Unlock Windows 8 Password for Local Account or Windows Live ID

Forgot the password of your Windows 8 Local or Microsoft account (formerly Windows Live ID)? Can't login to Windows 8 with Live account password? There's a way to unlock Windows 8 password and it doesn't involve reformatting and reinstalling Windows. The solution is called PCUnlocker, which allows you to reset lost Windows 8 password for both local account and Windows Live ID. Using the following guide, you can unlock Windows 8 password on any laptop/desktop/netbook/tablet PC in 3 simple steps. Here's how:

Step 1: Create a Bootable CD or USB Drive

1. Download the self-extracting .zip archive of PCUnlocker using any computer you still have full access to. Unzip it and you’ll get the pcunlocker.iso file, which contains a WinPE operating system along with the PCUnlocker software for you to unlock Windows 8 password.
2. Use the freeware ISO2Disc to burn the ISO image file to a blank CD or USB flash drive.

Step 2: Change BIOS Settings

1. Once you've completed the above steps, put in the CD into the optical drive or plug in the USB drive into the computer you want to unlock the password for.
2. Turn on the computer. When it is powered on, check the boot-screen for setup key (i.e. DELETE key, F8 key, F2 key) to enter BIOS Setup Utility.
3. Use the arrow keys to select the BOOT tab, then change the Boot Device Priority: Set 1st Boot Device to CDROM so you can boot from the CD, or choose Removable Device if you want to boot off a USB flash drive.
4. Press F10 to save your changes.

Step 3: Unlock Windows 8 Password

1. Boot your locked computer from the CD or USB drive, and you'll see the main interface of the PCUnlocker application immediately.
2. The application automatically locates all user accounts inside the SAM registry file of your Windows 8 installation. If you use a Microsoft account to sign into your Windows 8 system, there should be a local account associated with your Microsoft account (Windows Live ID).
3. Select a local account from the list, and click the Reset Password button. It will reset your forgotten Windows 8 password instantly. To unlock a Microsoft account password, you need to choose the local account associated with your Windows Live ID.
4. Click the Restart button to reboot the computer and remove the CD or USB drive. You can then log back into Windows 8 system with a blank password.

That's it – you have successfully unlock your Windows 8 password!

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8.1 Password

If you ever find yourself locked out of your Windows 8.1 administrator account because you forgot the password, you'll know how frustrating it can be when you don’t have a reset disk. There are many Window password recovery Live CDs out there, but most of them are unable to deal with Microsoft account logon credential, or simply don't work because Windows 8.1 uses UEFI firmware instead of the traditional BIOS.

PCUnlocker is the most powerful Windows password recovery program which not only supports UEFI booting, but also allows you to reset Windows 8.1 password for both local account and Microsoft account. Let's walk you through the steps of resetting Windows 8.1 password without a reset disk.

Part 1: Create a Bootable CD or USB Drive

1. Download the self-extracting .zip archive of PCUnlocker using any computer you have still have full access to. Unzip it and you'll get the pcunlocker.iso file, which contains a WinPE operating system along with the PCUnlocker software for you to reset Windows 8.1 password.
2. Use the freeware ISO2Disc to burn the ISO image file to a blank CD or USB flash drive.

Part 2: Change BIOS Settings

1. Turn on your locked computer. When it is powered on, check the boot-screen for setup key (i.e. DELETE key, F8 key, F2 key) to enter BIOS Setup Utility.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the BOOT tab, then change the Boot Device Priority: Set 1st Boot Device to CDROM so you can boot from the CD, or choose Removable Device if you want to boot off a USB flash drive.
3. Press F10 to save your changes.

Part 3: Reset Windows 8.1 Password

1. Boot your locked Windows 8.1 computer from the CD or USB drive, and you’ll see the main interface of the PCUnlocker application immediately.
2. The application automatically locates all user accounts inside the SAM registry file of your Windows 8.1 installation. If you use a Microsoft account with your Windows 8.1 system, there should be a local account which is linked to your Microsoft account.
3. Select a local account from the list, and click the Reset Password button. It will reset your forgotten Windows 8.1 password instantly. To reset a Microsoft account password, you need to choose the local account which is linked to your Microsoft account.
4. Click the Restart button to reboot the computer and remove the CD or USB drive. You can then log back into Windows 8.1 system with a blank password.

That's it – you have successfully reset your Windows 8.1 password!

Windows 8 UEFI Password Reset

Forgot the admin password on Windows 8 UEFI/GPT computer? Most of password recovery bootdisks won't boot normally any more when dealing with UEFI BIOS. PCUnlocker should be the unique bootdisk which is fully compatible with UEFI/GPT computer. It enables you to reset lost Windows 8 password with a UEFI bootable CD or USB drive.

There are three editions of PCUnlocker: Standard, Pro and Enterprise. But only the Enterprise edition supports UEFI booting. In this tutorial we're going to show you how to reset lost Windows 8 UEFI password using PCUnlocker Enterprise.

Step 1: Create A UEFI Bootable CD or USB Drive

After purchasing the full version of PCUnlocker Enterprise, you'll get the download link of PCUnlocker_UEFI_x64.zip. Unzip it and you’ll get the UEFI bootable ISO image of PCUnlocker. Burn the ISO image to a blank CD or USB flash drive using ISO2Disc.


Step 2: Boot Your Locked PC from CD/USB Drive

Connect the CD or USB drive to your locked Windows 8 UEFI computer. Turn on the computer and press a key like F12 to bring up the Boot Menu. The exact key depends on your computer. If you can’t find a way to access the Boot Menu, you can either head over to BIOS for changing the boot order: set CD or USB drive as the first boot option.


Step 3: Windows 8 UEFI Password Reset

Now the computer will boot from the CD/USB drive. After a while, you'll see the PCUnlocker program itself, which automatically searches your Windows 8 SAM registry file and locates all Windows 8 user accounts existing on your computer.


Choose a user account and then click on "Reset Password" button. The program will remove / reset your lost Windows 8 password, as well as unlocking the selected user account in case it is disabled, locked out or expired.
Remove the Live CD/USB drive and restart your computer. Now you can log back into your Windows 8 UEFI computer without a password!