Forgetting your computer password is never good news. Fortunately, you can edit it and re-access all of its files. You can change your password in a number of ways, whether on a Windows computer or on a Mac.
Steps
Method 1 of 7: Change a Microsoft account password online
Step 1. Know when to use this method
You can reset your password online if you have a Windows 10 computer that uses a Microsoft account (such as an email address) to sign in.
Resetting your password must be done from another computer
Step 2. Go to this page
This is the Windows 10 password reset page. This is where Microsoft maintains links to password reset sites.
Step 3. Select Reset Your Password
This link is in the first step of the section In line.
Step 4. Check the I forgot my password box
This box is located at the top of the form.
Step 5. Select Next
It's the blue button at the bottom of the form.
Step 6. Enter your email address
Type the email address of the account whose password you want to reset.
Step 7. Enter the letters of the puzzle
In the text field under the tangle of letters, type what you see in the box.
The letters you see are case sensitive
Step 8. Click Next
This button is at the bottom of the page.
Step 9. Choose a recovery option
Click either on SMS be sure E-mail.
Depending on your account recovery options, only one of these options may be available
Step 10. Enter the recovery phone number or email address
If you choose the option SMS, enter the last 4 digits of the recovery phone number. If you choose the option E-mail, type in the full email address that is partially displayed.
Step 11. Click Submit Code
This option is at the bottom of the page.
Step 12. Get and enter the code
The next step in the process will depend on the recovery option you have selected.
- By SMS: open the Messages application on your phone, select the message from Microsoft, write down the code received, then type it in the text field on your computer.
- By email: Open the inbox of your recovery email address, select the Microsoft email address, write down the code received, then type it in the text field on your computer.
Step 13. Select Next
The button Following is at the bottom of the page.
Step 14. Enter your new password
Enter the new password you want to use in the first box once, then in the second box a second time.
Your password must contain at least 8 characters
Step 15. Click Next
If the password entered is the same in both boxes, you should be able to log into your Windows 10 account by simply entering this new password.
Method 2/7: Change the password for a Microsoft account on a computer
Step 1. Know when to use this method
If you have a Windows 10 computer that uses a Microsoft account (for example an email address) to sign in, use the function I forgot my password to reset your password.
If you do not have access to your computer, change your password online
Step 2. Start your computer
If the login screen is not yet displayed, press the power button
on your computer to turn it on.
Step 3. Open the login screen
To display the password field, click anywhere on the screen or press the space bar.
Step 4. Click I forgot my password
This link should appear at the bottom of the screen.
- If instead you see a text field dedicated to a PIN code, select first Connection options, then click on the horizontal bar icon that appears.
Step 5. Enter the letters you see in the puzzle
In the text field under the tangle of letters, type what you see in the box.
Letters in this box are case sensitive
Step 6. Select Next
The option Following is at the bottom of the page.
Step 7. Choose a recovery option
To select a recovery option, check either the SMS, either the box E-mail.
Depending on the recovery settings you have made for your account, only one of the options may be visible
Step 8. Enter the recovery phone number or email address
Enter the last 4 digits of your recovery phone number if you have chosen the option SMS. Enter your full email address if you have chosen the option E-mail.
Step 9. Click Submit Code
The option Send code is at the bottom of the page.
Step 10. Get and enter the code
This step varies depending on the recovery options you have selected.
- By SMS: Go to the Messages app on your phone, open the message from Microsoft, write down the code you received, then enter it in the text field on your computer.
- By Email: Go to your recovery email address inbox, open the Microsoft email, write down the code you received, then enter it in the text field on your computer.
Step 11. Click Next
This option is at the bottom of the page.
Step 12. Enter your new password
Type the new password you want to use in the 2 boxes on the page.
Your password must contain at least 8 characters
Step 13. Click Next
This button is at the bottom of the page and allows you to replace your password with the one you just entered.
Step 14. Click Next again
You will be redirected to the login screen where you can log in with your new password.
