6 Ways to Reset Windows 11 Local Admin Password

Method 1: Reset Windows 11 Local Account Password with Ctrl-Alt-Delete Keys. (You Know Your Password.)

If you have created a local account on Windows 11 and used it as the main user account, you may need to reset your password regularly. Usually, people can use Ctrl-Alt -Delete keys to easily reset password without affecting data of the user account. Of course, you know the current password. Then complete the following steps to reset the password.

Step 1: Firstly, sign in your Microsoft account on Windows 11. Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete keys at the same time. You will see the following screen. Just select “Change a password”.

Step 2: On the next screen, enter your current password and then choose a new password for the user account. Select “Submit”.

Step 3: Windows tells you that the password has been changed. Select “OK”. In next sign-in, you must use the new password.

Method 2: Reset Windows 11 Local Account Password from Windows Settings. (You Know Your Password.)

Reset a local account password in Windows 11 when you know the current one, you can accomplish this task from Windows settings. It is easy and safe that all data of the user account will be fine after you reset its password. Here is the procedure.

Step 1: Open “Start” menu and then select “Settings” – “Accounts” – “Sign-in options”. Drop down the password options and then click “Change”.

Step 2: On the “Change your password” screen, enter your current password and then select “Next”.

Step 3: Type a new password and retype it to confirm. Choose a password hint and then click “Next”.

Step 4: The password has been changed. Click “Finish” to back into the desktop. Next time you sign in, you need to use the new password.

Methods to reset Windows 11 local account password mentioned above will be available only if you know your current password. If you have forgotten your local admin password in Windows 11, you can use Method 4, ,5, 6 to safely reset the forgotten password.

Method 3: Reset Forgotten Windows 11 Local Admin Password with Security Answers.

When you first installed Windows 11 on your computer, you had to be asked to add security questions if you choose using a local admin account. This is a useful way for preventing a forgotten password. When you forget your local admin password in future, you can give answers you created before to the security questions and then get permission to reset the password without knowing it. Let’s see how to reset Windows 11 local admin password with Security Answers.

Step 1: At the sign-in screen, enter a wrong password. When Windows tells you that the password is incorrect, click “OK” to return to the sign-in screen.

Step 2: Under the password box, there is a “Reset password” link. Now open this link.

Step 3: Under your user name, there are three security questions. Give the answers you setup before. Then submit.

Step 4: If the answers you gave are correct, Windows will allow you to set a brand new password for the user account without knowing the old one. Now type a new password and copy it to the confirm box. Then submit.

Step 5: It will automatically sign into the user account with the new password.

Method 4: Reset Forgotten Windows 11 Local Admin Password with Password Reset Disk.

Password reset disk is another easy way to reset a forgotten Windows 11 local admin password. The procedure is similar to using security questions. All you need is find out your password reset disk which you created for your user account. Then complete the following steps to set a new password without knowing the old one.

Step 1: When you attempt to sign in your user account with a wrong password, it will ask you to try again. Just click “OK”.

Step 2: Insert your password reset disk to the computer. Under the password box, select “Reset password”.

Step 3: If you have created security questions for the user account, scroll down and select “Use a password reset disk instead”.

Step 4: You will see a “Password reset wizard” appearing on the screen. Now click “Next”.

Step 5: The password reset disk you inserted will be shown in the drive list. Pull down the list and then select it. Then click “Next”.

Step 6: Now choose a new password for the user account. Then click “Next”. The old password will be replaced with the new one.

Step 7: The new password is working now. Click “Finish” to close the “password reset wizard. Then you can use the new password to log on the user account.

Method 5: Reset Forgotten Windows 11 Local Administrator Password with Offline NT Password Editor.

To reset a forgotten Windows 11 local administrator password without using security questions or password reset disk, you can try a Windows password reset program which is named Offline NT Password Editor. Here is how to use it to reset Windows 11 password without knowing it.

Step 1: Firstly, you must download the ISO file of Offline NT Password & Registry Editor from the official website. Then use a CD/DVD Burner to burn it onto a writable CD/DVD.

Step 2: If you successfully create a bootable CD/DVD with Offline NT Password Editor, now insert it into your locked computer. Then reboot the computer from it. (Need help? Refer to this guide: How to set a computer to boot from CD/DVD.)

Step 3: When the computer successfully boots from CD/DVD, you will see the following screen. Just press Enter key to continue.

Step 4: The program will list all drives of the computer. Please select the drive which you installed your Windows on. For example, I installed Windows on drive “2”. Here I type “2” and then press Enter to select it.

Step 5: If it lists the registry path “Windows/System32/config”, just press Enter key.

Step 6: It will ask you to select part of registry to load, type “1” and then press Enter to select “Password reset”.

Step 7: SAM security file is load. Type “1” and then press Enter key to select “Edit user data and passwords”.

Step 8: All Windows 11 local user accounts are displayed. Select your target user account via typing user name and then pressing Enter key.

Step 9: To reset the user account password, type “1” and then press Enter key.

Step 10: The user account password have been removed from computer. Now type “!” and then press Enter.

Step 11: Type “q” and then press Enter.

Step 12: You need to save changes of the SAM Security file. Type “y” and then press Enter.

Step 13: Type “n” and then press Enter to select exiting the program.

Step 14: Now remove the bootable CD/DVD and then press CTRL-ALT-DELETE keys at the same time.

Step 15: The computer will restart and sign into the user account without password. All you need to do is creating a new password for the user account.

Method 6: Reset Forgotten Windows 11 Local Administrator Password with Spower Password Tool.

If you need an easier way to reset forgotten Windows 11 local administrator or standard user password, Spower Windows Password Reset Professional is a good choice. This is an all-in-one Windows password reset tool which can help reset any Windows local user account password without knowing it, without losing any file or setting. It is now working perfectly for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Windows server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012/R2, 2008/R2, 2003/R2, 2000, etc.

You can easily use it with a CD/DVD, or USB flash drive. Here is procedure of resetting Windows 11 local administrator password by using a USB flash drive.

Step 1: Use Spower Windows Password Reset Professional to create a bootable USB.

1. Download and install Spower Windows Password Reset Professional on another computer where you have admin rights. It can be installed on any Windows OS. (You can use the following links to purchase full version or free download trial version of the software. It is clean and safe.)

2. After you install the software, insert a blank USB flash drive to the current computer and then launch the software. When you get the following friendly interface, select “USB Device” option.

3. In the next interface, pull down the drive list and then select the USB you just inserted. Then click “Begin Burning” and confirm it.

4. Wait the software creates a bootable USB for you. When successfully complete burning, unplug the USB flash drive.

Step 2: Boot your locked computer from the USB and reset Windows 11 password.

1. Plug the bootable USB flash drive to your locked computer and set the computer to boot from USB.

2. When then computer successfully boots from USB. You will see a friendly interface of Spower Windows Password Reset Professional. Select your Windows 11 from list.

3. Select your local administrator account from list.

4. To reset the local administrator password, click “Reset” button and then confirm it.

5. Password has been removed and shown “Blank” in list.

6. To finish, click “Reboot” button. When a confirm message pops up, unplug the USB flash drive and then select “Yes”.

7. Wait the computer restarts. Then you can log on the local administrator without password.

8. Open “control panel – user accounts – manage accounts”. Select the administrator account and then create a new password for it.

All these methods are easy and safe for any newbie. If you need to reset your Windows 11 local account password, this article can help you perfectly resolve the password issue.