I did it again. I forgot the password for my Windows 11 virtual machine.
If this happens on a regular PC, password recovery can get annoying fast. But if the Windows install is running inside Parallels Desktop on a Mac, there is a built-in command-line option that can reset the account password without rebuilding the VM.
Quick Answer
The quick answer: open Terminal on your Mac, use Parallels' prlctl command to find the virtual machine ID, list the Windows users inside that VM, then run the password reset command with the username and new password.
In my case, I used this to regain access to a Windows 11 VM in Parallels. The process worked immediately after setting the new password.
What You Need
This applies to a Windows virtual machine running in Parallels Desktop on macOS.
The VM should be available in Parallels, and you will do most of the work from Terminal on the Mac side. Parallels provides a command-line tool called prlctl that can manage virtual machines and, in this case, reset an operating system user password.
- A Mac with Parallels Desktop installed
- A Windows 11 VM in Parallels
- Terminal access on macOS
- The Windows username you want to reset, or the ability to list users from Terminal
Find the Parallels VM ID
First, open Terminal on your Mac. The first thing you need is the unique identifier for the virtual machine.
Run this command:
- prlctl list --all
Identify the Windows User
After you have the VM UUID, use it to list the Windows users inside that virtual machine.
The command I used was:
- prlctl exec YOUR-VM-UUID net user
Reset the Password
Once you know the Windows username, you can set a new password from Terminal.
The command follows this pattern:
- prlctl set YOUR-VM-UUID --userpasswd username:newpassword
A Real Example
In the video, my Windows 11 VM showed up as an M1 Windows 11 virtual machine. I copied its UUID, checked the users with net user, and found the account I needed to reset.
Then I used the Parallels password reset command with the username and a temporary password. For the demo, I used password as the new password, but that was only to keep the example simple. Do not use that as a real password.
After the command completed successfully, I went back to Windows, entered the new password, and the VM unlocked right away.
Important Notes
This is a Parallels Desktop feature, so it is different from resetting a password on a physical Windows PC.
The exact username matters. If the account has spaces or unusual characters, be careful when entering it in Terminal.
Use a real password after you regain access. The point here is to get back into the VM, not to leave it protected by something weak.
Key Takeaways
- Parallels Desktop can reset a Windows VM password from macOS Terminal.
- Use prlctl list --all to find the VM UUID.
- Use prlctl exec YOUR-VM-UUID net user to list Windows accounts.
- Use prlctl set YOUR-VM-UUID --userpasswd username:newpassword to set the new password.
- After the reset, sign in to Windows with the new password and change it to something secure.
Watch the Video
The video above above if you want to see the full walkthrough, including finding the VM identifier, checking the Windows username, running the reset command, and logging back into the Windows 11 VM.
