Create a Windows Password Reset USB Flash Drive for Password Recovery

Summary: Learn how to create a Windows password reset USB flash drive in Windows 11 and 10. Use a password recovery USB flash drive to reset your Windows login password.

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Instructions

This article discusses how to create a Windows password reset USB flash drive for Microsoft Windows 11 and Windows 10. A password reset USB flash drive helps you recover your computer if you ever forget the Windows login password.

Create a Password Reset Disk in Windows 11 or Windows 10

Use a USB flash drive to create a password reset disk using the following steps:

Note: This operation is only possible when using a Windows 11 or Windows 10 Local Account. You cannot create a password reset disk if you are using a Microsoft Account (MSA).
  1. Log in to the local account for which you want to create a password.
  2. Connect a USB flash drive to your computer.
  3. Click Start, then type "password reset" and select Create a password reset disk..
  4. Click Next to continue. Select the drive letter for the USB flash drive that you connected earlier, and select Next.
  5. Enter the current password for the local account that you are using and click Next. If you have already used this disk to create password reset information, you must click Yes to overwrite the existing password data.
  6. When the data is successfully written, click Next to continue, then Finish to complete the wizard.
Note: Anyone can use this disk to access your account on this computer, so it is important that you store the disk in a secure but accessible location.

Affected Products

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Article Properties
Article Number: 000135680
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 20 Jun 2025
Version:  10
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