How To Factory Reset Windows 7 Or Windows 10 Without Password?

Windows operating system is one of the most popular and widely used operating systems today. It comes in a wide variety of flavors, including Server and Home Edition etc. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 are the most recent variants of Microsoft's operating system. Over several versions, Microsoft has drastically changed how to operate, use and customize Windows OS. Some aspects were left unchanged while others were geared towards usability. In this article you will learn how to restore factory settings on your computer running Windows 7/8/10 without using a password.

The password is the standard tool for data protection. It has been tested and proven as the most reliable method to authenticate the user as the authorized person. However, if the password is committed only to memory, there is a high chance it will be forgotten.

For some technical reason, you might encounter a problem wherein a factory reset is the only option, and logging in to the administrator account is the next step.  Factory reset means that the computer will be restored to its original configuration back to the time when it was first purchased.

Without the password to the administrator account in windows, you might be having difficulties with using the factory reset. Nevertheless, the following methods can help you proceed without having to enter the administrator account password.

Method 1:  Using System Restore Through Safe Mode (For Windows 7 And 10)

1. Turn on your Windows computer.
2. When the Windows logo appears, press the ‘F8’ key on your keyboard and hold it until the menu for ‘Advanced Boot Options’ will open.
3. In the menu ‘Advanced Boot Options’, select the option ‘Safe Mode with Command Prompt’ and press ‘Enter’.
   
4. On the command prompt, type rstrui.exe and then press ‘Enter’.
5. On the new window, select the checkbox ‘Yes, reformat hard drive and restore system software to factory condition’.
6. Afterward, click ‘Next’.
7. If the restoration process is complete, click the option ‘Finish’ to restart Windows.
8. Observe the changes on Windows. It must feel like a brand new installed operating system since it was restored to the default settings.

Method 2:  Using Recovery Partition (For Windows 7 And 10)

1. Turn on the Windows computer. Make sure the system recovery disk is inserted into the CD drive. This is necessary for factory resetting.
2.  Before the Windows will be loading, press frequently the ‘F11’ until it boots to another window.
3. That window is the Recovery Manager. The ‘F11’ enabling may vary from one unit to another and so, you must be familiarized first with what key to press. For HP brand computers, F11 is the key to the press. For the sake of an example, we will use the brand HP. On the Recovery Manager window, choose ‘System Recovery’ under the option ‘I need help immediately’.
   
4. Follow the instructions indicated for the restoration process.
5. After the restoration process is complete, restart the computer and select the initial settings. Observe that your computer will have a different interface.

Method 3:  Using Factory Reset From The Login Screen (For Windows 10)

1. At the login screen, press the ‘Shift’ key on your keyboard while clicking the ‘Restart’ button under the power menu at the lower-right corner of the said screen.
2. The menu for boot options will appear. Select the option ‘Troubleshoot’.
   
3. Next, click the option ‘Reset this PC’.
   
4. You will be offered 2 options: ‘Keep my files’ or ‘Remove everything’. To proceed while able to save your existing files, choose the first option. Otherwise, you can choose the latter.
5. Either option, the reset process will begin. Follow the instructions.
6. After the reset process is complete, observe that the Windows can now be set up without having to enter the previous Admin password.

Summary: Factory reset Windows 7 or Windows 10 without password

• Prepare a USB drive and format it.
• Download the free edition of Windows Password Recovery from its official website, install it in an available computer, and create a Windows password reset disk with USB drive.
• Insert the created USB drive into your locked computer and follow the interface to set BIOS to boot from this USB drive.
• Choose the target operating system from the list, and then choose which account name you need to unlock.
• Reset Windows password completed. Now you can sign in to your PC without password.

Conclusion

The aforementioned methods are the only ways to factory reset if you forgot the password to your Windows administrator account.

There are also third-party programs that can perform the same tasks such as ‘Spower Windows Password Reset’ and ‘PassFab 4WinKey’. If all else fails, the only option is to reformat the computer.