Forgetting your password can be very frustrating, however this situation could be completely alleviated if you always had a password reset disk handy. Lets see how we can create one in Windows 8 or Windows 10.

Note: This will only work for local user accounts, if you chose to sign in with a Live ID, you will have to reset your password using an alternative method.

Creating a Password Reset Disk

If you are using Windows 8 or 10, you'll need to open the old Control Panel using the search, and then drill down into User Accounts.

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Alternatively you can use the search from the Start Menu or Start Screen to find User Accounts.

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This will take you to the User Accounts section of the old control panel that we showed earlier. Here, you can select the link to “Create a password reset disk”.

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You will be greeted with a Wizard, make sure that your USB is inserted before clicking next.

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Now you can select the USB that you want to create the password key on, then click next.

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You will then be asked  for your current Windows password.

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That’s all there is to creating a a reset disk, since anyone could use this to gain access to you machine you will need to store it in a safe place.

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Resetting Your Password

Once you have a password reset disk, you can use it easily the next time you forget your password… once you’ve typed the wrong password Windows 8 or 10 will show a “Reset password” link below the login box.

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At this point you should have your USB already plugged in, so go ahead and hit the Reset password button, this will kick off a wizard, click next to continue.

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You’ll want to pick the right disk if you have more than one.

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Now you will need to type a new password, and of course a new hint for your password.

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That’s all there is to it.

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Now you can store the USB key somewhere safe, so that next time you forget your password you have it handy.