2 min read April 28, 2020 at 9:56am
If you find yourself locked out of your local Windows account there is an easy way to reset it. All you need is a Windows installation CD or USB and access to the drive or ports. Please note this doesn't work on machines that have BitLocker enabled or the USB/Disc tray ports disabled in the BIOS.
1. Boot your computer using your Windows installation disc.
2. Wait for the setup files to load, and select your language. Click Next.
3. Click the Repair your computer link on the Install Windows screen.
4. Select the operating system to repair, and note the drive letter on which the OS is installed (it is probably C: or D:). Click Next.
5. Click Command Prompt at the bottom of the list of recovery tools.
Now you need to overwrite the Sticky Keys executable with the Command Prompt executable. Sticky Keys is an accessibility feature that allows a user to tap the Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or Windows key once to achieve the same effect as holding the key down. Ordinarily, tapping Shift five times activates Sticky Keys--but with this trick, you are going to make tapping Shift five times activate the Windows Command Prompt instead.
The instructions below use drive letter C: as an example. If your operating system is installed on another drive, replace C: with the appropriate drive letter.
1. In the Command Prompt window, type copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\ and press Enter.
2. Type copy /y c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe and press Enter.
3. Exit the Command Prompt and reboot the computer. At the login screen, tap Shift five times. The Command Prompt will pop up.
4. Type net user username password, replacing username with your username and password with a new password.
5. Exit the Command Prompt, and log in using your new password.
To prevent another user from exploiting the same trick to reset your password, you can restore Sticky Keys as follows:
1. Step through the instructions above to boot the PC using your Windows installation disc, open the recovery tools, and launch the Command Prompt.
2. Type copy /y c:\sethc.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe and press Enter.
3. Exit the Command Prompt and reboot the computer. Pressing Shift five times will now activate Sticky Keys instead of the Command Prompt. Store your Windows installation disc in a secure location.