How to Unlock an HP Laptop

You'll need to reset your Microsoft account password. We'll show you the different ways to do that

By
Ruben Circelli
Ruben Circelli
Ruben Circelli
Editor
  • University of Massachusetts, Boston
Ruben Circelli has been a freelance technology writer and editor since 2014. His work has appeared on dozens of sites, including Komando.com, Twinfinite, and TheGamer.
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Updated on October 23, 2023
Reviewed by
Ryan Perian
Ryan Perian headshot
Reviewed by Ryan Perian
  • Western Governors University
Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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Microsoft

There are many ways to lock yourself out of your HP laptop, but even without a password, there are also several ways you can get back into your computer and get going again.

Causes of Locked HP Laptops

Losing access to your computer is easier than you think.

If you usually use your Microsoft account password to get into your computer, it's possible someone gained access to your account and changed your password. It's also possible that the person who made the original user accounts or set up your computer's admin accounts no longer uses the computer and thus no longer has the passwords.

Regardless of how you ended up here, all isn't lost. Depending on what information you have access to, getting back into your laptop might take just a few minutes.

How to Unlock an HP Laptop

Windows has features and services to help you get back into your computer. Below are your options for unlocking an HP laptop running Windows 11 or 10.

  1. Double-check that you're logging in to the correct user account. This is easy to mix up if multiple accounts are on the laptop. If you select the wrong user, you'll type the incorrect password into the text box, which will appear like you're locked out of your HP laptop.

  2. Change the method you're using to log in. If your normally type a password to get into your computer, but you see a box that says PIN, select Sign-in options to switch to using a password (or vice versa).

  3. Reset your Microsoft account's password if that's how you've been logging in.

    When you made your user account, you had a choice between signing in with your Microsoft account or setting up a local one. If you signed in with Microsoft, and therefore used that password to log in, you can change this password through Microsoft's website on any other device you have access to, including a phone.

  4. Reset another user's passwords in Windows. If you have access to an admin account on your computer, you can use it to change the user account you've lost the password to.

  5. Reset your own Windows password via Command Prompt. This trick leverages the net user command to reset your password. It's a lengthy procedure, but still easy for anyone to follow.

  6. Use a Windows password reset disk. This method requires you to have already created a password reset disk before losing your password, but if you haven't, once you get back into your computer, this is an excellent feature to try.

  7. Reset your HP laptop. If all else fails and you can't get access to your desktop, it may be time to wipe the whole device and start fresh. Unfortunately, this does mean you will lose your files, and without access to the computer itself, you likely won't have much luck backing up your files.

    Chances are if you've forgotten your laptop's password, it wasn't your daily driver computer anyways. Still, after a reset, make sure to set up a backup of all your essential files you plan to store on the computer and create a password reset disk, so you don't have to reset your computer again.

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