password issue

Question

I have an old laptop with Windows 8 and cannot remember the password and I have been unable to bypass to update said password. I have updated my Microsoft password, but since I cannot connect with the internet to update this I am unable to get into my computer. Please advise on how to get to safe mode to fix the password or any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi Mike Ginger Palmer,

Because this is an older Windows 8 device, it would be helpful to first identify whether you're signing in with a Microsoft account (email address) or a local account. The recovery options can be different depending on the account type.

If you're unsure, try the following:

1. At the sign-in screen, check whether your account name appears as an email address or a local username.
2. If another administrator account exists on the PC, sign in with that account and verify how the affected account is configured.
3. If it turns out to be a local account and the password cannot be remembered, standard account recovery methods may be limited, and you may need to consider Windows recovery or reset options after ensuring any important data is backed up.

Since Windows 8 has also reached end of support, some recovery and security features may not behave the same way as on newer versions of Windows.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

If the PC is offline, Windows can require the last password that was used on that device. Changing the Microsoft account password online does not help until the device can connect and sync.

Try these steps:

1. On the sign-in screen, connect the laptop to Wi-Fi or Ethernet if that option is available.
2. If sign-in still fails, restart into Safe Mode with Networking:
   1. On the sign-in screen, select Power > Restart.
   2. When the sign-in screen appears, hold Shift while selecting Power > Restart.
   3. After the PC restarts to Choose an option, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   4. After restart, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
3. In Safe Mode, try signing in with the password instead of a PIN, because PIN and biometric sign-in are unavailable in Safe Mode.
4. If there is another account on the device, try signing in with that account from the lower-left corner of the sign-in screen. After signing in, check for updates and review the accounts on the PC.
5. If the account is a Microsoft personal account and the password itself needs to be reset again, use Forgot password? on the Microsoft account sign-in page, or use the sign-in helper tool if no verification options are available.

For Windows 8 specifically, there is also a known issue on domain-joined computers where logon can stop responding after an administrator changes the password. In that case, Microsoft provides a hotfix for Windows 8.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows
• Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password
• You cannot log on to Windows after the admin changes your password