Getting locked out of your own PC is the worst feeling. You stare at the lock screen, try a few old passwords, and nothing works. I’ve been in this exact situation recently. I actually faced this a few years ago too. Back then, like everyone else, I opened YouTube and searched for some methods, but most of the people who tell you these tricks are outdated and they don't work nowadays. So, this time, instead of just watching another YouTube video, I decided to test a few methods myself. I’m going to share my raw experience with you. I tested three different methods. Some worked, some failed on modern systems, but one of them is my absolute favorite that I use all the time.
Method 1: The CMD Accessibility Trick (50/50 Chance)
My first experience is this: go to your Windows lock screen. From there, hold down the Shift button, click the power button on the side, and restart your laptop or PC.
After that, when the system restarts, a blue menu will come on the screen which has Troubleshoot, Use a device, Turn off your PC, and Continue options. You have to go to Troubleshoot from there. After going to Troubleshoot, go into Advanced options. In Advanced options, a lot of settings will come, like Startup Repair, Startup Settings, Command Prompt, and many other settings.
There will be a Command Prompt option, click on it. When Command Prompt opens, you have to write these commands one by one there:
C:
cd Windows
cd System32
ren utilman.exe utilman1.exe
ren cmd.exe utilman.exe
After writing this, you have to come back to the blue screen and click on Continue, which will restart your system. When the lock screen (password screen) comes again, there is an Accessibility option at the bottom (where a person icon is made). If you click on it, Command Prompt will open immediately.
As soon as Command Prompt opens, write this line:
control userpasswords2After this, a new dialogue box will open where there will be a Reset Password option. Click on it and set your new password.
The Twist & Why I Don't Recommend It: But there is a twist in this. This trick does not work on original/updated Windows now. Earlier it used to work on original Windows too, but now because Windows security has become strong, as soon as you open Command Prompt in Advanced Options, it asks for the account password first. If you have an old build or non-original/custom Windows 10 copy, then maybe it will work on it. That's why this is a 50-50 method—maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.
Also, let me tell you why I do not recommend this method. If you manage to reset the password but forget to rename those files back to their original names (the ones we changed in the CMD steps), it will completely break your CMD inside Windows. In fact, your Command Prompt might not even open after that. It's just too much of a headache to revert everything back to normal.
Method 2: WinPE Bootable USB (This Actually Works)
My second experience is that for this you need a USB. These methods work, meaning they actually work. For this you will need a USB, whatever GB it is, take a minimum 8 GB one, USB 2.0 will also work, an old USB will also work.
So in this, what happens is WinPE. You get its ISO, you have to make it from it. In this, first of all write WinPE on Google and download it, meaning it will be a RAR file, so download it. Downloaded it, after that extract it, okay? You will need another PC for this. For this you have to go to another PC and make a bootable USB of WinPE, okay?
After downloading, extract it. For extraction you need a password, which is given on their website. After that connect the USB, right-click and select FAT32, and format it in FAT32 file system. After that, the files you extracted from the RAR file, copy all of them and paste them in the USB.
Pasted it, after that put your USB in the locked laptop and restart the laptop. Press whatever your boot key is, meaning HP has F9, similarly press whatever boot key you have and boot from the USB. As soon as you boot from USB, a Windows-like setup will open, a little loading will happen and after that setup will open. When you select WinPE, on the screen it will show WinPE 11, 10, 8. It doesn't matter in Windows. In Windows 10 I would rather select WinPE 10 and move forward.
To reset the password, go to the Start Menu, go to Programs. There are a lot of program folders, in that look for WinPE Resetting Password or Windows Login Unlocker. Click on it, open it and unlock the account. In the tool, select your local user account and click on reset, and a confirmation pop-up will come, OK it.
Result: After that, remove the USB, turn off the PC and restart it. Restart the PC, take out your original USB, and when you login to the original Windows, it will open directly, no password will come at all. This method works.
