Lost or Forgot Login Password on Windows 7? Reset It Instantly!

Elena Spencer Updated on Apr 15, 2022 4:58 PM

I have an old Dell PC with Windows 7 Home Premium and I need back in to get the old photos. It has the password...and I couldn't remember. I tried to reset the password using command prompt as suggested online, but after hitting Shift key 5 times, nothing happens... How could I do this?

It seems that it's advisable to change login password to Windows 7 system regularly for the sake of privacy and security. Even if you do this, you may sometimes forget what the current password is since you change it so frequently.

The good news is that by going through a practical process with right tools, you can reset forgotten Windows 7 login password and regain access to the system for normal use.

Method 1: Recover Forgotten Windows 7 User Password with Password Reset Disk Pre-made

It's great that Microsoft makes recovering forgotten login password on Windows 7 computer a straightforward task, as long as you've already created a password reset disk - which lets you set a new password when you forgot the old password. Follow the instructions to reset a forgotten password for Windows 7 (32 bit & 64 bit):

Power on Windows 7 PC or laptop, type a wrong password on the login screen, then click OK when the error message pops up.
Click on the "Reset password" link, and then pop the prepared password reset disk to start the forgotten password reset wizard. Click Next button to continue.
Select the password reset disk from the drop-down box, and then press Next button.
Continue to enter a new password to replace the forgotten one
Type it again to confirm, and enter a password hint.
Click Next button and then Finish button to close the wizard window.

Now the old & forgotten login password has been reset and you should be able to get to Windows 7 desktop effortlessly.

Method 2: Reset Login Windows 7 Password If Forgotten Using 3-rd Party Tool

For those who don't have a password reset disk in hand before the computer got locked, you'll just have to resort to a third-part tool by which to reset or recover the lost login password on Windows 7. With Spower Windows Password Reset software, you will finally get the tricks to regain access to a Windows 7 desktop & laptop when you forgot the password.

Download Now

First, you'll need to get the utility downloaded and installed on an accessible machine. It's a user-friendly program and with the clear step-by-step instructions on the screen, you can easily reset administrator or regular user password on Windows 7 and remove it completely from the login screen. After the reset, the computer won't get formatted and all stuff as well as software are there.

Guide: Reset a Forgotten Login Password on Windows 7 Computer

Step 1: Create a password reset disk with USB drive (or CD/DVD)

Launch the program on the computer, and then insert a blank USB drive.

On the software screen, select the USB flash drive from the drop-down menu under "Create Password Reset USB Flash Drive" heading, then click USB device button. Otherwise, click CD/DVD button if you tend to create a password reset CD/DVD.

Wait for a while until the burning process is finished. Eject password reset USB drive and move to next step.

Step 2: Reboot locked computer from password reset USB drive

In this step, pop the password reset USB drive into password-locked Windows 7 PC. Turn on it and set the computer to boot from the USB drive. Learn the instructions in these articles:

After that, restart the computer.

Step 3: Remove a Windows 7 forgotten login password (user or admin password)

When the computer starts, it will boot from the password reset USB drive and get you into a window, just like the image below. You're ready to remove the forgotten password.

Go ahead and select Windows 7 system, locate an account that is currently locked out with the forgotten login password, and proceed to hit the Reset button. The software will do its business and set the password to nothing—all automatically.

Now disconnect USB flash drive and press Reboot button to get to Windows 7 desktop.

Method 3: Use Windows Installation Disk and a Command Line

Like the question described at the very beginning of the article, you're likely to use an installation CD/DVD or system repair disc to reset a user password for Windows 7 when forgotten the login password. Here's what you exactly need to do to bypass the login screen effortlessly:

Grab Windows 7 installation CD/DVD or system repair disc and pop it into the optical drive.
Restart computer and boot it from the disc. You may need to change the boot order in BIOS settings so the system will boot up from the disc correctly.
On the first pop-up window, pick your language or leave everything as default, and click Next.
You will then see "Repair your computer" link on the bottom left of the screen. Click on it.
On the System Recovery Options screen, choose Windows 7 and remember its location, specifically the drive letter.
Click Next, and then choose Command Prompt option to open command prompt.
You should now type in two simple commands. If necessary, use a different drive letter than C.

copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe

Now take out the disc and then reboot the computer.
When you get into Windows 7 login screen, hit Shift key 5 times.
A command prompt box will pop up, in which you type a final command to reset login password you've lost for Windows 7 user account. The quotes of username and newpassword can be anything you like.

net user username newpassword

Once this done, close command prompt window, and then login to Windows 7 desktop with the new password you just set up.

Method 4: Log into Windows 7 If Forgotten Password without Disk or Software

Even if you've forgotten the login password on Windows 7 computer and have no password reset disk, there's a good chance you can crack the log-in password and regain access to the system—as long as there's another user on the computer that is configured as an administrator. Note that if it's a domain user account, you will need to contacts Domain administrator to get this fixed.

Here's how to use admin privileges to remove and reset the forgotten password for a local user account in Windows 7:

Start the inaccessible computer and repeatedly press F8 key to get into boot menu.
Choose Safe Mode and press Enter key.
On the login screen, click on Administrator and login to it. Most often, there's no password set for the admin account.
Once you're in, click Start and then choose Control Panel from the menu.
In the Control Panel that opens, click on "User Accounts" link, and then choose "Manage another account" link.
Click on the account needed to be reset the lost login password. Then click on "Change the password" link under the "Make changes to [username]'s account" section.
Fill in a new password in the first and second boxes, and type a password hint in the final box.
Click Change Password button to confirm the password change, then exit any window.
Restart the computer and use the new login password to gain access to your own computer.

That's it!