Active Directory Forest Recovery - Reset the computer account on the recovered DC

• Applies to:

  ✅ Windows Server 2025, ✅ Windows Server 2022, ✅ Windows Server 2019, ✅ Windows Server 2016

Use the following procedure to reset the computer account password of the Domain Controller (DC).

Reset the computer account password of the domain controller

1. Open PowerShell as an Administrator, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

   Reset-ComputerMachinePassword
   

2. Run the same command again to ensure other Domain Controllers from before the Forest Recovery can't replicate from it.

Warning

This should only be carried out on the sole recovered DC during a forest recovery exercise. Using this command will break replication with other DCs.

Next steps

• AD Forest Recovery - Prerequisites
• AD Forest Recovery - Devise a custom forest recovery plan
• AD Forest Recovery - Steps to restore the forest
• AD Forest Recovery - Identify the problem
• AD Forest Recovery - Determine how to recover
• AD Forest Recovery - Perform initial recovery
• AD Forest Recovery - Procedures
• AD Forest Recovery - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• AD Forest Recovery - Recover a single domain within a multidomain forest
• AD Forest Recovery - Redeploy remaining DCs
• AD Forest Recovery - Virtualization
• AD Forest Recovery - Cleanup