What to do if you forgot Windows Server 2019 admin password
Lost or forgot your administrator password to Server 2019? Try Command Prompt or efficient password removal tool to reset forgotten Windows Server 2019 password.
Lucas Seltzer Updated on Mar 25, 2025 10:22 AM
Losing or forgetting your Windows Server password could leave you without the ability to access your computer. This makes sense when you've forgotten administrator password and cannot log on Windows Server 2019 - whether it's a local or domain account.
Thankfully, you can reset Windows Server 2019 password. Using Windows Installation DVD disk along with command prompt to reset the forgotten admin password in Server 2019 is feasible yet complicated. To facilitate Windows password reset process, you can use an efficient third-party utility, ensuring to recover access to administrator account.
Here are several things you can do to reset Windows Server 2019 administrator password if you forget or you don't know, and we will explore each one in-depth.
If you forgot the password on Windows Server 2019 admin or user account, try these routes to restore full access.
Windows Password Recovery comes in handy and can automate the process of resetting Windows Server 2019 forgotten password without carrying out command prompts.
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Use Windows installation disk free
If you're locked out of your Windows Server 2019 because you forgot the admin password, that's okay. Microsoft offers an all-purpose admin password reset process - though it may be complicated for many users.
To reset the administrator password of a local or domain account, you'll need to create a password recovery disk with CD/DVD or USB on an accessible computer. This allows you to access Command Prompt to run certain commands for resetting the forgotten or lost admin password in Windows Server 2019 by creating a new one. Note: Be sure to not forget the updated password, or you'll need to perform the reset again.
Now, let cover how to use an installation disk to get you back into your Windows Server 2019 machine if forgotten the administrator account password.
How to reset forgotten Windows Server 2019 password
1. Create an Installation disk. From another computer that you have access, download Windows Server 2019 ISO and burn it onto a writable CD/DVD or USB drive.
2. Insert the installation disk into your locked Windows Server 2019 computer.
3. Power on your Server, and repeatedly press the key (F2, F1, ESC, DEL, etc.) to enter BIOS SETUP utility. Then use the arrow key to select the burned DVD and hit Enter to set it boot from the disk.
4. When your computer boots from DVD, Windows Setup interface appears. Select your language and keyboard and then Next.
5. Then click Repair your computer in the bottom left of the window.
6. On the Choose an option interface, click Troubleshoot, followed by Command Prompt.
7. Inside CMD, type the following two commands, and press Enter after each.
move c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak
copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
8. Close the Command Prompt interface, then click Continue. Your Server will restart and shows the login screen.
9. Press Windows Key + U, or click Ease of Access icon at the lower right corner to open the Command Prompt window.
10. Run the net user command to reset your 2019 Server's administrator password even you do not remember it. Replace Appgeeker with whatever new password you want.
net user Administrator Appgeeker
11. When done, close Command Prompt.
12. Now you're able to log back into the Windows Server 2019 using the newly reset password.
13. Once you verify that you've recovered your Administrator account, revert the changes to original state.
- Reboot your computer.
- In Windows Setup interface, choose Next > Repair your computer.
- Click Troubleshoot > Command Prompt.
- Execute this command: copy c:\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
- Close Command Prompt and anything should be back up and running.
Important! Make sure to use the command lines correctly for your own Windows Server 2019 admin password reset. Unlocking someone's Server computer without permission could lead to criminal consequences.
Use Windows Password Recovery tool - Reset all types of passwords
Chances are that you are unfamiliar with command prompts and cannot figure out a forgotten admin password in Windows Server 2019, or even you don't know how to create the installation disk to reset the lost password of the Administrator. No worries.
If you're looking for an efficient and complete password reset utility, you can stop your search with Windows Password Recovery. It's a dedicated tool that's designed to deal with the issue with forgetting password to Windows Server 2019, enabling you to reset the forgotten Server 2019 admin password and regain access to your computer without losing files or settings.
What you can do with Windows Password Recovery software on Server 2019:
- Carries inbuilt tool for creating a Windows password reset disk quickly.
- Reset forgotten domain admin password, local admin password, domain user password, or local user password in Windows Server 2019 - all without executing command prompts.
