John
Forgetting a password to your laptop is one of the most infuriating things. Not only you’re unable to log in to your laptop, but you’re also separated from your important data that are now inaccessible. Many people want to know how to open a laptop without a password.
Well, if you’re wondering how to get into a laptop without a password as well, you’re at the right place, hopefully at the right time. Today’s article will explain how to open a laptop without a password in Windows 10, 11, 8, or any other version of this OS.
Method 1. Open Laptop Without Password Using Pre-Created Reset Disk
If you’re struggling to unlock a laptop without a password, you might want to try and use a pre-created reset disk. A password reset disk can be created when you’re making a new account and setting up a sign-in password, so the solution requires you to have one.
If you do, follow these steps to open a laptop without a password with a pre-created reset disk.
Step 1. In the login screen on Windows 8/10/11, type in the wrong password.
Step 2. Select Reset Password.
Step 3. When prompted, insert a password reset disk and click Next.
4. You will be prompted to type in a new password and the new password hint. Type in the new password that you can remember easily, add a hint, and press Next.
Step 5. You’ll now be back to the login screen, so use the new password to be able to unlock the laptop.
Method 2. Open Laptop Without Password Online
One of the easiest ways to open a laptop without a password in Windows 8/10/11 is to reset your Microsoft account password. To sign in to your laptop, you need to use the password of the account you created previously. The good news is that this account can be edited online, and you can reset the password without issues.
Let’s see how to get into a laptop without a password by utilizing a simple online password reset.
Step 1. Use another computer, smartphone, laptop, or tablet to access the password recovery page on Microsoft’s website.
Step 2. Type in your email and press Next.
Step 3. You’ll need to verify your identity by entering the code you received into your email or phone. Once you do that, press Next.
Step 4. If you have 2FA turned on, you’ll be required to complete another verification step. Do this and move on to the next step.
Step 5. Now, you’ll have the option to enter a new password. Enter it in the upper text box and then re-enter it below. Press Next.
Step 6. The notification “Your password is changed” will appear. Click on Sign In and enter your email and the new password to sign in.
Step 7. Go back to your laptop and use the new password to open it. If you’ve entered the correct password, it should sign you in, letting you use it normally.
Method 3. Get Into the Laptop Without a Password Using a Windows Password Recovery
Another way to get into a laptop without a password is to use a Windows Password Recovery tool. I found this solution incredibly effective.
PassFab 4WinKey is an application that lets you quickly recover and access your locked Windows account even if you forgot the password. It works by letting you create a bootable disk, which is used to reset the password.
In other words, you don’t need to reinstall Windows or lose any data, which makes this solution very handy. How to open a laptop without a password using this solution? Here are the required steps:
Step 1. Download PassFab 4WinKey.
Step 2. Install PassFab 4WinKey on your computer by following the on-screen steps.
Step 3. Open the application, and it’ll automatically download the ISO file when you click on Start Now. This should take a minute or two, depending on your connection speed.
Step 4. Insert a CD/DVD or a USB flash drive and select it from the drop-down menu.
Step 5. Click Start Burning to burn a password reset disk.
Step 6. Once the process is done, you can use the created drive to boot the system from it, allowing you to reset the password and access your laptop without problems. First, restart your laptop.
Step 7. Press the boot key repeatedly until the BIOS Setup Utility opens. If you have a Sony or ASUS laptop, it’s usually the ESC key. However, if you’re on Samsung, Dell, Acer, GIGABYTE, or any other laptop, the boot key is F12.
Step 8. In your BIOS, find the Boot menu and select the Boot device. Set your USB Flash Drive or CD/DVD as #1 to allow Windows to boot from it first.
Step 9. Restart your laptop again, and it’ll boot from the USB Flash Drive or CD/DVD. The PassFab 4WinKey’s setup will start, and you’ll get this window:
Step 10. Select your Windows version here and press Next.
Step 11. Find your username, click on it, and select “Remove Account Password” below. Press Next.
Step 12. After a few minutes, the password will be removed. Click on the blue “Reboot” button to proceed. The laptop will restart; you can use it normally without entering your password.
An alternative option would be to select “Reset Account Password” in Step 11. In this case, you’d just enter a new password and reboot the laptop the same way.
