Losing access to your Windows Azure virtual machine's administrator account can halt critical operations. Unlike physical machines where you might use recovery tools, Azure VMs require cloud-specific solutions.

Ensure you have:

1. Azure CLI or PowerShell installed

2. Contributor-level access to the Azure subscription

3. The VM must be in running state

Navigate to:

Azure Portal > Virtual Machines > Select VM > Support + Troubleshooting > Reset password

Fill in:

- Username (usually 'Administrator')

- New password

- Confirm password

For bulk operations or automation scenarios:

# Connect to Azure
Connect-AzAccount

# Set parameters
$resourceGroup = "YourResourceGroup"
$vmName = "YourVMName"
$newPassword = "NewSecurePassword123!"

# Reset password
Set-AzVMAccessExtension -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -VMName $vmName 
    -Name "VMAccessAgent" -Location "EastUS" 
    -TypeHandlerVersion "2.0" -Username "Administrator" -Password $newPassword

Extension failures: Ensure VM agent is running (check 'VM Agent Status' in portal)

Network restrictions: Verify NSGs allow port 3389 for RDP

Domain-joined VMs: Requires different approach through domain controllers

1. Always use complex passwords (12+ characters with special symbols)

2. Consider Azure AD integration instead of local accounts

3. Enable Just-In-Time VM access for production environments

4. Audit password changes via Azure Activity Log

For Linux systems, use SSH key reset instead:

az vm user update --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyVm 
    --username azureuser --ssh-key-value "$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)"

When working with Windows Virtual Machines (VMs) in Microsoft Azure, administrators occasionally lose access due to forgotten credentials. While RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) is the standard connection method, password resets require special procedures.

The Azure portal provides a built-in password reset feature:

1. Navigate to your VM in Azure Portal
2. Select "Reset password" under Support + troubleshooting
3. Choose "Reset password" for the operation type
4. Enter new credentials and submit

For automation scenarios, use this Azure CLI command:

az vm user update \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name myVM \
  --username adminuser \
  --password NewPassw0rd!

For Windows administrators preferring PowerShell:

$cred = Get-Credential
Set-AzVMAccessExtension 
  -ResourceGroupName "myResourceGroup" 
  -VMName "myVM" 
  -Name "VMAccessAgent" 
  -Location "EastUS" 
  -UserName $cred.UserName 
  -Password $cred.GetNetworkCredential().Password

• Extension conflicts: Remove existing VMAccessExtension before reset
• Network connectivity: Ensure NSG rules allow outbound HTTPS
• VM Agent issues: Verify Windows Azure Guest Agent is running