Frequently Asked Question
Windows 10 - create/enable/reset local user and admin accounts when password lost
Last Updated 3 years ago
A. Boot from Windows 10 USB or DVD
- Create a bootable Windows 10 USB or DVD
- Follow the instructions here for "Create Windows 10 installation media
www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10 - Detailed instruction for use are in the section half way down the page:
"Using the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) to install Windows 10 on a different PC"
- Follow the instructions here for "Create Windows 10 installation media
- Restart the device with the USB/DVD inserted
- As soon as your PC boots, press the F11 key ( this key will differ from one pc to another and may be F9 or F12)
- If they don't work, try the Esc or F10 key to get into the system options and set the USB as the first boot priority and reboot again
- Once in the one-time boot menu, use the arrows keys on the keyboard to select the installation USB or DVD created in step 1
- Hit enter to boot to the select device
- Press any key when you see the “ Press any key to boot from the USB/DVD" option
B. Enable system-level access from the sign-in screen
- In the Windows set-up screen, set the options for 'Language', 'Time and currency format' and 'Keyboard or input format'
- Click Next
- Select the “Repair your computer” option from the lower left-hand corner.
- Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command prompt
- In the black command window, type the following two commands, pressing Enter after each one:
- rename c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.bak
- copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
- Reboot the PC with a normal restart (remove the USB/DVD)
C. Work on local user accounts
- On the Windows 10 sign-in screen, click on the 'Ease of Access' icon:
- This will open a system command prompt.
- Substitute words between quotation marks with your own desired details
- To see a list of current local users, enter:
- net user
- To create a new user
- net user "name of new user" "new user password" /add
- To enable the built-in Administrator account, enter:
- net user Administrator /active:yes
- To set/reset a password for a user (including the Administrator account), enter:
- net user "name of user" "new password"
- To elevate a user to an Administrator enter:
- net localgroup Administrators "name of user" /add
- Restart the PC by entering:
- shutdown -r -t 0
D. UNDO the 'Ease of access'/command prompt swap
1. Boot from USB again2 - 6. Follow the instructions in Section B above, steps 1 to 6.
7. Set the utilman.exe file to its original state, by entering:
a. del c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
b. rename c:\windows\system32\utilman.bak c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
8. Reboot the PC with a normal restart (remove the USB/DVD)