What is Microsoft’s policy about lost Windows passwords?

The Windows operating system includes log-in protection to help prevent unauthorized access to the computer. When anyone tries to access a computer, if the user has set a password, he will be asked to provide the password, only after which, he will be given access to the Windows desktop and the data. If a wrong password is typed, access to the computer is denied.

So what happens if the password is lost, forgotten, or changed illegally, thereby preventing access of the user to his own computer?

Microsoft policy on lost or forgotten Windows passwords

Microsoft strongly recommends that you set a password recovery hint. It is also recommended that you create a password reset disk as soon as you first start using that computer.

There are some important points to consider:

1. The password reset disk must be created before the password is forgotten – and it is best to do so as soon as you first start using the PC.
2. You cannot use a password reset disk to reset the password for another computer. It is device-specific.
3. A third party can access your computer if he lays his hand on the password reset disk. It is therefore imperative that you keep it in a safe place.

Microsoft support engineers will not help you retrieve passwords that are lost or forgotten, in case you were to seek their help.

Microsoft, of course, supports the use of these built-in tools viz. Password Reset Disk and Password Hint, which can help you gain access to your computer in case you forget your password in the future.

Microsoft says you may also take the help of some 3rd-party tools that claim to help you recover lost or forgotten passwords of your Windows PC.

But for legal reasons, Microsoft cannot recommend or endorse any one of these companies. If you want help breaking or resetting a password, you can locate and contact a third-party company for this help. You use such third-party products and services at your own risk, says KB189126.

So are password recovery tools bad? Are guns bad? Or does the intent matter!?

While third-party password recovery tools can be very useful if a user has genuinely forgotten or lost his Windows password, they can also be misused. Hence one has to be careful always.

There are, therefore, some basic precautions you must always take:

1. It is important that you keep your computer in a safe location or carry it with you always. Should you lose physical possession of the computer, any hacker will be able to break into it and access your data.
2. You also need to NOT keep your password reset disk near your computer, as it can be misused.
3. Leaving a NOT trustworthy person with your computer is also a bad idea, as he will be able to misuse the 3rd-party password recovery tools and gain access to it.

Your views on the subject?

How To Bypass a Windows Login Screen?

You cannot bypass the account unless it’s connected to a Microsoft account so that you can reset it online, or another administrator account resets the password for you. However, if you are fussy about forgetting the password, you can create a local account and then netplwiz tool to remove the option Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. If it is a single-user PC, it will log in automatically, or it will happen when you click on your account name.

How to recover from forgotten Windows password?

If you were ever to forget your Windows login password, then Windows 11 or Windows 10, then you can use one of these two built-in tools that help you to deal with it: Password Hint and Password Reset Disk.