Forgot Your Windows 11 Administrator Password? Here’s What to Do

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You can’t find or view an administrator password in Windows 11. Windows never shows a stored password to anyone, including other administrators, and Microsoft support can’t look it up for you either. What you can do is reset the password for your own account, or have another administrator on the PC set a new one for you.

The quickest route depends on how you sign in. If the administrator account uses a Microsoft account (an email address), select I forgot my password on the sign-in screen, or reset it online from any device. If it’s a local account (a username that exists only on this PC), use Reset password and your security questions, or ask another administrator on the PC to set a new password. Everything below applies only to accounts you own or manage.

Quick Answer

  1. Figure out which account is the administrator and whether it’s a Microsoft account, a local account, or a work or school account.
  2. Microsoft account: on the sign-in screen, select I forgot my password, or use Microsoft’s online password reset page, and verify with a code.
  3. Local account: select the arrow next to the password box, select OK, then Reset password and answer your security questions.
  4. No security questions? Ask someone with another administrator account on the PC to set a new password in Computer Management.
  5. Work or school PC: contact your IT department.
  6. No other option: reset or reinstall Windows, which removes apps and settings and may remove files.

In This Guide

Before You Start: Why You Can’t See the Password

This guide covers Windows 11 Home and Pro as of September 2026. It’s written for the person who owns the PC or the account, such as someone who forgot their own password or a family member who manages the home computer.

Windows doesn’t store your password in a form anyone can read back. When you sign in, Windows checks what you typed against a protected version of the password; it never displays the original. That’s why there’s no screen in Settings, Control Panel, or anywhere else that reveals a password. Microsoft states plainly that its support team can’t retrieve or get around a lost or forgotten password. The legitimate fix is always a reset: you prove the account is yours, and then you set a new password.

Before you pick a method, it helps to know three terms:

  • Administrator account: an account with full control of the PC. Administrators can install software, change settings, and manage other accounts.
  • Microsoft account: you sign in with an email address (such as an Outlook.com or Hotmail address) and the password is managed online by Microsoft. You can reset it from any device.
  • Local account: the account exists only on this PC, usually shown as a name rather than an email. Its password can be reset only on this PC, using security questions, a password reset disk, or another administrator.

A quick way to tell them apart: look at the sign-in screen. If the account shows an email address, or you remember signing in to Outlook or the Microsoft Store with the same details, it’s probably a Microsoft account.

Check Which Accounts Are Administrators

If you can still sign in to any account on the PC, first check which accounts have administrator rights. You might find you already have access to one, or that someone else in the household does.

Check in Settings

  1. Open Settings. Press Windows key + I, or select Start > Settings.
  2. Go to Accounts. Select Accounts in the left pane. Your own account appears at the top; many versions show Administrator under your name if you have admin rights.
  3. Open the list of other accounts. Select Other users. Expected result: you see every other account on the PC. Expand an account to see its type, such as Administrator or Standard User.
  4. Change an account type (administrators only). Expand the account, select Change account type, pick Administrator or Standard User, and select OK.

Microsoft recommends keeping the number of administrator accounts small, because administrators have complete control of the system. See Microsoft’s page on managing user accounts in Windows for more detail.

Check in Computer Management

Computer Management gives a more detailed view of local accounts. The Local Users and Groups section is included in Windows 11 Pro and higher editions; it may not be available on Windows 11 Home, in which case use Settings instead.

  1. Open Computer Management. Right-click Start and select Computer Management.
  2. Expand Local Users and Groups. In the left pane, select System Tools > Local Users and Groups.
  3. Review the accounts. Select Users to see every local account. Select Groups and double-click Administrators to see which accounts are members of the administrators group. Expected result: a list of accounts with administrator rights.

If you’re signed in as a Standard User, you can view some of this, but you’ll need an administrator’s approval to change anything. That’s by design.

Reset a Microsoft Account Password

If the administrator account signs in with an email address, the password belongs to your Microsoft account, and you reset it through Microsoft. The new password works on every device and service that uses that account, including this PC once it’s connected to the internet.

From the Windows 11 sign-in screen

  1. Connect to the internet. On the sign-in screen, use the network icon in the lower-right corner to join Wi-Fi if you’re not already connected. The reset needs a connection.
  2. Select I forgot my password. It appears below the password box. If you only see a PIN box, select Sign-in options and choose the password option first.
  3. Verify your identity. Choose where to receive a security code, such as the email address or phone number on the account, and follow the prompts to confirm it. Expected result: Microsoft sends a code.
  4. Enter the code and a new password. Type the code, select Next, and create a new password.
  5. Sign in with the new password.

