How do I log into my Amazon EC2 Windows instance with my local admin or domain credentials?

Resolution

Prerequisite

Before you begin, make sure that you make a backup of your instance. Create a snapshot of the volume or take an image of the instance.

Use local credentials to connect to the EC2 Windows instance

Reset a lost or expired Windows administrator password

You can use several methods to reset a lost or expired local administrator's password. Depending on your situation, choose one of these methods.
Note: The offline method "Systems Manager Automation AWSSupport-ResetAccess" listed on that page requires you to stop the instance and then start it again.

Use domain credentials to connect to the EC2 Windows instance

• Verify that the instance can reach a DNS server that hosts the DNS zone of the target domain or can resolve DNS names in that domain.
• Make sure that the correct DNS server is configured on the instance as the preferred DNS.
• Verify that the required ports to connect to your target domain are open and available to your instance.
• Make sure that the credentials are correct and the account is not locked out.

For more information on domain authentication errors, see How do I troubleshoot authentication errors when I use RDP to connect to an EC2 Windows instance?

Related information

Troubleshoot connecting to your Windows instances