What is the Administrator password for Windows XP Professional?

Lots of computer users think that they need to reinstall the system after forgetting the password to log into computer. Actually that's not the only way to help you out. The easiest and fastest way is to reset Windows XP password. It also can save you hundreds of dollars if you don't have a Windows installation disk and need to purchase one for it.

Forgot Windows XP password and you haven't created a Windows XP password reset disk previously? The tutorial walks you through the procedures to reset forgotten Windows XP administrator password using Command Prompt, Safe Mode and bootable CD/USB disk.

Option 1: Reset Windows XP Password via Command Prompt

If you could log in with another administrator account, you can open the Command Prompt and reset your forgotten password easily.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.

2. To reset your password, enter the following command at the Command Prompt:

   net user user_name new_password

   For example, if I want to change my account which is Jack to password 123, I would type in net user jack 123 and press Enter.

3. Your password should now be changed.

Option 2: Reset Windows XP Password in Safe Mode

In every installation of Windows XP, there is a built-in and default account named Administrator, which is equivalent to super user or root in Unix/Linux system. By default, the default Administrator account has no password. However, if you've set up another user account, the Administrator account will be hidden from the logon screen.

The default Administrator account is only accessible in both Safe Mode and the traditional logon screen. Here are two ways to log on to Windows XP as the default Administrator account:

• Boot into Safe Mode. Repeatedly press F8 key while turning on your computer, until you see the Advanced Boot Options screen. Choose Safe Mode and press Enter. You can then see the default Administrator account displayed at the logon screen.

• Boot your computer normally. When you get to the Windows XP Welcome screen, simply press Ctrl + Alt + Del twice. You will be presented with a traditional logon screen. Type in Administrator into the username box and click OK.

After logging into the default Administrator account, open the Control Panel and you can reset Windows XP password for any user account. If that doesn't work, you need to use a Windows XP password reset bootable CD.

Option 3: Reset Windows XP Administrator Password with Boot CD

PCUnlocker is a bootable CD that can help you reset Windows XP administrator password easily when you forgot it. PCUnlocker can run directly from either a CD or a USB drive (no installation required), and bypass or reset your forgotten password without data loss.

1. Use your current PC to download the self-extracting ZIP archive of PCUnlocker. Unzip it and burn the resulting .ISO file to an empty CD (or USB flash drive) using the freeware ISO2Disc.

2. Boot your Windows XP computer from the burned CD. Wait until the boot process is finished, you'll see the main window of the PCUnlocker utility.

3. Select the administrator account from the list, and click the Reset Password button. It will fix the most common account access issues and reset Windows XP password immediately. Reboot without the CD and you can login without password!

   If you want to bypass Windows XP password without resetting it, just click the Options button and select Bypass Windows Password. Reboot without the CD, you can then log into Windows XP once with any password.

If you have a need, you can set a new password for your computer after getting into Windows XP system, but do set one that you can remember. Keep the Windows XP password reset bootable CD in a safe place in case you need it in future.

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Are you locked out of your Windows XP Administrator account? When Windows XP is installed on a PC, the Administrator account is not given a password by default. This means it's incredibly easy to log in to most Windows XP PCs using a blank Administrator password. If the Administrator user does have a password but you don't know it, don't worry—there's an tool you can use to clear the password in minutes. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to sign in to Windows XP as an Administrator without entering the password.

Things You Should Know

• If you're using Windows XP Professional, press Control + Alt + Delete on the Welcome screen to sign in with a blank Administrator password.
• Some PCs let you to enter Safe Mode without logging in as Administrator, making it easy to change user passwords.
• If the Administrator password was changed and you can't log in, you can use Offline NT Tool to remove the password.

1. 

   1

   Reboot your PC. If you're using Windows XP Professional and haven't changed the default Administrator password, you can log in with a blank Administrator password at the welcome screen using a quick keyboard shortcut.

   • This will not work if the Administrator password was changed.

2. 2

   Press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice at the Welcome screen. This takes you to the classic Windows XP login window.

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3. 3

   Type Administrator into the first field.

4. 4

   Click the mouse cursor in the Password field. While you shouldn't type anything into the Password field, you should click the mouse in this field to ensure that Windows recognizes the blank password.

5. 5

   Click OK. Once you're signed in, you'll have full administrative privileges, including the ability to change any user's password.

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1. 1

   Reboot your PC. Many Windows XP PCs will allow you to reset the Administrator password by booting into Safe Mode with Command Prompt. To get started, press Ctrl + Alt + Del, click Shut Down…, then click Restart.

2. 2

   Press F8 before the Windows boot screen appears. As soon as your PC turns off and turns back on, start pressing the F8 key repeatedly (don't hold it down—just keep pressing it quickly). This will bring you to a black screen with several menu options.

3. 3

   Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Use the arrow keys to scroll down to this option, then press Enter to boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

4. 4

   If prompted, log in to the Administrator account with a blank password. Depending on how Windows XP was set up, you'll either be prompted to click Yes to continue to Safe Mode, or you'll be asked to log in first. If asked to sign in, type Administrator as the username, and then just click the mouse cursor into the Password field.

   • Don't type anything into the password field—but you will need to click the cursor in the field for the blank password to be accepted.
   • If your password is not accepted, you'll need to try another method.

5. 5

   Click Yes to continue to safe mode.

