01202 775566 Book SOS REMOTE SUPPORT

// LOCKED OUT OF WINDOWS?

Forgot your Windows password or PIN?

You’ve forgotten the PIN or password for your Windows computer. Don’t panic, and don’t download anything that promises to “crack” it. These are Microsoft’s own ways back in, and which one works depends on how you sign in. Rated 4.9 on Google.

Call 01202 775566 Which account do I have?
  • ● Microsoft’s own routes
  • ● Windows 11 and 10
  • ● No risky downloads

By the 365 Techies team · Reviewed 12 October 2026

/01 — WHICH ACCOUNT?

First, which kind of account do you have?

  • A Microsoft account: the sign-in screen shows an email address under your name (often Outlook, Hotmail or Live). Most Windows 11 home PCs use one. The password is reset online.
  • A local account: just a name, no email address. It only exists on this PC, so it’s reset on the PC itself.
  • A work or school PC: ask your IT department, who can reset it for you.

// FIX IT WITH ME · STEP BY STEP

Get back in, step by step

The steps from this guide, one at a time, in the order that fixes the most cases fastest. Tell it what happened and it shows the next step. Nothing here leaves your device.Last reviewed 12 October 2026

Checking which Windows you have…STEP 1 OF 5
  1. 01Work out which account you have

    An email address on the sign-in screen means a Microsoft account; just a name means a local account.

    Are you back in?

Rather have it done for you? Remote help from £20, or in person across Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Ringwood and the New Forest, with no call-out fee.

At a glance

Which account?An email address on the sign-in screen means a Microsoft account; just a name usually means a local account.
Forgot the PINChoose I forgot my PIN on the sign-in screen (Microsoft accounts).
Microsoft account passwordChoose I forgot my password, or reset it from another device on Microsoft’s reset page.
Local account passwordAfter a wrong password, choose Reset password and answer your security questions.
Still locked outAnother administrator on the PC, a password reset disk, or, last of all, resetting the PC.
Avoid“Password cracking” downloads and cold callers offering to help: both are common scams.

// NEED THIS FIXED RIGHT NOW?

Skip the DIY — call 01202 775566 and we can be looking at your screen within minutes. You watch everything we do, and most problems on this page are fixed in one short remote session. (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm.)

Start SOS Remote Support Call 01202 775566

/02 — FORGOT THE PIN

Forgot your PIN

  • Microsoft account: on the sign-in screen, choose I forgot my PIN, confirm it’s you with your Microsoft account (usually a code sent to your phone or email), then set a new PIN.
  • Local account: choose Sign-in options and sign in with your password instead. Then set a new PIN in Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options.

/03 — MICROSOFT ACCOUNT

Forgot a Microsoft account password

  1. On the sign-in screen, choose I forgot my password, or on another device, go to account.live.com/password/reset.
  2. Confirm it’s you with the code Microsoft sends to the phone number or email address on the account.
  3. Choose a new password, then sign in to the PC with it. The PC needs to be connected to the internet the first time.

No longer have that phone or email? Microsoft’s reset page offers a recovery form that asks questions only you would know.

/04 — LOCAL ACCOUNT

Forgot a local account password

  1. Security questions: type a wrong password, choose OK, then Reset password, and answer the security questions you set up when the account was made.
  2. A password reset disk: if you made one on a USB stick, choose Use a password reset disk instead.
  3. Another administrator: if someone else has an administrator account on the PC, they can sign in and set a new password for you: Control Panel, User Accounts, Manage another account, choose your account, Change the password.

Microsoft can’t look up or get round a lost local password. If none of these work, see the next section before doing anything drastic.

/05 — STILL LOCKED OUT

Still locked out? The last resort

Resetting the PC gets you back in, but it can remove your programs and, depending on the choice, your files. If the drive is encrypted, it may also ask for the BitLocker recovery key: see computer asking for a BitLocker recovery key. Talk to us first if there are photos or documents on the PC you can’t lose.

/06 — AVOID THE SCAMS

Avoid the scams

  • Don’t download “password removal” or “cracking” programs from adverts or search results: many carry malware.
  • Microsoft never rings out of the blue offering to fix your PC. Hang up, and never let a caller connect to your computer: see gave a scammer remote access?

/07 — NEXT TIME

Make it easier next time

  • Microsoft account: keep your phone number and a backup email up to date in your account’s security settings.
  • Local account: make a password reset disk (Control Panel, User Accounts, Create a password reset disk) and keep the USB stick somewhere safe.
  • A password manager remembers your passwords behind one you know: see password manager set-up.

/08 — WHEN TO CALL US

When to call us

We can’t connect remotely to a PC nobody can sign in to, but we can talk you through these steps on the phone, or collect the PC locally and help you back in, keeping your files where that’s possible. Ring 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. For a business PC after someone has left, see employee left and nobody knows the password.

// KEEP GOING

password manager set-upBitLocker recovery keygave a scammer remote access?employee left, password unknown

FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT

// GOOD QUESTIONS

Frequently asked

How do I get into my laptop if I forgot the password?

If it uses a Microsoft account, reset the password online and sign in with the new one. If it’s a local account, answer your security questions after a wrong password, use a password reset disk, or ask another administrator on the PC to set a new password.

What do I do if I forgot my PIN?

Choose I forgot my PIN on the sign-in screen if you use a Microsoft account. With a local account, sign in with your password instead and set a new PIN in Settings.

Can Microsoft unlock my computer?

Microsoft can help you reset a Microsoft account password online, but it can’t look up or get round a forgotten local account password.

Will resetting my PC delete everything?

It can remove your programs and, depending on the choice, your files. Use it as the last resort, and talk to us first if there’s anything you can’t lose.

Is password removal software safe?

Usually not: programs advertised to remove or crack Windows passwords often carry malware. Stick to Microsoft’s own routes.

Can you help remotely?

Not while nobody can sign in, but we can talk you through it on the phone, or collect the PC locally and help you back in.

// Still stuck?

Still locked out?

We can talk you through it on the phone, or collect the PC locally and help you back in without losing your files where that’s possible. Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332.

We’ll fix it with you

  • Checking the problem is free
  • Fixes from £20, agreed before we start
  • We phone first, and you watch every step
Call 01202 775566How remote help works

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Mon–Fri 9–5 · family-run since 1995 · rated 4.9 on GoogleWhich account do I have? →