If you’ve forgotten your PIN and password and do not know how to bypass a forgotten PIN Windows 10, this guide on MiniTool is for you. In this post, I will walk you through the detailed steps to reset PIN from Command Prompt.

I Forgot My PIN Windows 10 Not Working

“Hey there, I recently changed my password for the login and one of my family changed it again and for some reason, it only shows the PIN code, I tried logging in but I don’t know the PIN code and so does my family. There isn’t any option for password and there also isn’t an option for forget PIN code.”answers.microsoft.com

A PIN is a short numeric code that protects your computer from unauthorized access, serving the same purpose as a Windows password. However, many users reported that they had forgotten the PIN codes and lost access to Windows and their files. Are you one of them? If yes, continue reading to learn how to fix the “Windows 10 forgot PIN not working” issue.

How to Bypass a Forgotten PIN Windows 10

Way 1. Create a New User Account

The first method is to use the Command Prompt tool to create a new local user account and gain access to the original account’s files. It should be noted that the new account will not restore the original account’s PIN.

Process 1. Bring up the Command Prompt Window

You can use any of the following methods to open Command Prompt, and then jump to Process 2.

>>Method 1. Use Shift + Restart

Hold the Shift key on your keyboard, and then click the Power > Restart buttons on the login screen.

When you see the Choose an option window, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.

open Command Prompt from the WinRE environment

>>Method 2. Use Windows Installation Media

Step 1. Insert a blank USB drive into a working computer, and download the Windows 10 installation media creation tool. Then use this tool to create an installation USB drive.

Step 2. Insert the USB drive into the computer that you are unable to log in. Restart the computer, and during the boot, press F12, Esc, Del, or another BIOS key (depending on your computer manufacturer) to boot into BIOS. Change the boot order to boot from the USB drive.

Step 3. When you see the Windows Setup window, click Next. Click Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt.

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Process 2. Create a New Local User Account

Step 1. In the Command Prompt window, type regedit and press Enter.

Step 2. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and then click File > Load Hive.

Step 3. Open the drive where Windows is installed and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config. Then open the SYSTEM file and type a key name such as 123 or whatever you want.

Step 4. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > 123 > Setup.

Step 5. Double-click CmdLine, set up its value data to cmd.exe, and click OK. Then, set up the value data for SetupType to 2.

Step 6. In the left panel, select folder 123, and then click File > Unload Hive.

Step 7. Close Registry Editor and Command Prompt. In the Choose an option window, select Continue.

Step 8 (optional). If you see the Windows installation window, close it.

Step 9. In the command line window, type net user and press Enter.

Step 10. Type net user (your new username) (your new password) /add and press Enter.

Step 11. Type net localgroup administrators (your new username) /add and press Enter.

Step 12. Now you can restart your computer and unlock your computer with the newly created local user account. To access your files on the old account, go to C:\Users\old username.

This is all about how to bypass a forgotten PIN command line.

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Way 2. Recover Files and Reinstall Windows

Alternatively, you can choose to move all your important files on the computer to a USB drive and then reinstall your computer. Use the methods in Way 1 to open the Command Prompt window, and then type notepad.exe.

In Notepad, click File > Open. In the pop-up File Explorer window, select the files or folders you want to transfer, choose Send to, and choose the USB drive. It is recommended to transfer files in small amounts, otherwise, the transfer process may be stuck for a long time or even a whole night.

Once you rescued your files, you can reinstall Windows.

Tips:
If your files are missing for some reason, you can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to recover them. This secure data restore tool is fully compatible with Windows 11/10/8.1/8 and can help recover deleted photos, documents, videos, emails, and other types of data. The free edition supports recovering 1 GB of files for free, and the advanced edition supports recovering files from an unbootable computer.

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Bottom Line

How to bypass a forgotten PIN Windows 10? You can bypass it by creating a new local user account using Command Prompt in recovery mode. By the way, it is important to back up your password or PIN to prevent the same issue in the future.

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