Forgot administrator password

Question

I have owned my computer for 10 years and its running on Windows 10 and never once had to put an Administrator User/password and now all of a sudden it keeps asking me and I have no clue what they are. I'm going to be going back to college at GCU and my computer won't let me install the programs I need like Adobe 4.5. It's driving me batty or more batty then I already am. Please can anyone one help me it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Answer: Recover or Reset a Forgotten Administrator Password in Windows 10

Don’t worry — this is a common issue, especially on older systems. Here are a few safe options you can try to regain access:

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🔁 Option 1: Use Another Admin Account (if available)

If there's another account with administrator rights:

Log in to that account.

Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.

Select your user, click "Change account type", and set it to Administrator.

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🔑 Option 2: Reset Microsoft Account Password

If your admin account is linked to a Microsoft account:

Visit: https://account.live.com/password/reset

Follow the steps to reset your password.

Once reset, log back in with the new credentials.

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🛠️ Option 3: Use Safe Mode with Command Prompt

This one’s more advanced:

Hold Shift and click Restart.

Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

In the Command Prompt, type:

bash
Copy code
net user administrator /active:yes

Then press Enter.

Restart your computer. You’ll now see an Administrator account on the login screen.

Log in and change your account password from Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.

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💡 Still No Access?

If none of these work, your best option may be:

Reinstall Windows while keeping your files (choose "Keep my files" during reset).

• To do this, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Answer: Recover or Reset a Forgotten Administrator Password in Windows 10 Don’t worry — this is a common issue, especially on older systems. Here are a few safe options you can try to regain access: 🔁 Option 1: Use Another Admin Account (if available) If there's another account with administrator rights:
  1. Log in to that account.
  2. Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
  3. Select your user, click "Change account type", and set it to Administrator.
  🔑 Option 2: Reset Microsoft Account Password If your admin account is linked to a Microsoft account:
  1. Visit: https://account.live.com/password/reset
  2. Follow the steps to reset your password.
  3. Once reset, log back in with the new credentials.
  🛠️ Option 3: Use Safe Mode with Command Prompt This one’s more advanced:
  1. Hold Shift and click Restart.
  2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  3. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
  4. In the Command Prompt, type:

          bash
          Copy code
          net user administrator /active:
     

     Then press Enter.
  5. Restart your computer. You’ll now see an Administrator account on the login screen.
  6. Log in and change your account password from Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
  💡 Still No Access? If none of these work, your best option may be:
  • Reinstall Windows while keeping your files (choose "Keep my files" during reset).
  • To do this, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery.