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10 ways to change password in Remote Desktop session
As a regular user of Remote Desktop sessions, you may have been confronted with the case to change your password. Control-Alt-Delete [CTRL-ALT-DEL] doesnt allow you to change the password in the remote session, but instead gives you a menu on your actual host
Change password in Remote Desktop
There are many ways to change your password. Of course, when youre working on your physical computer, you may just hit CTRL-ALT-DEL, but this wont work in an RDP session
CTRL-ALT-END
Sometimes [but not always], CTRL-ALT-END helps you ctrl-alt-delete the session to change your password in the remote session. CTRL-ALT-END is the equivalent to CTRL-ALT-DELETE in RDP. However it depends on the OS-version session settings whether this works or not.
On screen keyboard
The On Screen Keyboard [OSK] is a virtual keyboard on your screen. This works in Windows Server 2012 / Windows 7 and higher. To reset your password with the OSK, follow these steps:
- Click Start
- Type osk and hit enter to open the on screen keyboard.
If this doesnt work, press Windows+R to open your Run Command window. Type osk and click OK - Press and Hold CTRL-ALT keys on your physical keyboard and then click on the DEL key in the virtual keyboard [on screen]
- Minimize the OSK
- Click Change a password.
Run the shell
You can directly launch the shell to get the Windows Security Options displayed. To do so, open the Run-box or open a command prompt and copy-paste:
C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f2-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
Run a VBS-script
This one is nice too. Copy paste the lines below to a Notepad and save the file as securityoptions.vbs . Then open/run/execute the VBS. It will launch the Windows Security Options screen to change the password
************************************
Set objShell = CreateObject[Shell.Application]
objShell.WindowsSecurity
***********************************
ALTGR-END
In case you have a keyboard with the ALTGR-key, you may also use ALTGR+END to simulate CTRL-ALT-DELETE. I believe German keyboards in particuar have this key.
Reset your password in an RDP session
In contrast to changing a password, resetting a password does not require you to remember the current password. Instead you just overwrite the existing password [if any] and set a new password.
Active Directory Users and Computers
When logged on to a computer that has active directory tools installed, you may use Active Directory Users and Computers to reset the password . You need user account privileges to do so, however.
- Open Active Directory Users and Computers from your startmenu [or quicker: Start -> Run -> dsa.msc]
- Localize the account [tip: at top level, right-click and choose Find ]
- Right-click the account, and choose Reset Password
Net user
Assuming its a local user [so NOT a domain user account], you can use net user to change a users password. To do so:
- Click Start -> Run [or press Win+R]
- Type something like net user $username $password. I.e. if the user account is named Peter, you could reset its password by typing: net user Peter P@55w0rd.
Powershell: Set-ADAccountPassword
In case of a domain user account, you may use the Set-ADAccountPassword cmdlet in Powershell. Note that the Active Directory module must be loaded.
Set-ADAccountPassword -Identity Peter -NewPassword [Read-Host -Prompt Provide New Password -AsSecureString] -Reset
Powershell: Set-LocalUser
In case of a local user, you may use the Set-LocalUser cmdlet in Powershell to reset a local users password
Get-LocalUser Peter | Set-LocalUser -Password [Read-Host -Prompt Provide New Password -AsSecureString]
View Comments
- Chris says:September 30, 2021 at 8:08 pm
Thank you for posting all these alternatives !
- Lakshminarayana says:September 6, 2021 at 4:31 pm
thank u so much, it really helpful for me
- Twana says:July 14, 2021 at 7:52 am
Thanks
- Sunny says:April 12, 2021 at 12:00 am
This worked for me,
//answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/user-tile/8faf8cb6-5a8c-43cf-abf6-00de00a80fe5
If you are getting this error, you are probably trying to reset the password and this should help:
This procedure is the only one which worked for me on a Windows 2012 R2 RDP session:
Click Start.
Type osk [to bring up the on screen keyboard]
Hit enter.
Once the on screen keyboard is open, hold ctrl+Alt on your physical keyboard, then click on the del key in the on screen keyboard.
Minimize the on screen Keyboard. - Nylo says:March 30, 2021 at 2:25 am
Thank you so much.
- Anthony says:February 17, 2021 at 11:36 pm
Thank you
- p k says:January 20, 2021 at 12:30 pm
thank you so much for this trick
- corbo says:December 22, 2020 at 2:03 pm
Ctrl + Alt + end works . Many Thanks !
- Claudiu C says:December 15, 2020 at 9:18 pm
I tried OSK but pressing with the mouse Ctrl, Alt and Del. Not OK. Only when you press physically Ctrl&Alt and use OSK for Del is OK.
- John Coleman says:December 12, 2020 at 2:14 pm
OSK did the trick, thank you
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