Reset Windows 11 Forgotten Password Without Disk Using CMD

This guide shows you how to reset a forgotten Windows 11 password using Command Prompt, without needing a password reset disk or a third-party tool. It works by replacing the accessibility button (Ease of Access) on the login screen with a Command Prompt, which you can use to reset the password via a few commands. You will need physical access to the PC and a Windows 11 installation media (USB or DVD) to boot from.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 11 installation USB drive or DVD (created with the Media Creation Tool).
• Access to the PC’s BIOS/UEFI to change the boot order (usually pressing F2, F12, Del, or Esc during startup).
• Basic familiarity with typing commands in Command Prompt.
• An administrator account on the PC (the built-in Administrator account is used in this method).

Step-by-Step

1. Boot from the Windows 11 installation media. Insert the USB drive or DVD, restart the PC, and press the key to enter the boot menu (often F12 or Esc). Select the USB/DVD drive from the list.
2. On the Windows Setup screen, choose your language and region, then click Next.
3. Click Repair your computer in the bottom-left corner instead of clicking “Install now”.
4. On the “Choose an option” screen, click Troubleshoot.
5. Click Advanced options.
6. Click Command Prompt to open a command line window.
7. In the Command Prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. This opens the disk partitioning utility.
8. Type list volume and press Enter. Note the drive letter that corresponds to your Windows installation (usually C: but could be D: or another letter). Also note the drive letter of the System Reserved partition (often a small 100-500 MB partition labeled “System”).
9. Type exit and press Enter to leave diskpart.
10. Now, you need to back up the original accessibility files. Type the following commands, replacing C: with your Windows drive letter if different:

    move C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe.bak

    copy C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe

    If the move command fails because the file is in use, you may need to use ren instead: ren C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe utilman.exe.bak

11. Close the Command Prompt window and click Continue to restart the PC normally.
12. On the login screen, click the Ease of Access icon (the person with a clock or accessibility symbol) at the bottom-right. This should now open a Command Prompt window instead of the accessibility settings.
13. In this Command Prompt, type net user and press Enter to see a list of all user accounts on the PC.
14. To reset a password, type net user [username] [newpassword] and press Enter. For example: net user John NewPass123. Make sure to replace [username] with the actual username and [newpassword] with a strong password you’ll remember.
15. Close the Command Prompt and click anywhere on the login screen. You should now be able to log in with the new password.

Common Mistakes

• Wrong drive letter: Using C: when the Windows drive is actually D: or another letter. Always verify with list volume in diskpart.
• Typing errors in commands: Missing a space or misspelling a filename (like utilman.exe) will cause the command to fail. Double-check each command.
• Using the wrong username: The username must match exactly, including capitalization. Use net user to see the exact usernames.
• Forgetting to back up the original utilman.exe: If you skip the move/rename step, you’ll overwrite the accessibility tool permanently, which can cause issues later.
• Not booting from the correct media: If the PC boots to Windows instead of the installation media, you need to change the boot order in BIOS.

Tips

• Use a strong password that you can remember, or write it down in a secure place.
• After resetting the password, consider restoring the original utilman.exe file to avoid security risks. To do this, boot from the installation media again, open Command Prompt, and run: move C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe.bak C:\Windows\System32\utilman.exe
• If you’re worried about security, enable BitLocker encryption before this method becomes necessary—it prevents unauthorized changes like this.
• This method works on Windows 11 and also on Windows 10, but the exact menu names may vary slightly.

Troubleshooting

• Command Prompt doesn’t open when clicking Ease of Access: Make sure you copied cmd.exe to utilman.exe correctly. Reboot and try again. If it still doesn’t work, you may have used the wrong drive letter.
• “Access is denied” when running net user: This usually means you’re not running as an administrator. The built-in Administrator account is enabled by default in the recovery environment, but if not, you may need to use the net user administrator /active:yes command first.
• Cannot find the volume with Windows: Run diskpart again and list volumes carefully. Sometimes the Windows partition is not labeled with a drive letter—you may need to assign one using assign letter=X.
• Boot loop or error after the reset: This is rare but can happen if the system files are corrupted. Try using the “Startup Repair” option from the recovery environment.
• BitLocker is enabled: If your drive is encrypted, you’ll be prompted for the BitLocker recovery key when booting from the installation media. Without it, you cannot proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this method work if I’m using a Microsoft account?

Yes, but only if you reset the local account password. If you use a Microsoft account, you can reset the password online via Microsoft’s website. This method resets the local password that Windows stores, which may not be the same as your Microsoft account password.

Is this method safe? Could it damage my system?

If followed correctly, it’s safe. The main risk is overwriting the utilman.exe file permanently if you skip the backup step, but you can restore it later. Always back up the original file.

Can I use this method to reset the password of another user account?

Yes, you can reset any local user account’s password, as long as you have administrative privileges in the recovery environment (which you do).

What if I don’t have a Windows 11 installation USB?

You can create one using the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft’s website. It requires a USB drive of at least 8 GB. Alternatively, you can use a Windows 10 installation media—the steps are nearly identical.

Will this method work if the PC is part of a domain?

No. Domain accounts are managed by the domain controller, and local password resets won’t help. You’ll need to contact your IT administrator.

How long does this process take?

Usually 10-20 minutes, depending on how quickly you can boot from the installation media and type the commands.

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