How do I retrieve my Windows administrator password after launching an instance?

Last updated: 2021-02-03

You can retrieve your initial administrator password by using the Amazon EC2 console or the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI).

Note: This method requires an Amazon EC2 key pair.

• If you lost your key pair, see How can I reset the administrator password on an EC2 Windows instance?
• If you need an Amazon EC2 key pair, see Create a key pair using Amazon EC2.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Amazon EC2 console, and then choose Instances.
2. Select the check box for the instance, and then expand the Actions dropdown list. If you're using the old console, then choose Get Windows Password. If you're using the new console, choose Security, and then choose Get Windows Password.
   Note: It can take a few minutes for this option to be available after you first launch a new instance.
3. Choose Browse, select your key pair file, and then choose Open.
   -or-
   Paste the contents of your key pair into the text box.
4. Choose Decrypt Password.

Note: If you receive errors when running AWS CLI commands, make sure that you’re using the most recent version of the AWS CLI.

Use the get-password-data command. For example syntax, see Examples.