All ways to change the user password in Windows 10

There are several ways to set a new password for your user account on your Windows PC. I would like to share all of them so the next time you need to change your password (or set a new password for some other user account) you can pick the fastest and most convenient way for yourself.

Windows 10 supports two types of accounts. One is the classic local account which has been available in all previous Windows versions, the other one is the modern Microsoft Account which is connected with the company's cloud services. Here is how to change your password in Windows 10 depending on your account type.

Here are the various ways in which you can change your Windows password:

Ctrl + Alt + Del security screen

This method allows you to set the password only for the currently logged user i.e. you. To change your password using this method, do the following:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del keys together on your keyboard to get the security screen.
2. Click "Change a password".
3. Specify the new password for your user account:

Settings app

In Windows 10, Microsoft moved many user account related options inside the Settings app. To set a password for your account using the Settings app, you need to perform the following steps:

1. 1. Launch the Settings app.
   2. Click on "Accounts".
   3. Click on "Sign-in options" at the left.
   4. Here you can change various sign-in options including the password and the PIN:

Control Panel

The classic Control Panel allows you to manage passwords for all user accounts on your PC.

1. 1. 1. Open the following Control Panel page:

         Control Panel\User Accounts and Family Safety\User Accounts\Manage Accounts

         It looks as follows:

      2. Click the user account whose password you need to change.
      3. Click the link "Change the password":

Computer Management

This method is very old and works in all Windows versions, from Windows 2000 to Windows 10. Using the Computer Management snap-in, you can set a new password for any Windows account.

1. 1. 1. Open File Explorer and right click the "This PC" icon.
      2. Select "Manage" from the context menu.
      3. In Computer Management, select "Local Users and Groups" in the left pane.
      4. In the right pane, double click the "Users" folder.
      5. The users list will be opened. Right click the desired user account and set its password from the context menu:

Command Prompt / net.exe

The last method to set a new password for the user account is using an elevated command prompt instance.

1. 1. 1. Open an elevated command prompt.
      2. Type the following command:

         net user User_name password

         Replace "User_name" and "password" with the desired values. The password you specified will be set immediately without a prompt.

      3. Alternatively, you can use the following command:

         net user User_name *

         This will ask interactively for a new password for the "User_name" account.

      4. If you have a domain-joined PC, use the following command:

         net user User_name * /DOMAIN

         This will ask interactively for a new password for the "User_name" account on the specified domain.

Change Password for a Microsoft Account in Windows 10

If you are using a Microsoft Account in Windows 10, then you can use the following options:

• The Settings app method.
• The Change a password link on the Ctrl + Alt + Del security screen.

These are described above.

In addition to these, you can change your Microsoft Account password online.

Open the Microsoft Account web site.

Click the Sign-in button and enter your account data.

The Microsoft Account profile page will be opened. There, click "Change password" under your email address on the left:

Follow the instructions provided on the screen.

That's it. Now you know all the possible ways to change the password for a user account in Windows 10. Please let me know if I forgot something.