How do I change my username or password?

Below are the steps on how to change your username or password in major operating systems, online services, and other locations.

Unless you’re the administrator or root of the system, you need to know the password of the account before it can be changed.

Changing the username and password in Windows 10

Change password

1. Press the Windows key , type Sign-in options, and then press Enter .
2. In the Password section, click the Change button.

1. Verify your account by entering your Microsoft PIN.

1. Type in your current password ( A ), choose a new password ( B ), confirm your new password ( C ), and click the Next button ( D ).

Change username

You may only change local accounts names, not Microsoft or administrator account names.

1. Press the Windows key , type Control Panel, and then press Enter .
2. Select User Accounts.

1. Near the middle of the window, click Manage another account.

1. Select the account whose name you’d like to change.

1. Select Change the account name.

1. Choose a new account name ( A ) and then click the Change Name button ( B ).

Changing the username and password in Windows 8

Change password

1. Open the Charms menu by pressing the Windows key plus the C key and select Settings.
2. In Settings, select Change PC settings.
3. In PC Settings, select Users.
4. Select the Change your password option to change the password for your local Windows account.

Change username

1. From the Windows desktop, open the Charms menu by pressing the Windows key plus the C key and select Settings.
2. In Settings, select Control Panel.
3. Select User Accounts.
4. In the User Accounts window, select Change your account name to change the username for your local Windows account.

Changing the username and password in Windows Vista and 7

Change password

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click Add or remove user accounts.
3. Click the account you want to change.
4. Click Change the password.

Change username

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click Add or remove user accounts.
3. Click the account you want to change.
4. Click Change the account name.

Changing the username and password in Windows XP

Change password

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Users Accountsicon.
3. Select the account you want to change.
4. Select the option Change my name to change your username or Create a password or Change my password to change your password.

Windows XP Home users can only change the administrator password through Safe Mode.

Change username

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Users Accountsicon.
3. Select the account you want to change.
4. Click Change My Name.
5. Enter the new name you want to use and click the Change Name button.

Changing the username and password in Windows 2000

Change password

Microsoft Windows 2000 users can change their username by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del while in Windows to open the Windows Security window. From this window, click the «Change Password» button.

Enter your old password and the new password you want to use.

Change username

To change the username of an account on Windows XP, you need to have an account with administrator rights. If you are logged in as administrator or have an account with administrator rights, follow the steps below.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Users and Passwordicon.
3. Make sure «Users must enter a user and password to use this computer» is checked.
4. Highlight the account you want to change the username for and click the Properties button.
5. In Properties, you can change the username.

Changing the username and password in Windows 95, 98, and ME

Change password

To change your password or password settings in Windows 95, 98, or ME, follow the steps below.

The Windows password can also be changed through the Users icon in Control Panel.

Change username

You can change the user settings in Windows 95/98 through the Users icon in Control Panel. However, this does not allow you to change the actual username. If you need to change the username, we suggest you create a copy of your existing username and use the new username. Below are the steps to do this.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Usersicon.
3. Highlight the user you want to make a copy of and click the Make a copy button.
4. Follow the wizard in creating a new user account.

Changing the username and password in Apple macOS X

Change password in macOS X 10.6 or later

1. Log in using an administrator account.
2. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
3. In the View menu, select Users & Groups.
4. You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked. Enter the administrator password.
5. Select the user account you want to change.
6. Click Reset Password or Change Password.
7. In the New Password and Verify fields, type in the new password.
8. After entering the new password, click the Reset Password or Change Password button again.

Change password in macOS X 10.3 to 10.5.8

1. Log in using an administrator account.
2. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
3. In the View menu, select Accounts.
4. You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked. Enter the administrator password.
5. Select the user account you want to change.
6. Click Reset Password or Change Password.
7. In the New Password and Verify fields, type in the new password.
8. After entering the new password, click the Reset Password or Change Password button again.
9. If a dialog window pops up, click OK.

Change password in macOS X 10.2 to 10.2.8

1. Log in using an administrator account.
2. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
3. In the View menu, select Accounts.
4. You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked.
5. Select the user account you want to change.
6. Select the Edit User option.
7. In the New Password and Verify fields, type in the new password and click OK.
8. If a dialog window pops up, click OK.

Change password in macOS X 10.1.5 or earlier

1. Log in using an administrator account.
2. In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
3. In the View menu, select Users.
4. You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked.
5. Select the user account you want to change.
6. Select the Edit User option.
7. In the New Password and Verify fields, type in the new password and click Save.

Changing the Apple iPad and iPhone passcode

Change passcode

1. On the iPad or iPhone, access the Settings utility app.
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode.
3. Enter your current passcode.
4. On the Touch ID & Passcode screen, tap Change Passcode.
5. Enter your current passcode again, then enter your new passcode.
6. Enter your new passcode again to confirm.

