Forgotten your password? Reset it the right way.

Read the screen asking for the password. Windows may ask for a password or a PIN. Email, Wi-Fi, websites and work accounts each have their own reset. Stop guessing, as repeated wrong entries can lock the account.

Check Caps Lock and Num Lock are set correctly and that the right account is selected. Use the eye icon in the password box, if shown, to check what you typed.

If the keyboard will not type, open the Accessibility menu on the sign-in screen and choose On-Screen Keyboard.

Select Sign-in options, choose the PIN option and enter your PIN.

If you have forgotten it, select I forgot my PIN, follow the prompts to verify your Microsoft account and create a new PIN. This needs an internet connection.

If the computer is not online, select the network icon at the bottom right of the sign-in screen, choose your Wi-Fi, select Connect, enter the Wi-Fi password and select Next. Or plug in a network cable.

Then choose the type of account: a Microsoft account signs in with an email address; a local account uses a name without one.

You need access to the recovery email address and phone number on your Microsoft account. Microsoft sends the reset code to them.

On the sign-in screen, select I forgot my password. Choose where to send the code, enter it, then create and confirm the new password. Sign in with the new password.

If that option is not shown, use another trusted device to open Microsoft's official password reset page, reset the password there, then sign in on the computer while it is online.

If you no longer have the recovery email or phone, use Microsoft's official account recovery form on a trusted device and wait for Microsoft's reply.

A local account signs in with a name, not an email address. You cannot reset it while you are locked out of it, so there are only two ways to do it yourself:

1. Security questions: if you set them up, enter any password on the sign-in screen and select OK, then Reset password. Answer the questions and create a new password.
2. Another administrator account: if the computer has another administrator account whose password you know, select it at the bottom left of the sign-in screen and sign in to that account instead. Open Control Panel > User Accounts > Manage another account, select the locked account, choose Change the password and set a new one. Sign out, then sign in to the locked account with the new password.

If neither of these applies, book IT support at the end of this guide. Do not delete the locked account, as files stored only in that account could be lost, and do not use password-bypass tools.

Type your email provider's website address yourself; do not use a reset link from an unexpected message. Choose Sign in, then Forgot password, enter the full email address and follow the verification.

Create the new password, sign in to webmail and check your Inbox. If you still cannot get in, contact your email provider.

New Outlook: enter the new password when Outlook asks. If it does not ask, open the settings gear, Accounts > Email accounts, select the account, choose Manage and follow the sign-in prompts.

Classic Outlook: open File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Email, select the account and choose Repair or Change. Enter the new password, let the test finish and choose Done.

If your provider requires an app password for Outlook, create one on the provider's account security page and enter it in Outlook instead of your normal password. Keep it private. Do not turn off multifactor authentication to get Outlook working.

The Wi-Fi name and password (also called the wireless or network key) are usually on a label on the router. Passwords are case-sensitive. If the password has been changed, the label will not match.

On a computer already connected to that Wi-Fi:

1. Open Start > Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi.
2. Select your network name.
3. Under (your network name) properties, next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show.

Windows shows the Wi-Fi password.

Otherwise, sign in to the router using the address on its label and check the wireless settings. If you cannot sign in to the router, contact your internet provider if they supplied it; otherwise book IT support at the end of this guide.

In Edge, open the three-dot menu, Settings > Profiles > Passwords. In Chrome, open the three-dot menu and Google Password Manager. Find the site and select the eye icon; Windows may ask for your PIN or password.

If you use a password manager, open it and search for the site. If you have forgotten its master password, use the manager's own recovery options; many cannot recover it. Do not uninstall it.

Go to the website or open the app yourself and choose Sign in > Forgot password. Enter your username or email and follow the reset link the service sends you. Create the new password and sign in.

Do not use a reset link from a message you were not expecting. If you still cannot get in, contact that service.

Go to office.com and select Sign in. Enter your work or school email and select Next, then Forgot my password. Complete the verification, create a new password and sign in.

If the reset is not available for your account, note the exact message and book IT support at the end of this guide. Do not ask a colleague to supply or guess the password.