Method 3 of 7: Change a Windows 10 password using the command prompt
Step 1. Know when to use this method
If you have a local account for which you have forgotten the password, the Command Prompt will allow you to create a new administrator account that you can use to change the password for the original account.
- This method cannot reset the password for a user account linked to a Microsoft account.
- If you have access to the Windows 10 administrator account, but not the local account, you can use the administrator account to reset the password.
Step 2. Create a Windows 10 installation USB drive
The initial phase of the Windows 10 installation process must be started to access the setup screen. This is why you need to create an installation USB drive.
- On your computer's web browser, open this page.
- Click on Download the tool now.
- Insert a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of available storage space into one of the USB ports on your computer.
- Double click on the downloaded file.
- Follow the on-screen instructions and make sure your USB drive is selected as the installation location.
Step 3. Go to your computer's BIOS page
Restart your computer by clicking on the button On Off
, then To restart. Press the BIOS key as soon as your screen goes black.
- The BIOS key on your computer varies from motherboard to motherboard. You may need to find the corresponding key first before proceeding further. The most common keys are the "Function" keys (for example F12), the Esc key and the Delete key.
- If you see the lock screen display instead of BIOS, restart your computer and try another key.
Step 4. Change the boot order of your computer
- Go to the tab Boot Order Where Advanced.
- Using the arrows on your keyboard, select the name of your USB key (or the option Usb.
- Press the + key to move your USB key to the top of the list.
Step 5. Save and close the BIOS
Press the key corresponding to the option Save and Exit to save your changes and close the BIOS. This button can be found either on the right or at the bottom of the screen.
You may need to confirm your decision before proceeding to the next step
Step 6. Open the Command Prompt
Once on the setup screen, press ⇧ Shift + F10 (or ⇧ Shift + Fn + F10 on some computers) to open the Command Prompt window.
- If you see the login screen instead of the setup screen, click On Off
, then on To restart and wait for the setup screen to appear.
- You may need to press a key first to display the configuration page. This step is usually indicated by the message "Press any key to continue".
Step 7. Change the Utility Manager shortcut to the Command Prompt
- Type move c: \ windows \ system32 \ utilman.exe c: \ windows \ system32 \ utilman.exe.bak in the command prompt.
- Hit enter.
- Type copy c: \ windows \ system32 \ cmd.exe c: \ windows \ system32 \ utilman.exe in the command prompt.
- Hit enter.
Step 8. Remove the USB drive and restart your computer
Long press the power button on your computer until it turns off completely, remove your USB drive, then press the power button again.
Step 9. Open the Command Prompt on the lock screen
When you see the lock screen appear, click the Utility Manager icon that looks like a keyboard at the bottom left of the screen. The Command Prompt window should open.
Step 10. Create a new administrator account
Use the command prompt to create a new administrator account.
- Type net user name / add, making sure to replace "name" with the username of your choice.
- Hit enter.
- Type net localgroup administrators name / add, once again replacing "name" with the username you just created.
- Hit enter.
Step 11. Restart your computer
Click on the button On Off
, then select To restart.
Step 12. Log in to your new administrator account
At the bottom left of the screen, click on the administrator account you just created.
Windows 10 will take a few minutes to set up your account
Step 13. Change the password with your new administrator account
The administrator account allows you to change the password for any local account from the control panel.
Method 4 of 7: Change a Windows 10 password from an administrator account
Step 1. Know when to use this method
If you have access to an administrator account on your computer, but have forgotten the password for a local account (other than a Microsoft account), you can log in to the administrator account to change the password for the account in question. from the control panel.
Step 2. Open Start
At the bottom left of your screen, click on the Windows logo.
Step 3. Open the control panel
In the menu To start up, type control panel, and then select Control panel in search results.
Step 4. Click User Accounts
The header User accounts should be in the middle right of the control panel. Click on it to open the user accounts page.
- If you come across another page with User accounts displayed at the top of the window, click User accounts.
