disk and change your password via Command Prompt.

    Finally, if you forget to check your USB before creating a password reset disk or bootable USB and accidentally delete some crucial data, you can get it back. Wondershare Recoverit can recover deleted data from your USB thumb drive.

    Free Download
    Free Download

FAQ

  • Can I reset my Windows 10 password with USB?
    Yes, absolutely. If you forget your Windows 10 password, you can easily set the new one up. You can do it with a password reset disk or bootable USB.
  • How to perform a USB password reset on Windows 10?
    The easiest method would be to use a password reset disk if you have one. Simply change the login method on your Windows Login screen and reset the password with your disk.
  • How to use a USB flash drive to reset a password on Windows 10?
    You should download the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB drive. Once you boot your computer, rename the Utilman file to Utilman1 and the cmd file to Utilman. Restart your PC, click Accessibility Options, and type net username newpassword in Command Prompt.
Alex Nappi
Alex Nappi Nov 27, 24
Share article: