How to sign in to my work computer?

It is a local account. There is not other account administrator. How do I reset the Windows device without being able to login?

Follow these steps in order, based on whether the account on the work computer is a work/school (Entra ID) account or a local Windows account.

1. Confirm what kind of account is used on the work computer

• If the sign-in screen shows an email like ******@company.com, it is a work or school account (Microsoft Entra / Microsoft 365).
• If it shows only a username (no @), it is likely a local Windows account.

2. If it is a work or school (Microsoft 365/Entra ID) account Because sign-in works on another device but the PC says the password is wrong, the account itself is valid; the issue is either the password used on the PC or the device setup state.

Try changing or resetting the work/school password using the official flows, then use the new password on the work PC:

A. Change a known password (if the current one works in the browser)

1. On a working device, go to the My Account portal: https://myaccount.microsoft.com/.
2. Sign in with the work or school account and existing password.
3. Select Password from the left navigation pane or Change password from the Password block.
4. Enter the old password, then create and confirm a new password.
5. Select Submit.
6. On the work computer, at the sign-in screen, enter the updated password.

If the environment is already migrated to the new experience, the password management may redirect through My Sign-Ins/My Security Info as described in the documentation, but the steps above remain the same from the user perspective.

B. If the password cannot be changed but the account is work/school Use self-service password reset (if enabled by the organization):

1. Start at https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info.
2. On the sign-in screen, select Can’t access your account?.
3. Enter the work or school email/username and complete the CAPTCHA.
4. Select Next.
5. Follow the prompts to verify identity using the configured security info (phone, app, etc.) and set a new password.
6. Use this new password on the work computer.

If the screen shows Contact your administrator instead of the reset flow, the organization has not enabled self-service reset. In that case, contact the IT administrator to reset the work account password or to complete the device provisioning.

3. If it is a local Windows account on the work computer If the device was being set up and a local account was created (no @ in the username) and the password is not accepted, and there is another administrator account on the PC:
4. Sign in with the other administrator account.
5. Open Computer Management.
6. Expand Local Users and Groups > Users.
7. Right-click the affected user and select Set Password….
8. Enter and confirm a new password.
9. Sign out and sign in with the updated password.

If there is no other administrator account available, the documented option is to reset the Windows device, which will reinstall Windows and may remove apps and settings. Before doing this, coordinate with the organization’s IT admin to avoid data loss and ensure the device is re-enrolled correctly in the work environment.

4. If sign-in attempts are being blocked or throttled If many incorrect attempts were made, the account might be temporarily blocked or throttled. In that case:

• Wait at least 24 hours without further sign-in attempts on that device.
• After the wait, use the newly changed or reset password as described above.
• If still blocked, contact the organization’s IT support to check for account lockout or security blocks.

References:

• Change your work or school account password
• Reset your Microsoft work or school account password using security info
• Change or reset your password in Windows