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Resetting Password from a Site with Anonymous Access

Situation:

SharePoint site uses Windows Authentication and users’ profiles are stored in Active Directory.

A user tries to logon to SharePoint site of his company but he has forgotten the password. He needs to change his password and enter the site.

Solution:

This user cannot logon to SharePoint site. But he can navigate to a SharePoint site with anonymous access (created by SharePoint administrator before) and use the Virto Password Reset & Recovery web part installed on it. As a result user receives his password for access to SharePoint site.

How to implement:

To implement the solution and make it possible for SharePoint users to reset their password when they cannot logon to SharePoint site, the following actions must be done:

  1. SharePoint site with anonymous access should be created.
  2. The Virto Password Reset & Recovery web part should be installed on this site.
  3. SharePoint users must be informed about this site existence or automatic redirect for wrong password cases can be adjusted.
  4. The Virto Password Reset & Recovery web part must be adjusted (security question or email option, see Virto Password Reset Administration section).

Detailed Instruction:

  1. Go to Central Administration site (“Application Management” -> “Manage Web Application”)

SharePoint Central Administration Application Management page with the Manage Web Applications option

  1. Choose “Web application” from the list. Click “Authentication Providers” on the ribbon.

  2. Choose a provider from the list.

Manage Web Applications list with the Authentication Providers button on the ribbon

Authentication Providers dialog listing the available providers to choose from

  1. Check the box “Enable anonymous access” for required Web Application.

Enable anonymous access checkbox selected for the SharePoint web application

Now the ability to select anonymous access to sites is added to the Web Application.

  1. Go to “Site contents” in “Site Administration” section and create a New site.

Site contents page in Site Administration with the option to create a new SharePoint site

  1. Enter your site name. Select “Blank Site” template and check “Use unique permissions” in the “Permissions” group. Click “Create”.

  2. Now go to the created site - > Site settings. Click “Site permissions” in “Users and Permissions” section.

Site permissions option under Users and Permissions in the new site’s Site settings

  1. Go to “Settings” - > “Anonymous Access”. Check the box “Entire Web site” for anonymous access settings.

Anonymous Access settings with the Entire Web site option checked for the SharePoint site

Now Password Reset site can be accessed with anonymous authentication.

  1. Then add the Virto Password Reset & Recovery web part to the first page of this site (see Adding the Web Part to a Page) and configure it (see Virto Password Reset and Recovery Administration). Now user can get anonymous access to this page and reset his password.
Updated on October 23, 2026