How-To

How to Reset Windows 10 Account Password from Login Screen

By Brian Burgess

Updated April 23, 2024

Uh oh, you forgot the PC’s password. No worries. Microsoft makes it simple to reset your Microsoft account with Windows 10.

Have you been in a situation where you lost or forgotten your password to your Windows 10 machine? No worries, we’ve all been there at some point. So, you might be wondering if you can log into Windows 10 without a password.

Luckily, starting with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709), Microsoft has made it easy to reset your password to log in. There is a bit of a catch, however — you need to be using a Microsoft account.

How to Reset Your Windows 10 Account Password

Provided you are using a Microsoft account to sign into your Windows 10 PC, you can reset your password using the following steps.

1. From the Log-in screen, click the I forgot my password link under the password field.
2. Now, it’s essentially following the onscreen instructions. Enter the email address for your Microsoft account will be in the account field. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts, make sure you have the correct one typed in. And then verify the Captcha code to verify you’re not a robot.
3. Then you will need to select the recovery address from the drop-down list and complete the hidden part of your email shown on the screen. If you don’t have a recovery email set up, then you’ll be pointed to a Microsoft page to recover your account.
4. Then from your phone or another computer, check that recovery email you chose and find the account code, then type it into the field to verify your identity.

After that, you’ll be walked through a few more steps. Type in a new password that you’d like to use and click Next to continue. You will get a message letting you know the password change was successful. You will be kicked back to the login screen. Type in the new password to get into your machine.

Resetting Your Windows 10 Account Password from the Login Screen

This subtle but helpful new experience makes it easier to initiate the password reset process. Keep in mind that this changes your Microsoft account password everywhere. So, the next time you log into services that require your Microsoft account, you will need to use the new password.

Have you ever forgotten your password to your PC on past versions of Windows? Let us know your story of how long it took you to get back into your PC.