How to Create a Password Reset Disk on a USB Flash Drive in Windows 8

   Information

This will show you how to create a password reset disk on a USB flash drive in Windows 8 that you could use to reset the password for your local user account with if forgotten.



This will only reset your normal password created during the installation of Windows 8, and will not reset your pin number or picture password.

   Note

This will only create a password reset disk for the local user account that is currently logged on when it is created. This does not apply to Microsoft accounts.

When you create a password reset disk on a USB flash drive, it will create and add a userkey.psw file on the USB flash drive for the specific local user account. You can move the userkey.psw file to another USB flash drive if you like, but you can only have one userkey.psw file on a USB flash drive.

   Warning

Anyone could use this USB flash drive to reset the password and have access to the local user account it was created for. Be sure to keep it where stored where only you will have access to it to prevent them from gaining access to your local user account with it.

Here's How:

1. Sign in to the local user account that you want to create a password reset disk for.


2. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the User Accounts icon. (see screenshot below)

3. Connect a USB flash drive to your computer.
NOTE: The USB flash drive will not be formatted during the creation of the password reset disk, so you can use one that already has data on it without worry.


4. In the left pane, click/tap on the Create a password reset disk link. (see screenshot below)

5. Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

6. Select the USB flash drive from step 3, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

7. Type in the password for the current user account, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

8. If the USB flash drive already has been used previously to create a password reset disk on, then you will need to click/tap on Yes or No to replace it with this one instead. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: If you click/tap on Yes, then continue on to step 9. If you click on No, then you will need to use another USB flash drive instead.

9. When it's finished creating the password reset disk, click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

10. Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)

11. You will now be able to use this password reset disk (USB flash drive) to reset your local user account's password with on the log on screen if forgotten.




That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

• How to Reset Your Local User Account Password with the Password Reset Disk in Windows 8
• How to Change or Remove a Local Account Password in Windows 8