From any web browser

  1. On a phone or another computer, open Microsoft’s Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password page and follow its link to reset your password, or select Forgot password? on the Microsoft sign-in page.
  2. Enter the email address or phone number you use for the account, then select Next.
  3. Choose how to receive your code (email or phone). To confirm it’s yours, you may need to type the first part of the email address or the last four digits of the phone number. Select Get code.
  4. Enter the code, select Next, type a new password, and select Next again.
  5. Back on the PC, make sure it’s online and sign in with the new password. Expected result: the PC accepts the new password. If it doesn’t straight away, restart the PC while it’s connected to the internet and try again.

If you don’t see any verification option you can use, Microsoft offers a sign-in helper tool linked from the same page. Microsoft notes that support agents can’t send reset links or access your account details for you, so the online recovery process is the route to use.

Reset a Local Account Password with Security Questions

When you create a local account in Windows 11, Windows asks you to set up security questions. If you did, you can reset the password yourself from the sign-in screen.

  1. Try a password once. On the sign-in screen, select the local account and enter any password, or select the arrow next to the password box. Expected result: Windows says the password is incorrect.
  2. Select OK, then Reset password. The Reset password link appears below the password box.
  3. Answer your security questions. Type the answers exactly as you set them up.
  4. Create a new password. Enter and confirm the new password, and add a hint if you want one.
  5. Sign in. Use the new password to sign in.

If you created a password reset disk (a USB drive made in advance for this account), select Use a password reset disk instead and follow the prompts. A reset disk has to be made while you still know the password, so it only helps if you prepared one earlier.

If you don’t see Reset password, the account probably has no security questions, or it’s a Microsoft account or work account. In that case, use the method for your account type, or have another administrator reset the password.

Change the password after you sign in

Once you’re signed in, you can change a local password any time from Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Password > Change. Microsoft’s page on changing or resetting your local account password covers these steps, and it’s a good moment to review your security questions.

Have Another Administrator Reset the Password

If the PC has a second administrator account, that person can set a new password for your local account. This is the normal fix in a household where one person set up the computer for everyone. It works for local accounts only; a Microsoft account password has to be reset online.

Before you start: when an administrator sets a new password this way, Windows may warn that the account could lose access to some protected information, such as saved website or network passwords and files encrypted with Windows file encryption. Read the warning and continue only if you accept that.

  1. Sign in with the other administrator account.
  2. Open Computer Management. Right-click Start and select Computer Management.
  3. Go to Users. Select Local Users and Groups > Users.
  4. Set the password. Right-click the account that needs a new password and select Set Password…. Read the warning, then continue.
  5. Enter the new password twice and select OK. Expected result: Windows confirms the password has been set.
  6. Sign out and let the account owner sign in with the new password, then change it to something only they know.

If Local Users and Groups isn’t available on your edition of Windows, the other administrator can instead use Settings > Accounts > Other users to manage the account. Label options vary between versions.

Reset Your Windows Hello PIN

Many people actually use a PIN, not a password, to sign in. A PIN is a short code tied to this one PC. If it’s the PIN you forgot, you don’t need to touch the password at all.

If you’re not signed in

  1. On the sign-in screen, select I forgot my PIN below the PIN box. This option appears only for Microsoft accounts.
  2. Verify your Microsoft account when asked, then create a new PIN.

If you don’t see I forgot my PIN, select Sign-in options, sign in with your password instead, and then reset the PIN in Settings. See Reset your PIN when you aren’t signed in to Windows.

If you’re signed in

  1. Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
  2. Select PIN (Windows Hello).
  3. Select Change PIN if you know the current PIN, or I forgot my PIN if you don’t, and follow the prompts.

Our guide to changing your Windows login PIN walks through the PIN settings in more detail.

Work or School Accounts

If the PC belongs to an employer or school, or you sign in with a work or school email, your organization controls the password and administrator rights. Contact your IT department or help desk. They can reset your password, reset your PIN, or grant administrator access if your role needs it. Don’t try to reset or reinstall Windows on a managed device; it may break your organization’s security setup and will usually need IT to set it up again anyway.

