This method does not require an external installation media, but only works for local accounts. If the drive is encrypted with BitLocker, it’s key will be required (this method does not reset the key).
Source: https://dev.to/jackscott7/reset-windows-1011-password-without-usb-or-reinstall-43m6
Online Microsoft accounts require internet access to login; passwords are tied to this account and cannot be reset locally.
Some sources recommend pressing F11 on startup to enter “Recovery”, but this is not reliable; some machines may use F10 or F12 instead. Use the force shutdown method above instead.
Select “Troubleshoot”
Select “Advanced options”
Select “Command Prompt”
This will open a command prompt window.
Identify the operating system partition (value for “osdevice”). This is typically “C:\”, but it may be different.
bcdedit
Create a backup of “Utilman.exe”, and then replace it with “cmd.exe”:
copy C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.bak
copy C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe
If prompted to overwrite, accept by typing “Yes”.
Windows is not case sensitive. If you experience difficulty due to keyboard layout issues, special symbols (like “\”) can be copied from the terminal prompt.
The command prompt window can be closed and the system can now be rebooted.
After startup, select the “Accessibility” icon at the bottom right of the screen. This will open a command prompt window.
List the users (to verify username) and change the password:
net user
net user "UserNameHere" "NewPasswordHere"
Although the next step is not necessary, it it recommended for security. Once logged in, open a command prompt and restore the Accessibility utility:
copy C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.bak C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe
If this returns access denied errors like above (even with admin privileges), boot back into recovery mode to restore.
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