chntpw

offline Windows password and registry editor

TLDR

Open the SAM database in interactive mode

$ chntpw -i [path/to/sam_file]

List usernames stored in a Windows SAM file

$ chntpw -l [path/to/sam_file]

Edit a named user (password/unlock) offline

$ chntpw -u [username] [path/to/sam_file]

SYNOPSIS

chntpw [options] samfile [systemfile] [securityfile_]

chntpw is an offline Windows password and registry editor. It can reset local user passwords, promote users to administrator, unlock accounts, and edit the Windows registry directly.The tool works by modifying the Windows SAM (Security Account Manager) database file while Windows is not running. This is typically done by booting from a Linux live CD.

PARAMETERS

-l

List users in the SAM file

-u username

Select user to edit

-i

Interactive mode with menu

-e

Registry editor mode

-L

Write names of changed files to /tmp/changed

INSTALL

sudo apt install chntpw

sudo dnf install chntpw

sudo pacman -S chntpw

sudo apk add chntpw

sudo zypper install chntpw

nix profile install nixpkgs#chntpw

CAVEATS

Requires offline access to the Windows partition. Cannot reset Microsoft account passwords (cloud accounts). BitLocker-encrypted drives must be decrypted first. Always backup the SAM file before modifications.

HISTORY

chntpw was created by Petter Nordahl-Hagen for recovering access to Windows systems. It has become a standard tool included in security-focused Linux distributions like Kali Linux.