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You can now reset a forgotten password right from your computer’s login screen, no matter whether you have a Microsoft or local account. Here is what you need to do.
To log in to Windows 10, you can use a Microsoft account or a local account. If you have a Microsoft account, your credentials are stored in the cloud. If you use a local account, your credentials are stored in your computer. Thanks to recent enhancements in Windows 10, you can now reset a forgotten password from your computer’s login screen, no matter which type of account you use.
What to Do If You Have a Microsoft Account Password
In the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft rolled out a new feature that lets you reset a forgotten Microsoft account password from the login screen on your computer. Previously, you had to access Microsoft’s password reset web page on another device to reset a forgotten password.
Here is how you can reset your Microsoft account password if you have forgotten it:
You can now use your new password to log in to Windows 10.
What to Do If You Have a Local Account Password
In the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, Microsoft introduced a way for you to reset a local account password from your computer’s login screen. Prior to this update, you had to create a password reset disk or use some other workaround, none of which were easy fixes. Now all you have to do is correctly answer three security questions that you set up in advance.
Here is how to set up the security questions:
When choosing your security questions and answers, it is important to select questions whose answers are not easily gleaned from social media sites, web searches, or public records. These resources might provide cybercriminals with the information needed to answer your security questions. For example, hackers might be able to ascertain the answer to the question “What’s the name of the city where you were born?” from your Facebook page or public records. One way to avoid this problem is to provide incorrect or nonsensical answers to the security questions.
After you set up your security questions, it is easy to get into your local account if you forget the password. Follow these steps:
You can now use your new password to log in to your local account.
Not Sure If You Have the Necessary Update?
To use these password reset methods, you must have the appropriate update installed on your computer. If you are using a local account, the Windows 10 April 2018 Update is required. If you are using a Microsoft account, you need at least the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which was released in November 2017, on your machine. We can let you know which updates have been installed on your computer if you are uncertain.