You can reset the Toshiba’s password from the other laptop only if the Toshiba signs in with a Microsoft account; a local Windows account must be recovered on the Toshiba itself.
If the Toshiba uses a Microsoft account
An email address displayed at sign-in suggests—but does not prove—that it is a Microsoft account.
- On the working laptop, open Microsoft’s Reset password page and complete identity verification:
Reset password - Set a new password.
- Connect the Toshiba to the internet from the sign-in screen.
- Select Sign-in options, choose the password icon rather than PIN, and enter the new password.
Microsoft also supports selecting I forgot my password or Sign-in options > Web sign-in directly on the locked computer when those controls appear.^1^
Resetting the Microsoft-account password will not reset a forgotten Windows Hello PIN. After signing in with the password, the PIN can be changed separately.
If it is a local account
A local account exists only on the Toshiba, so an unrelated account on the other laptop cannot change it.
At the Toshiba sign-in screen:
- Select the password field and then the arrow beside it.
- After the password is rejected, select OK > Reset password.
- Answer the security questions created with the account.
- Enter a new password.^2^
If Reset password does not appear:
- Use a password-reset USB only if one was created for this account before the password was forgotten.
- If another administrator account already exists on the Toshiba, it can reset the local account through Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users > right-click the account > Set Password.^2^
That administrative reset can permanently affect access to EFS-encrypted files, saved credentials, and personal certificates belonging to the locked account. Try the security questions or an existing reset disk first. Also, Local Users and Groups may not be available in Windows 10 Home; if it is absent, do not use unofficial password-bypass tools.
Last resort: reset Windows
If local-account recovery is unavailable, the supported fallback is Reset this PC. This reinstalls Windows. Keep my files preserves personal files but removes installed applications and settings; back up accessible data first and obtain the BitLocker recovery key if the device is encrypted.^3^
From the sign-in screen:
- Select Power.
- Hold Shift while selecting Restart.
- In Windows Recovery Environment, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
- Select Keep my files.
- Choose Cloud download or Local reinstall, then complete the prompts.
If the Power menu does not open, interrupt startup two or three times by powering off as Windows begins loading; when Preparing Automatic Repair appears, open Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.^4^
Do not choose Remove everything unless deleting personal files is acceptable. Microsoft Support cannot retrieve or circumvent a forgotten password when the documented recovery options fail.^2^
References