Windows 10 › Configuration › User Accounts

Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows 10

4/25/2015

A password reset disk is necessary when you forget your account password and cannot log on to Windows 10.

To create that disk you need a floppy drive or flash memory device such as USB flash drive or a flash memory card. The flash memory device should not necessarily be empty. If you store your files on the drive and it has enough free space, then the files should not be affected during the disk creation process. (If the data is important, nothing prevents you to back it up before you begin and copy the stuff back onto the drive when you're done).

Creating a password reset disk

1. Open Control Panel > User Accounts.

2. In the left menu click Create a password reset disk.

Create a password reset disk

3. Connect a flash memory device into your computer and click Next.

Forgotten Password Wizard

4. Select your device from the drop-down menu and click Next.

Select your device

5. Type your current password and click on the Next button.

Current user account password

6. Wait while Windows creates the disk and click Next to complete the process.

Creating Password reset disk

7. When the disk is created click Finish.

Completing the Forgotten Password Wizard

Reset password using the disk

If you forget or lose your user account password in the future, do the following:

1. When you are prompted to type your password on the logon page, try to sign in without password. When the error message appears you'll see the Reset password link. Click on that link to run the application that resets passwords.

2. Insert the removable media whereon your password reset data is stored and click Next.

3. On the next step you'll be prompted to type a new password, new password confirmation and password hint. If you do NOT want to use a password to log on to Windows 10 in the future, leave the fields blank and click Next. Once you do that, the old password is reset and you can sign in to Windows using the new password or without a password if you left the fields blank.

Important notes

An each user account must have its own password reset disk. A disk that is made for one account cannot be used to reset another user's password.

No matter how often you change your password, the password reset disk, that has been previously created for your user account, will work.

If you create a new password reset disk for the same user account, then all the disks, which have been previously created for this account, will no longer work. A password can be reset using the last disk that has been created for the particular user account.