I Forgot My Windows XP Password! Can I Do Anything About It?

Some ways to get back in if you've forgotten your XP password

Sticky notes on a bulletin board
Lucidio Studio Inc. / Getty Images
by Tim Fisher
Updated August 25, 2017

So you forgot your Windows XP password? Don't worry - it happens to the best of us. We're supposed to make secure, difficult-to-guess passwords but sometimes we make them so complicated that we forget them ourselves!

There are many ways to find a Windows XP password that you forgot!

Try To Guess the Windows XP Password You Forgot

Don't laugh! You'd be surprised how often this works. Before we jump into any high tech recovery methods, try your hardest to remember what your XP password may have been.

Most passwords, even complicated ones, are often inspired by the people, places and things in our personal and professional lives.

Could your Windows XP password have had anything to do with:

  • your name?
  • the name of a friend or family member?
  • a loved one's birthday?
  • your home or office address?
  • a pet's name?
  • a favorite food?
  • a frequently dialed telephone number?
  • something from your childhood?
  • a combination of any of the above?

For some more help remembering your Windows XP password, see How To Successfully Guess Your Own Password.

Use Your Windows XP Password Reset Disk

Assuming you were proactive and created a Windows XP password reset disk at some point in the past, use it at the XP logon screen to change your password.

Your password reset disk will still work even if you've changed your Windows XP password since creating the disk.

Have Another User Change Your XP Password For You

If there are other users that have accounts on your computer, one of them may be setup with administrator level access.

This means that the user would be able to change your Windows XP password for you from within his or her account.

Hack Your Windows XP Account With a Password Recovery Program

If you've given it your best shot but that all-important Windows XP password is still hiding somewhere in your mind, then it's time to try something a bit more technical.

Windows password recovery tools are software programs designed to recover or reset/delete your Windows XP password. They can sometimes be difficult to use but if there's no hope of remembering the password and you can follow some simple directions, Windows password recovery tools are life savers.

Still Can't Find Your Windows XP Password?

If you still can't locate your password, even after using the free Windows password recovery programs linked above, you will need to perform a clean install of Windows XP which will erase everything on your PC.

It's drastic and destructive step but Windows XP is serious about security.

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