Reset Windows password via command line

If you want to change the Windows password for a user account, you can reset it using the command line. We'll show you how.

Reset Windows password using the command line

If you are logged on to the computer as an administrator, you can easily change the passwords of all other users using the command prompt:

1. To do this, press the "Windows" and "R" keys simultaneously so that the "Execute" command opens.
2. Enter "cmd" there and confirm with "OK". Then the black prompt opens.
3. Type in "net user" (without quotation marks) and confirm with "Enter". You will now see all the names of the user accounts.
4. Now enter the command "net user" guest "*" and confirm again with "Enter". In this example we selected the user account "Guest".
5. You can now create a new password for the user and then close the window.
6. Note: If you are not an administrator, you will see an error in the last step. Then follow the instructions in the next paragraph.

Activate administrator account

• Windows XP: Under Windows XP you can easily activate the administrator account with a trick. You can find a manual here.
• Windows 8, 7, Vista: You can also activate the administrator account manually under the newer Windows versions. You can read how this works in this practical tip.
• Safe Mode: If none of this works, you can follow the instructions above in Safe Mode.

The most important commands for the command line can be found in this practical tip.