How To Factory Reset Windows 10 Without The Admin Password

It’s like being a real-life magician

There are times when you may need to bypass a lost admin password through a reset of your Windows 10 PC to a clean slate. If you’ve been given an old PC with an existing user account, you may not have the details you need towipe your PCand repurpose it. To factory reset Windows 10 without the admin password, you’ll need to follow these steps.

How To Factory Reset Windows 10 From The Login Screen

If you don’t have the admin password for a Windows PC, you can reset Windows 10 easily from the login screen.

This will begin the process to reset your PC, and you may need to follow further on-screen instructions to proceed. Once the process is complete, you’ll be able to set up your Windows PC with a new user account, bypassing the old admin password entirely.

Using Windows Installation Media To Reset Or Reinstall Windows 10

The easiest method to factory reset your Windows 10 PC without the admin password is to use the method above. If your PC is having problems, however, you could decide to wipe the hard drive entirely, using Windows installation media to reinstall or reset Windows.

You candownload the Windows 10 installation disk imagefrom the Microsoft website. You can burn this to a fresh DVD or flashed to a USB flash drive. If you have a second Windows 10 PC available, you can flash this ISO file to your USB drive using theRufus flashing tool.

Linux users canWoeUSBto do this, while macOS users could use the official Boot Camp Assistant app, which is installed on all Mac devices.

At this point, Windows will begin wiping your drive and copying files for the new installation. Windows will then reboot to begin the next stage of the installation process, allowing you to create a new user account once the process has completed to allow you to use the PC again.

Reset Your Admin Password Using Manufacturer Recovery Files

Some PC and laptop manufacturers include a special recovery partition drive that allows you to reset your Windows 10 PC by restoring your Windows 10 installation back to the factory default. This can usually be activated by restarting your PC and pressing a certain key on your keyboard during the boot-up process.

The key you press will vary, depending on the device manufacturer. For instance, some HP computers require you to press and hold theF11 keyon your keyboard as your PC boots.

Each manufacturer has its own on-screen instructions for how to activate and trigger this process. Consult the user manual for your PC or laptop for any special instructions on how to use a recovery partition on your PC, as well as to determine the right key to press.

If your PC doesn’t have a recovery partition available, you’ll need to use one of the methods listed above to factory reset Windows 10 instead.

Performing a System Reset on Windows 10

Once you know how to reset Windows 10 without the admin password to hand, you’re ready to start again. Your first task is touse a password managerto help you generate a secure password for your PC. You canset up Windows without a Microsoft account, but you’ll lose access to some additional Windows features.

You could switch to apasswordless login on Windows 10to be able to ditch passwords completely. Once your PC is reset and ready to use, you’ll need to think about thenew software you’ll need to immediately install, from a new web browser to an antivirus to keep your PCsafe from malware.

Ben Stockton is a freelance technology writer based in the United Kingdom. In a past life, Ben was a college lecturer in the UK, training teens and adults. Since leaving the classroom, Ben has taken his teaching experience and applied it to writing tech how-to guides and tutorials, specialising in Linux, Windows, and Android. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.Read Ben’s Full Bio

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