Advertisement

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.

Advertisеment

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.CAD screen in Windows 10
  2. Click "Change a password".
  3. Specify the new password for your user account:windows 10 change password

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. Launch the Settings app.Windows 10 settings app build 10049
    2. Click on "Accounts".
    3. Click on "Sign-in options" at the left.Windows 10 change password settings app
    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. Open the following Control Panel page:
        Control Panel\User Accounts and Family Safety\User Accounts\Manage Accounts

        It looks as follows:user accounts control panel Windows 10

      2. Click the user account whose password you need to change.
      3. Click the link "Change the password":control panel windows 10 chnage 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. Open File Explorer and right click the "This PC" icon.
      2. Select "Manage" from the context menu.windows 10 manage computer context menu
      3. In Computer Management, select "Local Users and Groups" in the left pane.local users and groups
      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:windows 10 set password from computer management

Command Prompt / net.exe

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

      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.

MIcrosoft Account Web Site

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

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.

Support us

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support!

Advertisеment

Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

12 thoughts on “All ways to change the user password in Windows 10”

  1. I don’t get the “Change a password” option when pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del.
    All I see is “Lock”, “Switch User”, “Sign Out” and “Task Manager”.
    I have Windows 10 Home edition, does that make a difference?

    1. In the More details, you can go to the tab “Users” and right any user in the list. There you will see the command “Manage user accounts”. It is possible to use this applet to change the user password.

  2. When we installed new windows 10 original, something wrong happened. The PC password stopped functioning and anybody can log to my PC.
    When I press Ctl. Alt. Del. and try to reset the password or reactivate, I find that user and current password do not work.
    Can I retrieve my Password? or sent to my email?
    Regards

  3. Thanks for the article. There is one statement that could be updated though. I’m not sure when this article was written, but currently with Windows 10, using the Ctrl + Alt + Del security screen you can change the password for any user account you know the current password for. For some people this may be a rare use-case, but if you also have a secondary account or test account etc., you can change the password of that user without actually being the currently logged user. For my organization, this is actually a very helpful process for certain members of my organization.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

css.php
Using Telegram? Subscribe to the blog channel!
Hello. Add your message here.