It can be almost impossible to access your computer if you lose the password before changing it to something you’ve memorized. However, you can use several methods to unlock a system if you’ve forgotten a password or bought a locked computer at a pawn shop or from a friend. Here are six ways to learn how to unlock Surface Pro 4 without a password.
Methods To Access Laptop
If you’ve bought a Surface Pro 4 and lost or forgot the password for some reason, you can still access the system. In fact, six methods exist for accessing a password protected Surface Pro. You can also apply many of these methods to any computer you’ve forgotten the password to and need to unlock. The first method is to use your Microsoft account to access the system.
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Reset With Microsoft Account
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When you’re trying to access the computer, the screen where you enter the password gives you the option of resetting the password. When you choose this option, you will be directed to enter information to verify your Microsoft account.
Most people have a Microsoft account if they subscribe to a service like Microsoft 365 or register their computer after buying it. Using the information for this account, you can access a PC through Microsoft. After verifying the account information, you can reset the password for your Surface Pro 4 to something you can easily remember.
Use The Windows Password Recovery Tool
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After failing to log onto your computer, you can opt to use a Windows Password Recovery Tool to reset the password. You can download this program for free and set it up to help recover your password on a Surface Pro 4 or any other computer that you may have. This program works with Windows 10, 8, and 7.
After downloading the program on a working computer, you will need a USB drive or a CD/DVD to “burn” a password reset disk. A screen will appear to select the device to which you’ve downloaded the software. Once the disk is ready, put it into the locked Surface Pro and reboot the computer from the USB drive or CD/DVD.
Once the Windows Password Recovery Tool appears, choose the option for removing the forgotten admin password and follow the instructions. This method will allow you to reset the password to one that is easier for you to remember.
Reset Password With Second Administrator Account
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If you have another administrator account on your Surface Pro, then you should be able to sign into it to reset the password for the main account. First, select the other Administrator account and sign into the Surface Pro with it.
Then, after getting into the account, open the Command Prompt as the administer. The Command Prompt will appear as C:Windowssystem 32. After the prompt, type in the net user <user name> <new password> and then press “Enter” to change the password for that user.
After you’ve completed this step, sign out of the second administer account and you should be able to sign into the Surface Pro using the new password.
Use Windows Password Refixer
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Another software that you can use to learn how to unlock Surface Pro 4 without a password is the Windows Password Refixer. It is third-party software that you can find online to reset a Microsoft account, local login, or the Administrator account for Windows. Other versions exist under other names, but they are all third-party programs.
To start using this method, you will need a free USB drive on which to download and install the program. First, find a computer that you can access Windows with and insert the drive into a USB port and select it on your screen. Then, download and burn the software onto the drive to create a password reset disk. Once it is finished burning, unplug the drive from the USB port to use in your Surfac
Booting The Surface From The USB Drive
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Start this step by shutting down the Surface and then inserting the USB drive into the computer. Next, press down and hold the “Volume-down” button, then press and release the “Power” button. After holding down these buttons, the Surface logo should appear on the screen. It will then boot the Surface from the USB drive.
Resetting The Password
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After the Surface boots up from the USB drive, the software will access the computer and display its user accounts. Select a user name and then click “Reset Password.” Doing this will prompt the program to check the status of the account and either reset the password for the Microsoft account you’re using, it will change the local account password to a blank to allow you to access the Surface without a password.
Finally, it can help you create a new administrator account on the Surface. If you do this, select the “Add User” button, then create a new username and password. When you’ve finished, click the “Reboot” button and remove the USB drive from the computer.
When the system reboots, you should be able to access the computer with the Microsoft account default password, the local account, or the new user account. Most of the password fixers that you’ll find online work in much the same way but follow the instructions that pop up when trying to change the passwords to ensure it works properly.
System Restore Point
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If you cannot log into Windows and you have an old password that you remember, you can restore the Surface Pro to that restore point and access your computer. Although it doesn’t remove your personal files, it will remove apps, drivers, or updates installed after creating the restore point, so carefully consider whether you want to try this method.
If you want to do this, then boot the system to the advanced startup options. First, power up the Surface. At the Windows login screen, select the “Power” button on the lower right of the screen. While holding down the “Shift” key on the keyboard, click “Restart.”
Then, select “Troubleshoot,” “Advanced Options,” and then “System Restore.” If it prompts you, you can select an administrator account that you want to provide credentials. You can then enter the password for the administrator account. However, if you haven’t set a password, skip this step and click “Continue.”
After that, click “Next,” and select a restore point from the list, and click “Next” again. Confirm that restore point and click “Finish.” After the Windows login comes up again, you should be able to access the Surface Pro 4 with the password that you remember.
Reset Surface To Factory Settings
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The last resort for accessing your Surface Pro will be to use a hard reset to restore the computer to its factory settings. Make sure you want to take this drastic step as it will remove everything that you’ve saved on the system, like apps, drivers, updates, and passwords.
If you have no other choice, there are two ways to do a hard reset. You can do a factory reset from the sign-in screen or with the Surface Recovery image. To do a factory reset, start by turning on or rebooting the Surface. When the Windows login screen appears, select the “Power” icon at the lower right-hand side of the screen, then hold down the “Shift” key on the keyboard and click “Restart.”
If you’re using your Surface in tablet mode, then hold down the “Shift” key using the on-screen keyboard. To open this feature, choose “Ease of Access,” and then “On-Screen Keyboard.” The Surface will then restart to recovery mode. Once it has, select “Troubleshoot.”
When the next screen appears, select “Reset this PC.” Next, you can either choose “Keep My Files” or “Remove Everything.” If you are donating or selling the laptop, then you should remove your files. However, if you’re trying to reset the system to gain access to it, choose to keep your files.
Select an account to keep resetting the computer. If you didn’t set a password for the Administrator account, use that one and press “Continue.” Next, select the “Reset” button to begin the factory reset process.
Reset Using Surface Recovery Image
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If you need to use the Surface Recovery image to get into your computer, then you will need a USB drive with at least 8 gigabytes of free space on it. The first step is to go to the Surface support website, then select your Surface device, and type in its serial number. The serial number is on back of the tablet or the UEFI firmware. After typing it in, select “Continue.”
A recovery image is sent to you as a ZIP file. Format the USB drive to FAT32 to extract the ZIP file to the root path of the USB drive. Next, turn on the Surface and put the drive into a USB port. Press and hold down “Volume-down” and the “Power” button to reboot the system from the USB drive. When the Surface logo appears on screen, release the “Volume-down” button.
The Surface will boot into recovery mode. You will need to choose your language and keyboard layout, then at the “Choose an Option” screen, select “Troubleshoot” and then “Reset this PC.” From there, you can choose to keep or get rid of your files and continue the factory reset process. After it finishes, then your Surface Pro drive will be clean like when it came out of the box.
Since some of these methods are drastic, be careful about which method you try. Only choose the factory reset if no other option has succeeded in unlocking the PC. By learning how to unlock Surface Pro 4 without a password, you never have to worry about being shut out of it again.
