How to change your account password on Windows 10
If you need to change your account password, in this guide, we’ll show you the steps to accomplish this task on Windows 10.
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On Windows 10, using a strong password is one of the best ways to secure your account and protect your data from prying eyes and malicious individuals. Usually, once you set a password on your account, you don’t have to change it periodically anymore, but you’ll still need to update this information if you want to use a new secret phrase, it ever gets compromised, or you simply forget your current password.
Whatever the reason it might be,Windows 10includes several easy methods to change your password, whether you’re using a Microsoft account or a local account.
In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the different ways to change (or reset) the password of your computer account.
How to change account password on Windows 10
To change your Windows 10 account password, use these steps:
Important:Change the account password connected to a Microsoft account will also change the password of your Microsoft services, including Outlook.com, OneDrive, etc., associated with your account.
Once you complete the steps, you can start using the password to sign in to your Windows 10 account.
How to change local account password on Windows 10
If you’re using a local account, the Settings app allows you to change the password as well as the security answers.
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Updating password
To change a local account password, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the password will change in your local account.
Updating security questions
To update the security questions for a local account, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, if you ever need to sign in and you forgot your password, you’ll be able to answer the security questions to reset the password and sign in.
How to change account PIN on Windows 10
If you’re using a PIN as your Windows 10 account password, you can also change it to something different.
To change a PIN on Windows 10, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, you can start using the new PIN without affecting your Microsoft account password.
How to change account picture password on Windows 10
If you happen to be using a picture password (for example, in your tablet), you can change the picture and gestures using these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the picture password will reset, and you can now start using the gestures to sign in to Windows 10.
If you ever forget the gestures, you can’t reset it from the Sign-in screen, but you can click theSign-in optionslink to use a different method of authentication.
How to reset password from Sign-in screen on Windows 10
You can also change your account password using the reset option from the Sign-in screen.
To reset a password from the Sign-in screen, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can now use the new password to access any device connected with the same Microsoft account.
How to reset local password from Sign-in screen on Windows 10
To change the password of a local account from the Sign-in screen, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the account password will change, and you’ll have access to your desktop again.
How to reset PIN from Sign-in screen on Windows 10
It’s recommended to change your PIN using the Settings app, but if it’s not working, you can also create a new one from the Sign-in screen.
To reset your PIN from the Sign-in screen, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can start using the new PIN to access your computer. However, you may need to sign in again on certain apps as applicable.
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
