Alex Ruben
How To Reset the Admin Password on a Locked Windows 11 PC Quickly
If the password’s slipped your mind and logging in feels impossible, there’s a way to get back in without losing everything. Bet you didn’t think fiddling with system files was part of this, but hey, that’s Windows for you. So, here’s how to do it — spoiler, it involves some command prompt magic during startup. Buckle up.
Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode
This is kinda obvious, but crucial. You need to get into the Windows recovery environment:
- At the login screen, press and hold Shift.
- While holding Shift, click Power icon and pick Restart.
- Voila, it dumps you into recovery mode. If this feels too complicated, some setups might require pressing a specific key at startup, like F11, but usually, the shift + restart combo works fine.
Step 2: Access Command Prompt
Here’s where things get interesting. Once in the recovery menu:
- Select Troubleshoot.
- Go to Advanced options.
- Pick Command Prompt. Sometimes, you might need admin creds for this, but on most setups, it just boots you right into a CMD window.
Step 3: Navigate to System32
Now that you’re staring at a black box, you’ve gotta tell it where to go. You usually start in the C: drive, and try these commands:
C:cd windowscd system32Because of course, Windows has to make things harder than necessary. On some setups, if you get an error, try checking the drive letter first with diskpart then list volumes to confirm where Windows is installed.
Step 4: Rename Utility Manager and Command Prompt Files
This step is kinda sneaky. You rename utilman.exe (that’s the accessibility launcher) to a backup name, then swap cmd.exe in its place. The commands:
ren utilman.exe utilman1.exeren cmd.exe utilman.exeThis way, when you hit the accessibility icon on login, a Command Prompt opens instead. On wider machines or after updates, sometimes this doesn’t work first try. Might need a reboot or retry.
Step 5: Restart Your Computer
Type exit or close CMD, then pick Continue to reboot into Windows. On some machines, pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del at the login, then hitting the accessibility icon, will now open you a CMD window.
Step 6: Open Command Prompt from Login Screen
Once back at login, look for that accessibility icon (bottom right, usually). Click it and, instead of the usual window, you should see a command prompt now. Freaky, huh?
Step 7: Manage User Accounts
Here’s where the real magic happens. From the command prompt, type:
cpmgmt.mscThis opens the Computer Management snap-in. Sometimes, when running it from here, it won’t load directly, so you might need to run it with administrator privileges or from a different context. Or, if that gets bugged, just use
net userto list users and:
net user administrator newpasswordto set a new password directly. When you do this, the usual User Accounts dialog pops up where you can also reset passwords, but command line is faster.
Step 8: Reset the Password
Type the command to change the password of your admin account, replacing username and newpassword:
net user username newpasswordIf you’re unsure about your username, just run net user to see the list of accounts.
Step 9: Log in With the New Password
After that, reboot or just close CMD and log in with the new credentials. Worked for me — hope it works for you.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Make sure you restore the system files back to their original state after, especially
utilman.exe. To do this, repeat the renaming commands in reverse, like:
ren utilman.exe utilman1.exeren utilman1.exe utilman.exeConclusion
Getting into your locked Windows 11 account isn’t rocket science, but it’s not perfectly straightforward either. Just remember, messing with system files can be risky, so do your best to revert any changes afterward. And yeah, maybe disable this trick after you’ve reset your password — no need for friends to exploit it. Fingers crossed this helps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reset my password without Command Prompt?
Sure, but it’s often more involved. Things like using a password reset disk or third-party tools work, but they’re less stealthy.
What if I still can’t get in?
Sometimes, this method fails if Windows blocks access or if files are locked down. In that case, maybe a reinstall or factory reset is needed, but that’s a last resort.
Is it safe to rename system files?
Kinda. It’s safe if you revert the changes afterward, but breaking things if you forget is easy. So, be quick to restore everything once done.
Summary
- Boot into recovery mode via Shift + Restart
- Access Command Prompt in troubleshooting options
- Navigate to
C:\Windows\System32 - Rename
utilman.exeand swap incmd.exe - Reboot and trigger CMD using accessibility icon
- Reset password via
net user - Revert system files to avoid future issues
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Just a bit of handy hackery to get back in.