Method 4. Get Into Laptop Without Password Using Safe Mode With Command Prompt
The Command Prompt or CMD can be used to access various Windows functions. If you’re wondering how to get into a laptop without a password, this fix might yield excellent results. Since you can’t open the Command Prompt directly from the login screen, you’ll need to follow these steps.
Step 1. In the login screen, hold down Shift and select Restart from the Shut Down menu.
Step 2. The laptop will restart after a few seconds, opening Advanced Boot Options on Startup. From here, select Troubleshoot.
Step 3. Click on Advanced Options.
Step 4. Select Startup Settings and then press Restart.
Step 5. The laptop will restart again, giving you several options from 1 to 9. To enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt, press 6 or F6.
Step 6. Once you do that, you’ll be able to access a so-called hidden Administrator account. Log in to that account, and the laptop will boot with the Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in place.
Step 7. In the Command Prompt, type in the following command:
net user username new_password
Please note that this solution requires you to have a hidden Administrator account. If it’s inactive, the solution is futile, as the account won’t be accessible.
Method 5. Get Into Laptop Without Password Using Windows Install Disk
Now, how to open a laptop without a password in Windows 10, 11, or 8 by using a Windows Install Disk? For this to work again, you’ll need to use another PC. The goal here is to create a bootable drive with the Windows operating system on it.
This drive is used to reset the password on Windows, which lets you open the laptop normally. Here’s how to complete this process.
Step 1. Download Media Creation Tool from Microsoft’s website.
Step 2. Install the Media Creation Tool by following the steps on the screen.
Step 3. Open Media Creation Tool and select the option to create installation media using an ISO file.
Step 4. Select the drive you want to use – it must be a USB Flash Drive.
Step 5. Media Creation Tool will automatically download and write the ISO file to your USB Flash Drive. You’ll get the message saying, “Your USB flash drive is ready” when the process is complete.
Step 6. Now, go to your laptop and insert the USB Flash Drive with the Windows files.
Step 7. Restart the laptop and it should automatically boot to the setup process. If it’s not running the setup process automatically, make sure you change the boot priority in BIOS to your USB Flash Drive.
Step 8. The goal isn’t to install a fresh copy of Windows, however. So, at the start of the setup, right after the laptop boots from the USB Flash Drive, press Shift + F10.
Step 9. The Command Prompt will open, so type in the following command: “move c:\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak” and press Enter. The letter “c” should be replaced with the system drive letter, as it’s not the same on every device.
Step 10. You should see a message “1 file(s) moved.” Once that happens, type in this command “copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe” and press Enter again.
Step 11. The message “1 file(s) copied” will appear. Type in “wpeutil reboot” and press Enter to restart the laptop. Unplug the USB Flash Drive from your laptop to prevent it from booting up the Windows setup again.
Step 12. In the login screen, click on the Ease of Access option (next to the Shut Down options button), and the ultiman.exe window will open.
Step 13. Type in the command “net user John 123ABC” and press Enter. John should be replaced with your preferred username and “123ABC” should be your new password.
Step 14. The message “This command completed successfully” should appear, and you’ll be able to log in with the new credentials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s make sure everything is clear by answering a few questions relevant to the topic.
Do I need to reinstall Windows to open a laptop without a password?
Not necessarily. You can reset your password online, use a hidden Administrator account, or take advantage of Windows Password Recovery or a pre-created Reset Disk – possibilities are endless, and reinstalling Windows is usually the last resort.
How to create a hidden administrator account?
You can create a hidden Administrator account by typing this command in the Command Prompt “net user administrator /active: yes” and pressing Enter.
Can I open laptop without password by factory reset?
Like reinstalling Windows, factory resetting the laptop should be the last resort. Learn how to factory reset Laptop without password here.
Conclusion
With everything said, you can now open a laptop without a password. As you can see, there are plenty of solutions if you’re stuck with a laptop and a forgotten password you can’t seem to remember.
Tell us which solution worked for you and what you think is the best method to open a laptop without a password in Windows 10, 11, or 8. I hope you learned something new and successfully accessed your laptop – next time, remember your password to avoid inconveniences like these!