Add passcode

1. On the iPad or iPhone, access the Settings utility app.
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode.
3. On the Touch ID & Passcode screen, tap Turn Passcode On.
4. Enter a passcode to use when unlocking your device.
5. Enter the passcode again to confirm.
6. If prompted, enter your Apple ID password.

Remove passcode

1. On the iPad or iPhone, access the Settings utility app.
2. On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode.
3. Enter your current passcode.
4. On the Touch ID & Passcode screen, tap Turn Passcode Off.
5. On the Turn Off Passcode? prompt, tap Turn Off.
6. If prompted, enter your Apple ID password.

Changing the username and password in Linux and Unix and most variants

Change password

Almost all Linux and Unix operating systems, including variants like Debian, Kali, and Red Hat, have access to the passwd command. Enter this command at the prompt to change your password. You need to know the current password before being able to change the password to a new password.

See the passwd command page for additional information about this command.

Change username

To change the username, you need to have root or super-user access.

To change the username of an account, use the vipw command. See the vipw command page for additional information about this command.

To change the user settings, use the chfn command. See the chfn command page for additional information about this command.

Changing BIOS passwords

Change password

The system password that appears immediately after turning on the computer and BIOS password are both changed through the BIOS setup.

Change username

The computer BIOS does not have a username, only a password.

Changing Internet username and passwords

Changing your Internet username or password is based on your ISP (Internet service provider) and what their policy is for changing the username and password. Often, most ISPs allow you to change your password whenever it’s needed. However, they often do not allow the account username to be changed.

Because every Internet service provider and web host is different, we suggest you contact the company for additional help with changing your username or password.

Changing online forums and accounts

Like the Computer Hope forums, most forums allow the user to change their password only through the profile or account settings. However, most companies do not allow you to change your username. Usually, you must create a new account to do this. If you need additional help with changing your username or password on another website, we suggest you contact the company or webmaster in control of that website.

If you cannot access an online account because you don’t know the username or password, look for a link on the account login page for retrieving a forgotten username or password. This option helps in determining what your username or password is or help in resetting your account password.

How to Change Your Account Name on Windows 10

When you set up a new Windows 10 PC, the part where you choose your username may catch you off guard. If that’s the case, you may choose the first thing that pops into your head or something random and temporary that you intend to change later. But surprisingly enough, changing your account name in Windows 10 isn’t exactly a straightforward process. It can be done, but there are a few important things to consider as you go about it. Read on for the details.

Change Account Name and Rename User Account Folder in Windows 10

Your username is part of your identity used to sign in to Windows 10. Mistakes can sometimes happen when creating a username. There are several ways you can fix that.

Currently, the Settings app doesn’t offer an option to edit usernames. There are two ways to work around this limitation.

Method 1: Classic Control Panel

Find and open the classic Control Panel. One way to do this is to press Windows + R and then type Control then hit Enter.

Open the User Accounts control panel, then click Manage another account.

Click the account you want to edit.

Click Change the account name.

Enter the correct username for the account then click Change Name.

Method 2: User Accounts Advanced Control Panel

There is another way you can do it.

Press Windows key + R, type: netplwiz or control userpasswords2 then hit Enter.

Select the account, then click Properties.

Select the General tab then enter the user name you want to use. Click Apply then OK, then click Apply then OK again to confirm the change.

What about Your User Folder Name?

Changing the username is pretty basic, but this change is not reflected in the User folder located within the C: drive. Renaming it can be risky—sometimes sticking with it or just creating a new user account then copying your files to the new account is a better option. Yes, it’s annoying, but it’s better than ending up with a corrupt user profile.

If you must change it to hush your OCD, there is an advanced option available. This involves using the command line to access the security identifier (SID) then making the necessary change in the Registry. Before you go any further, enable then log into the built-in Administrator account. As a precaution, create a system restore point in advance.

To access all the information within the SID requires using the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line to reveal the value needed to find and change it in the Registry. Open the command prompt with Administrator privileges, type: wmic useraccount list full then hit Enter. Scroll down then take note of the SID values for the account you want to change.

The next step is to rename the account. Doing this from the command line is just as easy.

For example, rename “Angry Dah Cosof” “Angela Brown”

Open Start, type: regedit

Right-click Regedit.

Click Run as administrator.

Remember that SID value we accessed earlier? Now is the time to reference it.

Once you find it, select it, then double-click the value ProfileImagePath. You will see the old name we had earlier is still there. Change it to the new name you want to use.

There you have it, the name you actually intended. Mistakes like this can happen, but there is always a way to fix them.