Lost or forgot Windows 8 password and wonder how to change the password without logging in? How can I change Windows 8 password using the command prompt if the existing password isn’t known, but I have admin rights? In this article we’ll show you 2 options to change Windows 8 password without knowing the current password.

Option 1: Change Windows 8 Password Using Command Prompt

As long as you can log into Windows 8 with administrator privileges, you can then change Windows 8 password simply by following the steps:

1. Press Windows + X key combination to bring up the Power User menu, and then click/tap on Command Prompt (Admin) option. It will open up the Command Prompt immediately.
2. Using the following command you can change the current password to a new one.
   net user {username} {password}
   Replace {username} with the name of the account you want to change and {password} with the new password.

Option 2: Change Windows 8 Password with PCUnlocker Live CD

How to change Windows 8 password when I am completely locked out the computer? This method is almost as easy as the one above. As long as you have a PCUnlocker Live CD, you can boot your Windows 8 computer from this CD and it enables you to change Windows 8 password immediately.

Here we will guide you through step-by-step procedure of creating a PCUnlocker Live CD and using it to change Windows 8 password without knowing the existing password.

1. Download the zipped ISO image of PCUnlocker. When the download is complete, unzip it and you’ll get a bootable ISO image file. Burn it to an empty CD using ISO2Disc, BurnCDCC, ImgBurn or other CD recording software.
2. After you’ve created a PCUnlocker Live CD, insert it into your Windows 8 computer. When the computer is turning on, go to the boot menu (usually by pressing F8 on most computers, F12 on my Dell laptop). When inside the boot menu, select the CD/DVD-ROM Drive and press Enter.
3. The computer will boot up the WinPE operating system that is in the Live CD. After a while you’ll see the PCUnlocker program which displays a list of Windows 8 user accounts. Choose a user account and click on “Reset Password” button, it will remove your forgotten Windows 8 password instantly.

Conclusion

Using the methods above you can change Windows 8 password easily, without knowing the current password. These methods also work on Windows 7, Vista and XP.

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