Q&A for How to Change a Computer Password Using Command Prompt

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How do I remove a password using cmd?

Community Answer

Follow the steps listed above and when it prompts you to put in the password just press enter twice.

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Question

Will this work on Windows 8?

Community Answer

Yes, this will work in Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. With any Admin account, after right clicking the Start screen box in the bottom left corner(for Windows 8.1) (or by clicking the very left corner) and clicking Command Prompt (Admin), you can achieve the same box - just agree to the User Account Control box by clicking the OK button from the dialog box. Otherwise, stay with the same process from that point forward.

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Question

I bought a computer from someone and now I can't reach him. There are two administrator passwords. How can I remove the administrators and passwords on what is now my computer?

Community Answer

If you're on Windows 8/10, press and hold Shift key while you're clicking on Restart in Power Options. It will show a Recovery menu. There press advanced, command prompt, and wait. You need to type the same commands listed in the guide. Basically this is an admin command prompt, so you should have the privilege to change the admin password.

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Question

What do I do if I am the administrator and I have forgotten my password?

Community Answer

If you forget your user account password, then try this: Start your computer and when you see Windows Welcome screen (Login screen), press ++ keys twice and it'll show Classic Login box. Now type Administrator in the Username box and leave the Password box empty.

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Question

What if my friend is locked out of her administrator's account, so we have to do this from another account? Will it still work?

Community Answer

Only if the other account is also an administrator's account. No matter what, you need admin access. If you are fully locked out of all admin accounts, you may not be able to retrieve it in this way.

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Question

How do I change the administrator's password as a guest user?

Community Answer

You don't. Since a guest user profile has restricted privileges, you can't make changes to most of the aspects of Windows, let alone the administrator's password.

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Question

Does this apply on Windows 7?

Community Answer

Yes, this applies on Windows 7.

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Question

While changing my password, I get a message that "system error 5 has occurred." What did I do wrong?

Community Answer

It simply means you do not have the correct privileges to change the password (e.g. you're not on an administrator account).

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Question

It is asking for the administrator's password. What should I do to solve the problem?

Community Answer

If you are the administrator, enter your password. If not, ask the computer administrator to fill in the password for you.

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Question

What does the "System error 5 has occurred" message mean?

Community Answer

It simply means you do not have the correct privileges to change the password (e.g. you're not on an administrator account).

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Question

Is rebooting needed?

Brandon Small

Community Answer

No, it would be as if you are creating a new user account in the control panel. A logout is needed, however.

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Question

The instructions don't work on Windows 10. How else can I change the password?

Community Answer

Go to Control Panel -> User Account Control and there the accounts on the PC should pop up. Below the profile picture there should be a label titled Change Password.

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Question

How do I exit the command prompt?

Community Answer

To quit any window you have open on your screen, including CMD, press alt+F4.

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Question

What do I do if I follow all these steps and it shows access denied?

Community Answer

You have insufficient privileges, not full administrator.

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Question

Will this method work with a guest account on a Windows 7 home premium operating system?

Community Answer

No, it won't. This only works on admin accounts.

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Question

What do I do if I get an "access denied" message?

Community Answer

It simply means you do not have the correct privileges to change the password (e.g., you're not on an administrator account).

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Question

When I was browsing YouTube about finding passwords, I fell for clickbait and my password was changed. How do I get my main account back?

Community Answer

First, restart your computer. Then, while it is restarting, open up the boot menu. Then select the option that says "repair windows". You will now have access to command prompt. Then type in cd system32 and press enter. Then type in dir osk.exe and press enter. Then type in dir cmd.exe and press enter. Then type in ren osk.exe osk.exe.old and press enter. Then type in ren cmd.exe osk.exe and press enter. Then exit the boot menu and start your computer normally. When you get to the login page, click the ease of access button located on the bottom left hand corner and click on the On-Screen keyboard. It will take you to command prompt again. This time, type in: net user (account name) *.

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Question

What's the use of a method like this if I can't do it without the administrator's password?

Community Answer

Because this allows an administrator to script the activities to run as a timed event. Some people also find it a lot more efficient to use CMD than a GUI.

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Question

What is the message "Error 5 has occurred Access is denied" showing up for, every time I try this method?

Community Answer

It means you don't have administrator privileges, that is you are not using using an administrator account.

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Question

I typed in the password and it told me "Code error 5" even though I am the administrator. What went wrong?

Community Answer

You didn't log in as an admin, or you forgot to run CMD in administrator mode. This command needs admin permissions.

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Question

Can a guest access files without admin privileges?

victor josiah

Community Answer

Yes they can, depending the privilege giving to the guest account. Otherwise, change that in the administrator account to allow the guest to access files from their account.

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Question

What does the "system error 8646 has occurred" error mean?

Arrogance

Top Answerer

It means you're using a Microsoft account to log in, not a local account. You have to change your password from microsoft.com.

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