Ever been locked out of your Windows 10 computer? No worries! This guide will show you how to regain access by creating a new account. No need for any extra tools - just a Windows 10 USB installation drive, which you can download for free from Microsoft (make sure you have a 4GB USB drive).
Step 1: Start with a Windows 10 USB Drive First, boot your computer from a Windows 10 USB drive. Ensure your PC's settings allow booting from USB and that both UEFI and Secure Boot are off.
Step 2: Open Command Prompt Next, use the SHIFT + F10 shortcut to bring up the command prompt.
Step 3: Swap Utilman.exe with Cmd.exe Now, you'll replace the utilman.exe file with cmd.exe. But first, back up utilman.exe so you can restore it later. This step is crucial for the trick to work.
Step 4: Restart Your PC After successfully swapping the files, remove the USB drive and restart your computer using the command wpeutil reboot.
Step 5: Access the Utility Manager At the login screen, click the Utility Manager icon, which now opens the command prompt instead.
Step 6: Command Prompt Instead of Utility Manager Because of our earlier swap, the Utility Manager now launches a command prompt window.
Step 7: Create a New User Create a new user account and add it to the administrators group using the following commands. Remember to replace <username> with your desired account name.
Step 8: Log in to Your New Account Finally, go back to the login screen where your new account awaits, no password needed!
Congratulations! You've successfully regained access to your Windows 10 PC without the original password.