- Reset Windows Server 2019 passwords without affecting any data stored in the desktop.
- Remove any password in Windows system.
- Create a new Administrator account.
- Work on all Windows operating systems.
How to reset forgotten local/domain admin password for Windows Server 2019 easily
The process is pretty straightforward. Windows Password Recovery offers intuitive wizard to guide you to burn a password recovery disk, boot the computer from the disk, and reset the Windows Server 2019 password that you've lost or forgotten without involving any command prompts, allowing you to get in your computer instantly.
Step 1- Launch the tool and make a password reset disk.
Once you've downloaded Windows Password Recovery tool on a working Windows PC, install it properly. Then open it, and click Start button.
Insert a blank CD/DVD or a USB stick to the computer. Here we use the USB Flash Drive. Pull down the drive menu and choose [your USB]. Then click Next button to start burning the Window boot disk within minutes.
When done, unplug the USB drive.
Step 2: Boot your Windows Server 2019 from the USB drive.
Insert the burned USB drive to your Server 2019 machine to bypass the forgotten admin password and get past the login screen.
Turn on or restart your computer. While it's starting, hold down the appropriate key (like F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) to enter BIOS Setup Utility menu. The key is varied based on the manufacturers, and you could check for correct one from the chart.
When the menu appears, use the arrow keys to highlight the USB drive and press Enter to set it as the first boot order.
If you have no idea on how to set your Windows Server 2019 boot from the Windows password recovery disk, check the links below:
Step 3- Reset forgotten password on Windows Server 2019 for local & domain admin account.
Once your computer boots from USB drive, Windows Password Recovery software will automatically run and load your Windows system. From the screen, select Windows Server 2019, and click Next button.
You should see all local/ domain accounts of Windows Server 2019 computer. To reset the forgotten administrator password, click on the dot next to that account.
Proceed to choose Reset Account Password, then click Next button.
When ready, enter the new password, and hit Reset button to changes the password of the administrator account after forgetting.
Step 4- Access Windows Server 2019 after resetting forgotten admin/ user password.
Once your password that you cannot remember to unlock Windows Server 2019 computer has been reset, click Restart button. Log in with your new password and get into your desktop or laptop with full control.
Reset forgotten domain admin password
Windows Server domain controller typically has a recovery account setting, which can be used if you forgot the administrator password of your domain account. For this to work, make sure that there is more than one admin account on your server computer and you know the credentials for login.
To reset the domain admin password from Windows Server 2019 for free, do the following:
- Log into the domain-joined computer with administrative privileges.
- Navigate to Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) console.
- Locate the domain administrator account, right-click on it, then choose Reser Password.
- When prompted, input the new password for the domain account and confirm the reset for the forgotten Windows Server 2019 domain administrator password.
In case you forgot the domain admin password when you're totally locked out of your server 2019 computer, and no other administrator exists in this Windows domain, Active Directory Users and Computers will not help. You just resort to the Windows Password Recovery application mentioned above for resetting or removing the administrator password from your domain account.
Reset a forgotten admin password from local account
If you still have access to your locked Windows Server 2019 computer even after the local administrator password has been forgotten, the "Set Password" function in the Local Users and Groups console may be able to unlock for you, even if you can't remember the password on the Server 2019 local admin account.
- Log in to the server with your local account credentials.
- Once signed in, click Start menu and choose Run. You can also press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Enter lusrmgr.msc in the box and click OK. This should open Local Users and Groups console.
- Double-click Users from left sidebar to display a list of users on the right pane.
- Locate your administrator account that you wish to reset the password for.
- Right-click on the account, and from the menu, choose Set Password.
- Create a new password and confirm.
- Click OK to save the password change.
Forgot Admin password in Windows Server 2019? Fixed!
One of the above methods should help you regain access to your Windows Server 2019 PC & laptop when you forget the administrator password, but it's best to take precautions to avoid going through this Windows Server password reset process again. If you frequently forget your local/domain administrator password, consider keeping a physical copy of it in a secure place.
In case you're still locked out of your Windows Server 2019 and can't remember the password, your last resort is to reinstall operating system. This will erase all the data on your computer's hard drive, returning it to its original state. So, make sure that you have backup of all your files and documents for safety.
