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Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows

Summary: Instructions to help you create a password reset disk for your Dell PC running Windows 11, 10, 8 or 7. Windows Vista and XP are no longer supported.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

This article discusses how to create a password reset disk for different versions of Microsoft Windows. A password reset disk helps you recover your computer if you ever forget the Windows login password.

Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows 11 or Windows 10

Use a USB flash drive to create a password reset disk using the following steps:

Note: This operation is only possible when using a Windows 11 or Windows 10 Local Account. You cannot create a password reset disk if you are using a Microsoft Account (MSA).
  1. Log in to the local account for which you wish to create a password.
  2. Connect a USB flash drive to your computer.
  3. Click Start, then type "password reset" and select Create a password reset disk..
  4. Click Next to continue. Select the drive letter for the flash drive that you connected earlier, and select Next.
  5. Enter the current password for the local account you are using and click Next. If you have already used this disk to create password reset information, you will need to click Yes to overwrite the existing password data.
  6. When the data is successfully written, click Next to continue, then Finish to complete the wizard.
Note: Anyone can use this disk to access your account on this computer, so it is important that you store the disk in a secure but accessible location.

Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows 8

Use a USB flash drive to create a password reset disk using the following steps:

  1. Log in to the account for which you wish to create a password.
  2. Connect a USB flash drive to your computer.
  3. Type "password reset" while on the Start Screen and select Create a password reset disk, OR follow these instructions:
    1. Swipe in from the right side of the screen to open your Charms bar (if using a mouse, hover on the top right corner of the screen and move the pointer down to open the Charms bar) then select Settings. Alternately, press the Windows + I keys to go directly to the Settings Charm.
    2. Select Control Panel.
    3. Select User Accounts
    4. Click on the Create a password reset disk link on the left side of the screen.
  4. Click Next to continue. Select the drive letter for the flash drive that you connected earlier, and select Next.
  5. Enter the current password for the local account you are using and click Next. If you have already used this disk to create password reset information, you will need to click Yes to overwrite the existing password data.
  6. When the data is successfully written, click Next to continue, then Finish to complete the wizard.
Note: Anyone can use this disk to access your account on this computer, so it is important that you store the disk in a secure but accessible location.

Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows 7

To create a Password Reset Disk using a floppy disk or USB flash drive, refer to Microsoft Support article, Creating a Password Reset Disk in Microsoft Windows 7. This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.

Note: Anyone can use this disk to access your account on this computer, so it is important that you store the disk in a secure but accessible location.
Article Properties
Article Number: 000135680
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 29 Aug 2024
Version:  7
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