Remove or reset password for Microsoft Account on Windows 10

[timeshifter]

Plenty of times in my career I've removed and or reset passwords on Windows machines when needed. Took a machine in that needed this done, but this time it's different. The owner of the PC is divorced for a couple of years. The PC is running Windows 10 and for a long time the owner signed in to the only account on the PC, which happened to be a Microsoft Account that belonged to the ex.

Apparently the Microsoft Account password has changed and he can't get into his computer anymore. Contacting the ex is not an option. I told him I could reset it.

The tool I normally use for this is a boot disc called winkey. Works great usually. I booted from it, selected the account. Told it to remove the password. Rebooted. No luck.

I was able to create a new account for him, with admin privileges. And he told me ahead of time if this was all I'd be able to do that would be OK.

But no matter what I do I can't find a way to remove or reset the password for that Microsoft Account. Now it's a challenge. Just want to know if it can be done, and if so, how.

 

[VISA MC]

Plenty of times in my career I've removed and or reset passwords on Windows machines when needed. Took a machine in that needed this done, but this time it's different. The owner of the PC is divorced for a couple of years. The PC is running Windows 10 and for a long time the owner signed in to the only account on the PC, which happened to be a Microsoft Account that belonged to the ex.

Apparently the Microsoft Account password has changed and he can't get into his computer anymore. Contacting the ex is not an option. I told him I could reset it.

The tool I normally use for this is a boot disc called winkey. Works great usually. I booted from it, selected the account. Told it to remove the password. Rebooted. No luck.

I was able to create a new account for him, with admin privileges. And he told me ahead of time if this was all I'd be able to do that would be OK.

But no matter what I do I can't find a way to remove or reset the password for that Microsoft Account. Now it's a challenge. Just want to know if it can be done, and if so, how.

I just did this today. I reset the password to the build in Administrator account with a boot disk and logged in as that. Copied all of the files from the other users folder to another location and was able to just delete the Microsoft account from the settings window in Windows 10.

Where I got stuck was adding the new local account. I got stuck in a loop where the Settings screen took me to a snap in that said it was not able to be used. Ended up making a new user account from command line and making it an admin. All is well now.

 

[frase]

If it is a MS account, this is not recoverable unless via the myriad of x3 secret passcodes.
You will need to activate the hidden admin account via cmd prompt of a boot disc net user administrator /active:yes
Then create a new account, from there you may be able to use Take Ownership of old profile and copy old profile contents to new profile.

 

[HCHTech]

Only slightly on topic, but I noticed yesterday on an 1809 machine that the old "rename the utilman.exe" trick no longer works. I don't think it was me - they must have changed something about the accessibility program with a recent update...

 

[mraikes]

I'm not sure what the answer is, and I know OP has made it academic at this point and is just a conversation. But in a general sense, this might be one of those jobs that shouldn't be touched with a 10-foot pole.

The theoretical client is asking a tech to reset someone else's Microsoft account password in order for them to continue access to an account that isn't theirs. Even being generous, it's an account they haven't had the right to access for a couple of years.

I don't think I would've attempted to do this. Create a new account for the client? Ok. Attempt to reset the password on someone else's Microsoft account? Probably not. I'm not typically a worry-wort, but with an "ex" in the picture, I could imagine a lot of potential for downside here.

 

[nlinecomputers]

I use PCUNLOCKER for this. It will remove the link to the Microsoft account and turn in back into a local account. It doesn't change the M$ account just removes the link in Windows 10. You are still locked out of the account.

 

[timeshifter]

I use PCUNLOCKER for this. It will remove the link to the Microsoft account and turn in back into a local account. It doesn't change the M$ account just removes the link in Windows 10. You are still locked out of the account.

That's all I want to do. Don't want to change the actual Microsoft Account password, just give him access to what's on the computer locally. That way all the icons and bookmarks he's used to would still be there. That's what you're saying, right?

 

[Porthos]

just give him access to what's on the computer locally. That way all the icons and bookmarks he's used to would still be there. That's what you're saying, right?

I do that with a new account and Fab's.

 

[mikeroq]

Yea I've used that. I've also used one that would overwrite the password on the computer so you could log in and then turn it back into a local account. I've done this a few times.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Yea I've used that. I've also used one that would overwrite the password on the computer so you could log in and then turn it back into a local account. I've done this a few times.

Pcunlocker does both. It can give you one time access or it can force change the account back into a local account.

 

[Dave 1973]

Another vote for PCunlocker. I started with Pro version and upgraded to Enterprise with the UEFI support.

Works very well for me.

 

[Your PCMD]

I have Passcape, Wingeer Ultimate and PCUnlocker Enterprise. All 3 work pretty much the same.

 

[timeshifter]

Thanks for all the recommendations for PCUnlocker. It did the job, went ahead and bought the Enterprise version, only $49.

http://www.pcunlocker.com/buy.html

 

[Your PCMD]

Thanks for all the recommendations for PCUnlocker. It did the job, went ahead and bought the Enterprise version, only $49.

Spoiler: Hidden

http://www.pcunlocker.com/buy.html

Not sure, but I think the SAM User Login info doesn't include Microsoft Account based authentications.

 

[timeshifter]

Not sure, but I think the SAM User Login info doesn't include Microsoft Account based authentications.

I don't know, I didn't select that in option #2, it did it for me. I do know that we can now log on to that account without using a password.

 

[hjelpio]

Probably uses the SAM file's location to pinpoint the Microsoft account "link" data.

 

[Rosco]

I use PCUNLOCKER for this. It will remove the link to the Microsoft account and turn in back into a local account. It doesn't change the M$ account just removes the link in Windows 10. You are still locked out of the account.

Best $50 bucks you will ever spend. Paid for itself 100 times over

 

[frase]

Thanks was not aware of this I own PCUnlocker, going to test on a system.

 

[Brittney Powell]

I just did this today. I reset the password to the build in Administrator account with a boot disk and logged in as that. Copied all of the files from the other users folder to another location and was able to just delete the Microsoft account from the settings window in Windows 10.

Where I got stuck was adding the new local account. I got stuck in a loop where the Settings screen took me to a snap in that said it was not able to be used. Ended up making a new user account from command line and making it an admin. All is well now.

Hey How did you make an windows account from command line?

 

[VISA MC]

Hey How did you make an windows account from command line?

net user /add VISA-MC

This will make a local account called VISA-MC. Then just change it to admin user.