Last Resort: Reset or Reinstall Windows

If you can’t reset the password with any method above and there’s no other administrator account, Microsoft’s guidance is that you’ll need to reset your Windows device. This gets you a working PC with a new administrator account, but it has real costs.

Warning: a reset removes installed apps and settings. Choosing to remove everything also deletes personal files. If BitLocker drive encryption is on, you’ll need your BitLocker recovery key for most recovery options. Our guide on finding your BitLocker recovery key explains where to look before you start.

  1. Open the recovery environment. On the sign-in screen, press and hold Shift while you select Power > Restart. Expected result: the PC restarts to a blue Choose an option screen, known as the Windows Recovery Environment.
  2. Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
  3. Choose what to keep. You’ll see an option to keep your personal files and an option to remove everything. Labels may read Keep my files and Remove everything. Depending on the choice and your setup, Windows may ask for an administrator’s credentials to keep files; if you can’t provide them, removing everything may be the only option.
  4. Follow the prompts to reinstall Windows, then create a new account during setup. Use a Microsoft account if you want online password recovery next time.

A clean install from USB installation media is the other last-resort option. You create the media on another computer using Microsoft’s download page, boot from it, and install fresh. This erases the drive. Microsoft’s Windows Recovery Environment page lists the ways to reach recovery tools, and our guide to wiping and reinstalling Windows 11 covers the full process.

Which Option Should You Use?

Your situation Best option Keeps your files?
You sign in with an email address Reset the Microsoft account password online or with I forgot my password Yes
Local account with security questions Reset password on the sign-in screen Yes
Local account, no security questions, another admin exists Other admin uses Set Password in Computer Management Yes (some saved credentials may be lost)
You forgot the PIN, not the password I forgot my PIN, or reset it in Settings Yes
Work or school PC Contact IT Yes
No other option works Reset this PC or clean install Maybe (reset with keep files) or No

Troubleshooting

I don’t see Reset password on the sign-in screen

The account probably has no security questions, or you’re looking at a Microsoft or work account. Check whether the account shows an email address. For a local account without security questions, ask another administrator to set a new password.

The new Microsoft account password doesn’t work on the PC

The PC needs an internet connection to pick up the new password. Connect to Wi-Fi from the sign-in screen, restart, and try again. Make sure you’re typing the new password, not an old one, and check Caps Lock.

I can’t receive the Microsoft verification code

If the phone number or email on the account no longer works, look for another verification option on the reset page. If none work, use the sign-in helper tool linked on Microsoft’s reset page.

Set Password or Change account type is greyed out

You need to be signed in with an administrator account to make these changes. A Standard User can’t reset other people’s passwords or make themselves an administrator.

Reset this PC asks for a BitLocker recovery key

If the drive is encrypted, you’ll need the recovery key to continue. For a Microsoft account, the key is often saved to that account online. If you can’t find it, you won’t be able to keep the data on the drive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see the administrator password in Command Prompt or Settings?

No. Windows doesn’t display stored passwords anywhere, to anyone. The only legitimate path is to reset the password for an account you own or manage.

Is there a default administrator password in Windows 11?

No. Windows 11 doesn’t come with a shared default administrator password. The first account you create during setup is an administrator, and its password is whatever you chose.

Will resetting my Microsoft account password affect other devices?

Yes. The new password applies everywhere you use that Microsoft account, such as Outlook.com, OneDrive, and Xbox. You may need to sign in again on those devices.

Can Microsoft support tell me my password?

No. Microsoft says its support staff can’t retrieve or get around a lost or forgotten password. Use the online reset page for a Microsoft account.

Will another admin resetting my password delete my files?

No, your documents and photos stay put. Windows may warn that some protected data, such as saved passwords or files encrypted with Windows file encryption, could become unavailable.

How do I avoid this next time?

Use a Microsoft account for online recovery, or set up security questions for a local account. Keep a second administrator account for a trusted person, and store your BitLocker recovery key somewhere safe.

Summary

  1. Windows 11 never shows a stored password, so the fix is a reset, not a lookup.
  2. Check which accounts are administrators in Settings or Computer Management.
  3. Reset a Microsoft account password online or with I forgot my password.
  4. Reset a local account with security questions, or have another administrator set a new password.
  5. Reset a forgotten PIN separately; contact IT for work or school accounts.
  6. Reset or reinstall Windows only when nothing else works.

Next step: once you’re back in, open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and confirm you have a working recovery method, such as up-to-date security info on your Microsoft account or security questions for a local account.

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