What is the default Windows administrator password?

Administering permissions is one of those features on Windows that you don't think about much until you need it. And not having your administrator password can make life a little complicated. You will be excluded from certain things like uninstalling programs, performing administrative activities, or modifying the system on your computer.

However, there is a way to fix this problem. This article will talk about different ways to recover default admin password on different versions of Windows.

What is the default Windows 7 administrator password?

In newer versions of Windows, there is no "default" administrator password that you can simply find and use. The Windows 7 operating system includes an administrator account without a password. This account has existed since Windows was installed and has been disabled by default. So now you just need to allow this default admin account to reset passwords of other admin accounts via command prompt.

To do this, you must first check if your default administrator account is enabled. The steps to do this are:

1. Start your computer in safe mode and wait for the welcome screen to appear.
   
2. Check if you are prompted to log in using your administrator account or your local user account.
   
3. Log in to the administrator account (if it appears on the screen) and change your local user account to an administrator account.
4. If the Administrator account does not appear, insert the Windows installation disc into your computer and restart it.
5. Choose "Repair your computer".
   
6. Select “Command Prompt”.
   
7. Tapez « net user administrator /active:yes« .
   
8. Restart your PC and eject the disc.

If you don't have a disk, you can try the following steps:

1. Log out of your computer and go to the login page.
2. Long press the "Power" button, then the "Shift" key.
3. Select "Restart" while pressing "Shift" for the Windows Recovery splash screen to appear.
4. Select “Troubleshoot” then “Advanced Options”.
   
5. Choose “Command Prompt”.
   
6. In the command window, enter the following commands, pressing "Enter" after each line:
   
   D:
   Windows cd
   cd System32
   ren Utilman.exe Utilman.exe.old
   copy cmd.exe Utilman.exe
7. Now you need to restart your PC. Once on the login page, click on the "Utility Manager" button.
   
8. Type "net user Administrator [email protected]" in the command prompt.

If you no longer need the default Windows 7 administrator account and password, simply set up your own local administrator account to replace the default one. You will no longer need to remember the default Windows 7 administrator password. Follow these steps:

1. Press the "Windows" key and "I" at the same time.
2. The Settings window will appear. Select “Accounts”.
3. Go to "Family & other users", then choose "Add someone else to this PC".
4. Select "I don't have this person's login information".
5. Choose "Add a user without a Microsoft account".
6. Enter a username and password.
7. Click on the newly created user account, then select "Change account type".
8. Select the Administrator option and press "OK".

What is the default Windows 10 administrator password?

As mentioned earlier, there are no default passwords for new versions of Windows. However, there are different ways to fix the forgotten default administrator password issue in Windows 10.

Use the Forgot Password link

If you don't know the default administrator password for Windows 10 and you are stuck on the login page, this solution will help you. You only need the recovery email or phone number if you were the administrator of your account.

1. Click on “I forgot my password”.
2. On the next screen, you must first choose the administrator account and then enter the text displayed in the field. After that, tap on the “Next” button.
3. Choose your email or phone number to get the verification code.
4. After receiving it and verifying your identity, reset your password.

Using the Command Prompt

If you don't have a way to verify yourself, you can use the command prompt instead. Here are the steps to get started:

1. Restart your computer after inserting the installation disc.
2. The configuration page will open. Hold Shift + F10 buttons to open the command prompt.
3. Put the following commands and press “Enter”.
   copy c: windowssystem32sethc.exe c:
   copy /y c:windowssystem32cmd.exe
   c:windowssystem32sethc.exe
4. Close the cmd window and cancel the installation of Windows 10. Restart your computer, but this time without the Windows installation disc.
5. Press the Shift key five times on the login screen to force open the command prompt in administrator mode.
6. Tapez « net user« .
7. Now change the password by typing “net user user_name new_password“.

Factory reset Windows 10 operating system

Resetting your operating system can be a way to fix the problem, but keep in mind that you may lose files. You have the option of backing up important files or erasing everything.

1. Open "Settings".
   
2. Go to “Update & Security”.
   
3. Find the “Recovery” option.
   
4. Click "Get started" under "Reset this PC".
5. Choose whether you want to save some files or erase everything.
6. The PC will start reinstalling Windows and then you will be able to access the computer.

What is the default Windows XP administrator password?

There are also different options to recover Windows administrator password on Windows XP. Take a look at your options below:

Using the Command Prompt

1. To open the command prompt, go to "Start", "All Programs", "Accessories", then "Command Prompt".
2. Type the command:
   net user user_name new_password
3. Press Enter. »

Reset Password in Safe Mode

1. Start the computer in safe mode.
2. Repeatedly press the F8 key while turning on your computer until the Advanced Boot Options screen appears.
3. Press "Enter" to enter Safe Mode. The default Administrator account will then appear on the login screen.
4. Restart your computer as usual.
5. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del twice when you reach the Windows XP welcome screen.
6. Type "Administrator" in the username field.
7. Click "OK" afterwards.
8. Open Control Panel after logging in to the default Administrator account.
9. Change Password.

Reset Password with Bootable CD

If the last method didn't work for you, you can try using the bootable CD. You'll need a program like PCUnlocker, which can run from a CD or USB drive. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Download PCUnlocker.
   
2. Unzip the file.
   
3. Burn the ISO file to a blank CD or USB flash drive.
   
4. Use the CD or USB drive to boot your Windows XP PC.
5. When the reboot process is complete, you will see the PCUnlocker utility main window.
6. Click on the Reset Password option after selecting the administrator account from the list.
7. You can now login without password if you restart your PC without the CD.

Recover access

Getting stuck on many features offered by Windows 10, 7, and XP can sometimes be a real hassle, but luckily there are plenty of ways to overcome it. Moreover, using these methods, you can recover passwords from local accounts as well. It is recommended that you use a password manager to keep all your passwords safe under one master password to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Have you ever forgotten your default Windows administrator password? Have you tried any of these methods? Let us know in the comments section!