Method 3: Hiren's BootCD (My Favorite Method)
This final one is my favorite experience, which is Hiren's BootCD, which I have been using for quite a long time. I have kept it in my USB through Ventoy. I have a 32 GB USB, it was an old USB 2.0, so I have kept it in it. Along with it, I have kept Windows ISO, Windows 10, 11, Zorin OS, and Arch Linux.
So when I need it, I directly boot from Ventoy. Ventoy is very easy, okay? I will write a blog on it sometime, but for now let's talk about Hiren's BootCD. Hiren's BootCD is a tool inside which, you can say it's a Live Windows. In which you get a lot of tools that can do a lot of work. It has Partition Assistants, Login Password Crackers, and all the tools that you don't want to keep in your Windows. You just plug in the USB and you can use the tool, it's very good. You get it in it and it's a very good tool, Hiren's BootCD. It's about 3 to 4 GB.
So for Hiren's BootCD, write Hiren's BootCD on Google and download it. It has an ISO file. If you are using it one time, or if you just need it right now and have a free USB, then you can use Rufus. Otherwise, I use Ventoy. In Ventoy you can make multiple USB bootables, meaning you can keep a lot of ISOs together as bootable, and boot any of them.
For Rufus, search Rufus on Google and download it. Open it, plug in your USB, and it will show in it, select it. If any other USB is also plugged in, then select your USB from both of them. After that there will be an option at Boot Selection, from that select the ISO of Hiren's BootCD that you downloaded and click on Start. Rufus will take almost 2 to 3 minutes if your PC is good, otherwise 5 to 7 minutes, and it will make your USB bootable.
Ventoy Setup: In Ventoy, what happens is if you have installed Ventoy on your USB (Ventoy is a free tool), you just have to drag and drop. It takes less time. Just did it, after that restart your laptop or PC. Press the BIOS key like HP has F9, press that, select your USB, and in it go and select Hiren's BootCD and boot it. When Hiren's BootCD boots, it will take a little loading, about 3 to 5 minutes, after that it will open.
When it opens, you have to click on the Windows Start button. Go to Programs and see, you will get all the tools. They are made category-wise in folders, okay? You have to go to the Start Menu, go to Programs, and go to Security and then Password. There is a Windows Login Unlocker tool there. There are three tools in it in Hiren's BootCD, but this is the best. Click on it, open it, and select your user profile, like Admin or whatever your username is, click on it and select it. There will be a Reset or Unlock button on the side, click on it and press OK.
After that it's done, you will get a pop-up that your password has been reset. When the password is reset, it happens like normal Windows, so you have to shut it down, restart it, take out the USB, and boot your normal Windows. And that will also directly open Windows, it will not bring the lock screen password, and the password will be removed. This is also a method, later you can also set the password again. These are the three methods, out of these I like the Hiren's BootCD one the best, which I also use in my normal routine. That's it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does the CMD Accessibility trick still work on Windows 10 or 11?
No, it is a 50-50 method. On original and updated Windows versions, security is too strong now. As soon as you try to open Command Prompt from Advanced Options, Windows asks for the account password first. It might only work on old builds or custom/non-original Windows copies.
Why is the CMD trick not recommended even if it works?
Because if you forget to rename the system files back to their original names after resetting the password, it will completely break the Command Prompt inside your Windows. Your CMD might stop opening entirely, causing a bigger headache.
What do I need to create a WinPE bootable USB?
You will need a minimum 8GB USB (even an old USB 2.0 works), access to a second working PC, and the WinPE ISO file. You simply extract the WinPE files, format the USB to FAT32, copy the files over, and boot from it.
Which is the best method to reset a Windows password?
Based on my personal experience, Hiren's BootCD is the best and most reliable method. It provides a Live Windows environment with built-in password cracking tools. I use it regularly because it works 100% of the time without asking for your old password.
Should I use Rufus or Ventoy for making a bootable USB?
If you only need to do this once, Rufus is fine. But I highly recommend Ventoy. It is a free tool that lets you drag and drop multiple ISO files (like Windows, Linux, and Hiren's BootCD) onto a single USB, allowing you to choose which one to boot from later.
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