6. 6

   Enter the command to change the Administrator password. Here's what you'll need to do:

   • Type net user Administrator * and press Enter.
   • Type a new password for the Administrator account.
   • Press Enter to confirm.
   • If you'd like, you can also change the password for other accounts the same way.

7. 7

   Reboot your PC and log in as Administrator. Once you reboot your computer, you will be able to log in as the Administrator user with the password you've created.

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1. 1

   Get a blank CD, DVD, or USB flash drive. If you don't know the Administrator password, you can use a tool called Offline NT Password to make the Administrator password blank. To use the tool, you'll need to create a bootable CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, which you can then boot from to recover the password.

   • If you have access to a more modern operating system like Windows 10 or 11, it'll be easier to create the bootable media on that computer instead.
   • Some Windows XP PCs might be so old they can't boot from USB drive. Others don't have DVD drives, only CD drives. When in doubt, create a CD.

2. 2

   Download the Offline NT Password tool from http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd. You'll see the download links under "Download" toward the bottom of the page. Download the CD version for a CD, or the USB version for a flash drive.[1]

3. 3

   Unzip the downloaded files. To do so, right-click the downloaded file, and then click Extract All.

   • If you're using Windows XP, choose a location to which you want to extract the files, click Next, then click Finish.
   • If you're using a more modern version of Windows, select a location to extract the files, then click Extract.

4. 4

   Create a bootable USB flash drive. If you're creating a bootable CD, you can skip this step. To create a bootable USB flash drive, follow these steps:

   • Copy all of the files from the extracted ZIP file directly to the root of the USB flash drive. Make note of the drive letter.
   • Open the Command Prompt.
   • Type X:syslinux.exe -ma X:, replacing X with the letter of your USB flash drive.
   • Press Enter. The drive is now bootable.

5. 5

   Create a bootable CD or DVD. Use this step only if you're burning a CD on Windows XP, as Windows 7 and later all come with built-in ISO burning tools.

   • Insert a blank bootable CD or DVD into the optical drive.
   • Windows 7 and later:
     • Right-click the file in the extracted folder that ends with .iso and select Burn disc image.[2] Select your CD/DVD burner and click Burn.
   • Windows XP:
     • Go to http://infrarecorder.org and click the Download link on the right.
     • Click the Installer link for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 to download.
     • Once downloaded, double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install.
     • Open Infrarecorder and click Write Image.
     • Select your CD or DVD drive.
     • Click OK to burn.

6. 6

   Change the boot order in the BIOS. Windows XP may not be set up to boot from the CD/DVD drive or USB flash drive, so you'll need to make a quick change in the BIOS.

   • To get to the BIOS, reboot your PC, then start pressing the Setup key for your PC as soon your computer turns off and back on—this is usually F2, F10, F12, or Del. You'll usually see something on the screen at boot time that tells you which key to press to "Enter Setup."
   • Go to the section called Boot, Boot Order, or Boot Sequence—it may be in a section called Advanced.
   • Change the order so the type of device you're booting from appears at the top of the list before the hard drive. For example, the CD-ROM or DVD drive (it may be called Optical Drive) should appear first if you're booting from CD or DVD. Use Removable Devices or USB first if using a flash drive.
   • Save your changes and exit the BIOS. The PC will then restart and boot from the drive.

7. 7

   Boot the Windows XP PC from the CD/DVD or flash drive. Now that the boot order is correct, you'll usually see a message asking you to press any key to boot from CD/DVD or USB. Press a key when prompted. If not, the PC will boot into Offline NT Password instantly.

8. 8

   Select your boot drive and press ↵ Enter. This is usually the default drive that's already selected (C:), but if there's more than one drive or partition, you may have to use the arrow keys to select it manually.

9. 9

   Press 1 and then press ↵ Enter. This displays a list of all passwords you can reset.

   • Any users labeled "ADMIN" have administrator rights.[3]

10. 10

    Type the RID of the Administrator user and press ↵ Enter. The RID appears in the left column next to the user. It should begin with a 0.

11. 11

    Press 1 and then press ↵ Enter. This completely erases the current Administrator password and makes it blank.

    • The option to edit the password won't work on XP—you can only make it blank with this tool.

12. 12

    Exit and save your changes. Here's how:

    • Press ⇧ Shift+! to go back to the main menu.
    • Press q. You'll be asked if you want to save your changes.
    • Press y. This saves your changes.

13. 13

    Remove the CD/DVD or USB flash drive and boot normally. You should now be able to log in to Windows XP with a blank password.

    • If you're unable to log in with Administrator and a blank password, try again after pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del twice on the Welcome screen. Then, enter Administrator as the username, and click inside the Password field once before logging in.

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Add New Question

• Question

  I was given a desktop with Windows XP. How do I take off or reset administrator password?

  You can use a password reset disk or try guessing the password. Most of the admin passwords are "admin" or "administrator".

• Question

  Do Windows 8 and 8.1 create accounts named Administrator by default?

  They do, but every OS since Windows XP has that account locked by default for security reasons. It's a huge security risk to have a full access administrative account with no password. If you'd like to enable this account, log in as an administrator, go to Start, search cmd, right-click, and select "Run as administrator." When the command prompt appears, type in: "net user Administrator /active:yes." Then, to clear the password, type in, "net user Administrator *" and hit "Enter" twice to make it a blank password.

• Question

  What if the administrator account is password protected, how do you gain access?

  The only way to gain access would be to boot from another disk with a utility, like ntpasswd, to reset the password.

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