Step 5. Select Manage another account
This link is located under your profile picture and opens a list of local accounts, including the one whose password you want to change.
Step 6. Click on your local account
Select the account whose password you want to change.
Step 7. Select Change your password
This option is on the left side of the account window you have selected.
Step 8. Enter a new password
Enter your new password the first time in the field New Password, then a second time in the field Confirm password.
- You can also add a hint in the text field Enter an indication to help you remember the password in the future.
Step 9. Click Change Password
This option is located under the profile window. Click on it to reset the password for the local account so that you can use the one you just created the next time you restart your computer.
Method 5 of 7: Change Mac Password Online
Step 1. Try to login at least 3 times
After 3 tries, a message will appear telling you that you can reset your password with your Apple ID. If you do not see this message, it will mean that your account is not configured to be reset online.
Step 2. Click on the arrow
Next to the dedicated Apple ID option, you should see an arrow pointing to the right. Click on it to open the Apple ID login page.
Step 3. Log into your Apple ID account
Enter the email address and password associated with your Apple ID, then press Return.
Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions
Depending on your Apple ID, you may need to confirm your identity using a 2-factor ID and Apple may ask you to answer various security questions.
Step 5. Enter your new password twice
Type the password you want to use in the 2 text fields, then press Return.
Step 6. Click Restart
When prompted, click To restart to restart your Mac and return to the login screen. All you need to do is select your account and use the password you just created.
This will prevent you from accessing your old keychain access, but you will be asked if you want to create one when you log in
Method 6 of 7: Change Mac password in recovery mode
Step 1. Restart your Mac
At the bottom of the login screen, click To restart to restart your Mac.
If FileVault is enabled on your Mac, but you don't know the password to disable it, you won't be able to use this method
Step 2. Open the recovery menu
Immediately press ⌘ Command + R after clicking To restart and wait for the Apple logo to appear on the screen.
Step 3. Click →
This button is located at the bottom of the screen.
Step 4. Select Utilities
This option is in the menu at the top of the screen. Click on it to open a drop-down menu.
Step 5. Click Terminal
The option Terminal is in the drop-down menu and opens the Terminal window where you can type commands.
Step 6. Enter the command to reset the password
In Terminal, type resetpassword, then hit Return and wait for the reset password page to open in the background.
Close Terminal once the password reset page opens
Step 7. Select your account
Click on your account name, then select Following.
Step 8. Create a new password
In the fields New Password and Verify Password, type in the new password you want to use.
Step 9. Click Next
This option is at the bottom of the screen.
Step 10. Select Restart
The option To restart is located at the bottom of the screen. Click on it to restart your Mac and return to the login screen where you can log in with your new password.
Method 7 of 7: Change Mac password from an administrator account
Step 1. Log in to your administrator account
Select your administrator account, then enter the password to log in.
Step 2. Open the Apple menu
At the top left of the screen, click on the apple logo to open a drop-down menu.
Step 3. Click System Preferences
This option is found in the drop-down menu and opens the System Preferences window.
Step 4. Go to Users and Groups
The option Users and groups can be found in the System Preferences window. Click on it to open a new window.
Step 5. Click on the lock icon
This icon is located at the bottom left of the window Users and groups.
If the lock icon looks like an open padlock, skip the next 2 steps
Step 6. Enter your administrator password
In the text field that appears, type your administrator password, then press Return.
Step 7. Select the locked account
Click the name of the account whose password you want to reset.
Step 8. Click Change Password
It's the button at the top of the menu.
Step 9. Enter a new password
Enter your new password for the first time in the field New Password, then a second time in the field Verification.
Step 10. Click Change Password
This option is at the bottom of the pop-up window and allows you to change the password for the user account.
Advice
- By default, Windows 10 computers use a 4-digit PIN code. If you can't remember your password, but you remember your PIN, select Connection options on the lock screen, click the numeric keypad icon, then type your PIN to sign in.
- If exceptionally you are dealing with a computer running Windows XP, you will be able to recover your password.