How to Unlock a HP Laptop If You Forgot Password | 2021 Edition
People are paying more and more attention to the security of their computers and personal data saved on their laptop. To protect user data from any unauthorized access, you are required to set a complex password with high security level, which makes sure your personal details are safe from hackers and malware attacks.
It’s true that a strong password can keep your laptop secure, but it’s hard to remember for most users out there. You are always recommended to write down your password or take a photo of it. However, there are times when users forgot laptop password.
Forgetting HP laptop password can be very painful as you are locked out of your computer. So, here comes the question: How do you unlock HP laptop if you forgot or lost the password? Commonly, you can use Windows’ built-in password reset disk to reset HP laptop password and set a new one. However, that does not work for anyone.
No worries, we have rounded up several methods that can help you reset HP laptop password. We are going to use HP Envy 15 laptop in this guide. This also works for other models of HP laptop.
Unlock HP Laptop Using Built-in Command Prompt Utility
Command Prompt is the easiest way to reset HP laptop password, even if you cannot access your computer. This approach should come in handy for those who don’t want to install any additional software on their machine. However, you need to play around with their command lines, which seems exhausting for beginners. You also need your Windows setup disc by your side. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Insert a Windows installation disc into your locked HP laptop and then boot it from disc by changing the boot order.
Step 2: Once Windows 10 finishes booting up, press Shift + F10 to open command prompt during Windows 10 setup, then enter the following commands and hit Enter:
move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe d:\
copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe
Step 3: Restart Windows using this command: “wpeutil reboot” and then your computer should reboot now, then you should see a sign-in screen.
Step 4: From here, click on the Utility Manager button at the bottom right corner of the screen and then enter the command shown in the pic below to reset the password for your selected user account.
Step 5: Now reboot HP laptop and you now can sign into your account using the newly-created password.
Reset Password on HP Laptop with PassGeeker Software
Command Prompt is the best free way to reset Windows password. However, if you don’t like it, then PassGeeker for Windows is good to go for resetting HP laptop password. In fact, this is a professional, award-winning software that instantly resets Windows login password. It supports all Windows versions, ranging from latest Windows 10 to the classic Windows XP.
The best part is that it does not use any kind of suspicious software or program to get the job done. This makes sure that your personal data remain intact and safe during the process. It also unlocks all types of passwords you set.
Download: https://www.passgeeker.com/download/PassGeeker-Windows-Password-Recovery.exe
Step 1: Launch PassGeeker Windows Password Recovery on another machine and then create a Windows password reset disk (If you don’t have access to your computer, then download the tool on a secondary device).
Step 2: Insert USB drive into your machine and select the name of your drive from the list. After that, hit the Burn button and wait for the process to complete.
Step 3: Unplug USB drive and insert it into your locked HP computer. After that, power it on and press the F2 key to enter BIOS menu. From here, you can change the boot order so that your device can be booted from an external drive instead of an internal hard drive.
Step 4: When you see the tool’s main user interface, select the user account you wish to reset the password for and then hit the Reset Password button.
Step 5: Now reboot your machine and you now can access locked HP laptop without a password.
Use Hashcat to Unlock A HP Laptop
Hashcat is an open-source tool that allows you to recover HP laptop password. It’s the fastest password cracker on the market and the best part is that it is completely free. The tool supports all platforms, including Linux, Windows, and macOS.
The only drawback is that there is no visual interface. And you might encounter bugs and glitches during the process. In fact, sometimes, the tool crashes in Windows 10.
Download Hashcat
Step 1: Boot locked HP laptop in Safe Mode and download Hashcat. Then extract the zip file when the download is done.
Step 2: When you are done extracting the file, dump the hashes in a text file (make sure you replace the filename 1 and filename 2 with the files containing your password hashes.
Step 3: Now dump the hashes. You can do this using a third-party tool called Mimikatz. Simply download it and run it. After that, download wordlists or cracking dictionaries like CrackStation
Step 4: Once you are done, enter the following command in the Command Prompt and this should crack the hash and your password will be reset.
./hash/hashcat-cli32.bin -m 1000 -a 0 -o winpass1.txt — remove win1.hash rock.dic
Reset HP Laptop Password by Reinstalling Windows OS
Another but not recommended way to unlock a locked HP laptop is to re-install Windows OS and remove old password. The process will erase everything on your computer, so make sure there is nothing important on it. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Open Settings from the Start Menu and then choose the Reset this PC option
Step 2: Now, you can choose either Keep my files, Remove everything or restore factory settings. Select your option and proceed. Going for the last option will remove your personal files, installed software, and re-install the operating system.
Step 3: The computer will start resetting and the process may take a while, then select the user account to sign in without a password.
Take HP Laptop to Repair Shop and Unlock It by Pro
If none of the above methods work for you, then the last shot is to bring your lovely HP laptop to a repair shop. If your device is still covered by a warranty, then take it to the nearest repair center and ask for support. Otherwise, look for a third-party service, but beware of scams out there. Make sure you read all their reviews on the internet before placing your order.
