There may be occasions when for whatever reason you can’t get in to your computer because you have lost the Windows 8 password, maybe you just set the machine up and miss-typed the password, or maybe it’s a rarely used machine and you’ve plain and simply forgot the password. Don’t fear though, there are a couple of ways you can remedy this situation.
The first option is the easiest, but does assume you have used the recommended option to set-up the machine using an online Microsoft Account, if you have then simply head over to http://account.live.com. where you can follow the simple password reset steps.
The second option is a little more tricky, but will allow you reset a Windows 8 password that is only a local password, or one on a machine that does not have internet access.
- Boot the computer to the login screen.
- Once at the login screen press
+I to display the Settings menu. - Click the Power Options icon, then whilst holding down the Shift Key click the ‘Restart’ option.(Keep the shift key held down until you see a message that the system is re-starting).
- On the first screen that appears after the re-start select ‘Troubleshoot’, next select ‘Advanced Options’. Lastly, select ‘Startup Settings’ and click the ‘Restart’ button.
- When you get to the next screen, press the ‘4’ key to choose ‘Safe Mode’.
Once you are in safe mode, you can use the built-in Administrator account to reset your Windows 8 password.
- At the login screen, click on the Arrow icon and select the Administrator account.
- Once you are in Safe Mode, press +W and select the Control Panel / User Accounts option.
- Select ‘Manage Another Account’ and select the account with the forgotten password.
- You can now use the ‘Change Password’ option here to reset the password.
- Now restart the computer and log in to the account with your newly changed Windows 8 password.