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This guide describes a common method to regain access to a Windows Server OS when you forget or lose the password for an administrator account. This procedure changes a local Windows account without reinstalling the operating system.
Offline password resets can make EFS-encrypted files inaccessible. This method does not unlock BitLocker or reset an Active Directory domain account. If encryption is enabled, confirm your recovery keys and recovery method before proceeding. See the password-reset tool’s FAQ.

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Access the VPS Management Portal

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Mount password reset helper image and boot

  • Enable VNC Server
  • Click Mount ISO
  • In the drop-down list, select the image: 1_Password-Reset-Helper.iso
  • Check the box force reset & boot from the selected ISO, then click the Mount ISO button Select the Password Reset Helper ISO The screenshot shows the image selection before enabling force reset.
  • Open noVNC or connect with a VNC client

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Open the browser console

  1. Click “Open Console” to see console output
  2. Click into the noVNC browser window to set focus
  3. The ISO loads automatically. When it finishes loading, you see this notification: Windows recovery helper ready to start chntpw
  4. Press Enter to start chntpw.
  5. At Select: [q] >, type 1 and press Enter to select Clear (blank) user password: Select option 1 to clear the Administrator password
  6. After the password is cleared, type q and press Enter to quit editing the user: Select q to quit editing the user
  7. At Write hive files? (y/n) [n] :, type y and press Enter to save the change: Enter y to write the changed SAM hive
  8. Check for OK and chntpw exited., then press Enter at Continue with umount & exit password reset tool ?: Saved SAM hive and prompt to unmount and exit

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Unmount the ISO

After you reset the password, unmount the ISO (Password Reset Helper) image in the VPS Management Portal.

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Reboot and test

After rebooting, use the VNC console to sign in to the local Administrator account whose password you cleared. Depending on the Windows configuration, you may need to select the account at the sign-in screen. Set a strong password immediately before trying RDP. Open Command Prompt (CMD) with administrative rights: Command Prompt context menu with Run as administrator highlighted In the elevated Command Prompt, replace newpassword with your own strong password before running the command:
Administrator is the account being updated. newpassword is only a placeholder. Do not use it as your actual password. The screenshot shows the command before execution. Elevated Command Prompt showing the net user command with a password placeholder
To avoid putting the new password on the command line, run net user Administrator * instead and enter it at the hidden prompts. Microsoft documents this option in the net user reference.

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Disable VNC access

Now close the noVNC tab and disable VNC access in the VPS Management Portal.

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🎉 Congratulations!

You’ve successfully updated your Windows Administrator password. Now log in to the server with your new credentials. This confirms that the password change took effect and that you have regained access to your server. Happy computing! :)
Last modified on September 30, 2026