Forgot Your Windows Password? Here’s How to Reset It and Get Back In

First: Microsoft account or local account?

Being locked out of your own computer is stressful, but in 2026 it's usually fixable in minutes — once you know which type of login you have. This is the single most important thing to figure out, because the two paths are completely different.

A Microsoft account is the email-based login Windows pushes you toward during setup — an address ending in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, or any email you linked to Microsoft. The password is stored online, so you can reset it from any device. The large majority of Windows 10 and 11 home PCs use this today.

A local account exists only on that one computer. There's no online password to reset — recovery happens on the machine itself, using security questions, a reset disk, or another administrator account.

Not sure which you have? On the lock screen, look under the password box. If you see an email address, it's a Microsoft account. If you see only a username (like "Sam" or "Admin"), it's almost certainly local. Either way, this is about getting back into your own device — reputable technicians will never help bypass a login on a computer that isn't yours.

Reset a Microsoft account password (the common case)

If your lock screen shows an email address, you're in luck — this is the easiest scenario and you don't even need to touch the locked PC to start.

1. On your phone, tablet, or any other computer, open a browser and go to account.live.com/password/reset.
2. Enter the email address shown on your locked PC's sign-in screen.
3. Microsoft sends a security code to your recovery email or phone number. Enter it.
4. Choose a new password.
5. Go back to your locked PC, make sure it's connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and sign in with the new password.

The internet connection matters: your PC checks the new password against Microsoft's servers, so it must be online at the lock screen. On Windows 11, you can connect to Wi-Fi using the network icon in the bottom-right corner of the sign-in screen.

The one snag people hit is losing access to the recovery email or phone. If that's you, Microsoft offers an account recovery form that takes a few days and asks identity questions. It's slower, but it works — and it's the legitimate route.

Forgot your PIN, not your password

Many people confuse the two. A PIN (usually a short number) is a device-specific shortcut layered on top of your real account — it's not the same as your Microsoft or local password.

If you've simply forgotten the PIN:

• On the lock screen, click I forgot my PIN directly under the PIN box.
• Verify your identity with your Microsoft account password and a security code.
• Set a new PIN.

If you've forgotten both the PIN and the account password, reset the account password first using the steps above, then reset the PIN. The good news: resetting a PIN never touches your files — it's the safest recovery there is.

Recover a local Windows account

Local accounts are trickier because there's no cloud backup of the password. Work through these options in order — from least disruptive to last resort.

1. Security questions (Windows 10 & 11 local accounts). If you set up security questions when you created the account, enter any wrong password on the lock screen and a Reset password link appears. Answer your three questions and choose a new password. No data loss.

2. Password reset disk. If you previously made a password reset USB drive (most people haven't), insert it and click Reset password, then follow the wizard. No data loss.

3. Another administrator account. If a second admin account exists on the PC — a spouse, a family setup — sign into it, open Settings > Accounts, and change the locked account's password from there. No data loss.

4. Last resort. If none of those apply, the only remaining option is a Windows reset or reinstall. This gets you a working computer again but creates a fresh account — you lose access to the old account's files and any data protected by it. Back up first if you possibly can. This is the point where many people call us before doing something they can't undo.

The BitLocker warning you can't ignore

Before you reset, reinstall, or let any tool "crack" your password, stop and answer one question: is BitLocker encryption turned on? Getting this wrong is the difference between a minor inconvenience and permanent data loss.

Since late 2024, many new Windows 11 PCs ship with device encryption on by default. When BitLocker is active, your drive is scrambled, and the only way to unlock it after a password reset, motherboard change, or recovery attempt is the 48-digit BitLocker recovery key. Without that key, the data is mathematically unrecoverable — no technician, tool, or service on earth can decrypt it.

The key is almost always stored in your Microsoft account. From another device, go to account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey and sign in — your keys are listed there. It may also be on a printout you saved or a USB drive you set aside during setup.

The hard rule: find and save your BitLocker recovery key before you attempt any recovery that changes the system. A simple Microsoft-account password reset (the common case above) doesn't trigger this — but reinstalls, hardware swaps, and "password bypass" tools often do.

Mac locked out? The quick equivalent

The same principles apply on a Mac, just with Apple's wording.

• If your Mac login is tied to your Apple ID, enter a wrong password three times at the login screen and you'll be offered the option to reset it with your Apple ID — the Mac equivalent of the Microsoft-account reset.
• If that's not set up, restart into macOS Recovery (hold the power button on Apple Silicon, or Cmd-R on Intel) and use the password-reset assistant.
• The encryption warning applies here too: Macs use FileVault, and you'll need your recovery key or Apple ID to unlock the drive — same rule, different name.

Whether it's Windows or Mac, the safe move is always to reset through your account first and treat a wipe as the genuine last resort.

When your files can't be saved — and how to avoid it

Honesty matters here, because the internet is full of "miracle" password tools that quietly destroy data. Here's the truth about when files are at risk:

• BitLocker (or FileVault) is on and you don't have the recovery key. The data is encrypted and gone. No service can recover it. This is the one truly unrecoverable scenario.
• You reset or reinstall Windows on a local account with no backup. The OS reinstalls fine, but files tied to the old account may be lost.
• You run a "password cracker" that corrupts the system. These tools are risky and often trigger BitLocker lockouts.

If your files are precious and BitLocker is involved without a key, your best chance is a professional data recovery assessment before anything else is attempted — sometimes a key can be located in a linked account or backup. And if you're traveling and locked out, our guide on recovering accounts while abroad covers the extra hurdles of doing this far from home.

For anything beyond a straightforward online reset, a remote session is faster than guessing. Our technicians do Windows account recovery every day, on your own machine, with your files preserved wherever the encryption allows it — flat $149.99 USD, No Fix No Fee.

Quick reference: which method fits your situation

Match your exact situation to the right recovery method — and whether your files stay safe.

Your situation	What to do	Files safe?
Microsoft account (email on lock screen)	Reset at account.live.com/password/reset from any device, then sign in online	Yes
Forgot PIN only	Click "I forgot my PIN," verify with account password	Yes
Local account, security questions set	Use the "Reset password" link on the lock screen	Yes
Local account, reset disk made	Insert USB reset disk, run the wizard	Yes
Local account, second admin exists	Sign in as the other admin, change the password in Settings	Yes
Local account, none of the above	Reset/reinstall Windows (last resort)	Old account files at risk
BitLocker on, no recovery key	Locate key at account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey first	Only if key is found

If your PC won't even reach the lock screen, that's a different problem — see our guide on what to do when a laptop won't turn on. And if you'd rather have someone do it with you, you can book a remote session in a couple of minutes.