Locked Out? How to Reset Any Forgotten Windows Password in 5 Minutes

It’s a moment of pure panic: you’re at your Windows login screen, but your mind has gone completely blank. The password you’ve typed a hundred times is suddenly gone. Whether it’s an old admin account you rarely use or the main account you use every day, being locked out of your own PC is incredibly frustrating.

Before you consider a full, data-destroying system restore, there’s a powerful and simple method that can get you back in.

This guide will walk you through using a tool called PCUnlocker to create a bootable USB drive that can reset any local Windows password in just a few clicks.

Watch the Full Video Guide

For a complete visual walkthrough of every step, you can watch our detailed video guide on YouTube:

Watch: Forgot Your Windows Password? Reset it in 5 Minutes!

What You Will Need

To make this work, you’ll need three simple things:

1. A Working Computer: Any other PC or laptop you can use to download software and prepare the USB.

2. A USB Flash Drive: A drive with at least 4GB of space is plenty. Warning: This process will erase all data on the drive.

3. The Software:

   • PCUnlocker.iso: This is the password-resetting tool. (You should provide the download link you mentioned in your request here).

   • Rufus: A free, lightweight tool to create bootable USB drives. You can download it from rufus.ie.

Step 1: Create the Bootable PCUnlocker USB

First, we need to put the PCUnlocker software onto the USB drive in a way that a computer can boot from.

1. Plug your USB drive into your working computer.

2. Open Rufus (it’s a portable app, so no installation is needed).

3. Under "Device," make sure your USB drive is selected.

4. Next to "Boot selection," click the "SELECT" button and choose the PCUnlocker.iso file you downloaded.

5. This is the most important part: The "Partition scheme."

   • GPT: Select this if your locked computer is a modern PC (made in the last ~10 years). This is for computers that use UEFI, which is the modern standard.

   • MBR: Select this if your locked computer is much older and uses a traditional Legacy BIOS.

   Rule of thumb: Always try GPT first. It’s the most likely setting you'll need.

6. Leave all other settings as default and click "START."

7. Acknowledge the warning that your USB drive will be completely erased. This process will take a minute or two.

Once Rufus says "READY," your password-resetting tool is complete.

Step 2: Boot Your Locked PC from the USB

Now, it's time to go to the computer you're locked out of.

1. Plug the newly created PCUnlocker USB drive into the locked computer.

2. Turn the computer on. As soon as it starts, you must press your computer's "Boot Menu Key."

3. This key is different for every brand, but it's typically F12, F10, F9, or the Escape (ESC) key. You may need to press it repeatedly as soon as you see the manufacturer's logo.

4. This will bring up a "Boot Menu." Using your arrow keys, select your USB drive from the list. (It might show the brand name, like "SanDisk" or "Kingston," and may have a "UEFI" prefix).

5. Press Enter.

Step 3: Reset Your Password with PCUnlocker

Instead of booting into Windows, your computer will now load the PCUnlocker software from the USB drive. The interface is simple.

1. PCUnlocker will automatically scan your hard drive and display all the local user accounts it finds.

2. Simply click on the user account whose password you've forgotten.

3. Click the "Reset Password" button.

4. The tool will confirm that the password has been reset. This means the password is now blank.

5. Click the "Restart" button at the bottom of the program.

6. CRITICAL: As the computer restarts, pull the USB drive out. If you don't, it will just boot back into the PCUnlocker tool again.

Step 4: Log In and Set a New Password

Let your computer boot normally into Windows. When you get to the login screen:

1. Click on your user account.

2. When it asks for a password, leave it blank and press Enter.

3. You're in! You now have full access to your computer again.

Your first stop should be Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options to set a new, memorable password.

Important Disclaimer

This method is powerful and should be used responsibly.

• For Educational/Personal Use: Only use this tool on computers you personally own or have explicit permission to service.

• Local vs. Microsoft Accounts: This guide works for LOCAL Windows accounts (the accounts that exist only on your machine). If you log in with a Microsoft Account (your email address), you must reset your password online through Microsoft's official password recovery website.