The term hacking is usually used for finding security faults in a System or network. To hack something also means getting unauthorized access to data in a system. To hack password protected computer using Windows Command Prompt is not a feasible technique. However, In this article, we will see how we can use CMD and get into a password protected Computer.

Using Administrative Privileges

Step 1: Log into the Computer

Turn on the computer and use the administrative username and password to log in. To check if you as a user have administrative privileges or not, go to Control Panel and then click on User Accounts.

Step 2: Open Command Prompt (CMD)

Search for CMD in Windows search and select Command Prompt. Click on Run as administrator. This will open CMD for us to use in Admin mode.

Step 3: Configure Changes

Now either you can change the password for current user and log into it using the new password next time you login. Otherwise create a new user in the computer to have a access.

• First of all run the following command in CMD to check all the users in the Computer.

net user

Output:

• Now to change the user-password run the following command

net user [username] *

Give your new password and confirm it. Then press Enter.

Output:

• To Add a new user use the following command

net user [username] [password] /add

Output:

Step 4: Check Changes

Once you have completed the above steps, You can again go to Control Panel and check the user accounts.

You can see that two user accounts are there including the one we have just created. You will also get the option to change between these accounts on the lock screen.

Without Administrative Privileges

Step 1: Advance Startup

We need to use advance startup to modify system configuration. To open advance startup without Log in, either you can use the installation media or just Force shutdown the computer using power key. Repeat the force shutdown for 3-4 times or until the advance startup menu appears similar to the following,

Step 2: Open CMD

Now to open Command Prompt here, click on Troubleshoot to open the Advance Options.

In Advance Option menu select Command Prompt.

Step 3: Configure Directory

To make any changes first of all you need to be in the system32 directory of windows system. To do so, run the following command in CMD.

cd / 

cd Windows/System32

Output:

Step 4: Rename Windows Ease of Access

Now using CMD we will rename the Ease of Access application which is available on Lock screen. We will change CMD‘s name to get access to Command Prompt on the Lock screen.

• First rename the application utiman.exe to any other name.
• Then, change cmd.exe to utilman.exe

ren utilman.exe utilman1.exe
ren cmd.exe utilman.exe

Output:

Now Type exit to get back to the Advance Options menu and click on Continue to restart the computer.

Step 5: Use CMD in Lock screen

Once the Computer restart, stay on the Log in screen and click on Ease of Access button on the lock screen as shown in the picture below.

As we have renamed the executable files, this will open CMD instead. For some reasons if you can’t see CMD even after pressing this button, Click ALT + TAB and CMD will appear if it is behind the lock screen.

Step 6: Change Password

Now on Command Prompt, run the following command to to check users available on the Computer

net users

Output:

Now execute the following Command to change password for the user. Enter the new password and re enter to confirm when asked.

net user [username] *

Output:

Now restart the computer and Log in with the new password and you will get access to the Computer. Thus, you have successfully hacked into a password protected computer using cmd.

Step 7: Again Re-name the programs

Now once you have access to the computer, it’s time to change the program names to it’s original names. Use the steps given in previous section to open CMD in Advance startup. Then change the directory to System32 as done earlier. Run the following command to restore the original names.

ren utilman.exe cmd.exe
ren utilman1.exe utilman.exe

Output:

Conclusion

CMD is a utility tool for Windows operating system and used to communicate with the Operating system. CMD is not a hacking interface to use for password breaking or get into a password protected computer. However using some tricks we have used CMD here to get into a password protected Computer without password. You can use this method for unlock your Windows device in case you have forgotten your password and don’t want to lose data. To learn more about hacking, check out Ethical Hacking Tutorial on GeeksForGeeks.

How to Hack password protected Computer using CMD – FAQs

Is it possible to access a password protected computer without the password ?

No, You cannot access a password protected computer without password. However using some loopholes available in the Windows Computers, you can access the computer without knowing the password. Follow the above given steps for better understanding.

Can I hack computers using CMD ?

No, CMD is not a tool for hacking. You can use CMD to interact with Windows system but sadly cannot hack one. If you want to learn hacking learn modern technologies and use Kali Linux like Operating systems.

How to unlock Computer using CMD if I forget the password ?

Check the steps given in “Without Administrative Privileges” section in this article to get access into your computer without password.

How to prevent unauthorized access to my computer ?

To prevent unauthorized access, use practices like, changing password frequently, using latest version of software, enable Bit Locker, and keep your device secure when not in use