Change or reset your Windows password

If you forgot or lost your password for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7, you may be able to change or reset it. To get started, choose your version of Windows from the Select Product Version drop-down menu.

If you already know your current password and want to change it

Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options . Under Password, select the Change button and follow the steps.

Reset your Windows 10 local account password

If you’ve forgotten or lost your Windows 10 password for a local account and need to sign back in to your device, the below options might help you get up and running. For more info on local standard vs. administrative accounts, see Create a local user or administrator account in Windows 10.

Windows 10 version 1803 and later

If you added security questions when you set up your local account for Windows 10, then you have at least version 1803 and you can answer security questions to sign back in.

After you’ve entered an incorrect password:

Select the Reset password link on the sign-in screen. If you use a PIN instead, see PIN sign-in issues. If you’re using a work device that’s on a network, you may not see an option to reset your password or PIN. In that case, contact your administrator.

Note: If you don’t see security questions after you select the Reset password link, make sure your device name isn’t the same as your local user account name (the name you see when you sign in). To see your device name, right-click Start in the taskbar, select System, andscroll to the Device specifications section. If the device name is the same as your account name, you can create a new administrator account, sign in as an administrator, and then rename your PC (when you view your device name, you can also rename it).

Answer your security questions.

Enter a new password.

Sign in as usual with the new password.

Windows 10 before version 1803

For versions of Windows 10 earlier than 1803, local account passwords can’t be reset because there are no security questions. You can reset your device to choose a new password, however this option will permanently delete your data, programs, and settings. If you’ve backed up your files you’ll be able to restore your deleted files. For more information, see Recovery options in Windows 10.
To reset your device, which will delete data, programs, and settings:

Press the Shift key while you select the Power button > Restart in the lower-right corner of the screen.

On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.

Select Remove everything.

Warning: Resetting your device will permanently delete data, programs, and settings.

Reset your Microsoft account password you use to sign in to your computer

On the sign-in screen, type your Microsoft account name if it’s not already displayed. If there are multiple accounts on the computer, choose the one you want to reset. Below the password text box, select I forgot my password. Follow the steps to reset your password.

Troubleshoot problems signing in

If you’re still having trouble signing to your account, see more solutions in Troubleshoot problems signing in.

Reset your password

Note: If you’ve forgotten your Windows 10 password, see Reset your Windows 10 local account password.

If you’ve forgotten your Windows 8.1 password, there are several ways to retrieve or reset it:

If your PC is on a domain, your system administrator must reset your password.

If you’re using a Microsoft account, you can reset your password online. For more info, see How to reset your Microsoft account password.

If you’re using a local account, use your password hint as a reminder.

If you still can’t sign in, you must reinstall Windows. For Windows RT 8.1, contact your PC manufacturer.

More help with passwords in Windows 8.1

If you forget or lose your password, see Reset your password above to reset or recover it.

If you think your Microsoft account password has been compromised or stolen by someone with malicious intent, we can help. For more info, see When you can’t sign in to your Microsoft account.

If you’re signing in to only your local PC, yes. However, we recommend that you keep your PC more secure by using a strong password. When you use a password, only someone who knows it can sign in. If you want to sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, a password is required. For more info, see Can I sign in to Windows without a password? To learn more about Microsoft accounts and local accounts, see Create a user account.

Stronger passwords contain a variety of characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols or spaces. A strong password should also be something that is difficult for a stranger to guess or crack. It shouldn’t contain a complete word, or easy-to-find details like your real name, your user name, or your birth date.

If you’re signing in to a Microsoft account, your password is limited to 16 characters. For more info about Microsoft accounts, see Create a user account.

You can update your password regularly to keep it more secure. If your PC isn’t connected to a domain, follow these steps:

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Accounts, and then tap or click Sign-in options.

Tap or click Change your password and follow the instructions.

If your PC is connected to a domain, your system administrator might manage how frequently you must change your password. To do so, choose one of the following:

If you’re using a keyboard, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, tap or click Change a password, and follow the instructions.

If you’re using a tablet, press and hold the Windows button, press the power button, and then tap or click Change a password and follow the instructions.

It depends on whether you’re using a third-party email address. If your email address ends in outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, or another Microsoft service, changing the password for your Microsoft account also changes it for that email service.

But you can use any email address for your Microsoft account, even an email address from a third-party web-based mail service like Google Mail or Yahoo! Mail. When you choose a password for your Microsoft account, it doesn’t change the password you might need to use to sign in to web mail on a third-party site.

Create a picture password to sign in with gestures instead of by entering characters.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

Tap or click Accounts, and then tap or click Sign-in options.

Under Picture password, tap or click Add, and then follow the instructions.

When you choose a password for your user account, it’s important to pick something you can remember. You’re going to need it again later!

Of course, you can also write your password down and keep it in a safe place. Taped to the underside of your laptop or the inside of your desk drawer is probably not a good idea, however. If you do write your password down, be sure to keep it separate from your PC.

For added security, use different passwords for different purposes. For example, it’s a good idea to keep distinctly different passwords for a social networking account and your online bank account.

If you do forget or lose your password, there are still several things you can try to reset or recover it. For more info, see Reset your password above to reset or recover it.

Reset your password

My computer is on a domain

Select the Start button , select Control Panel, select User Accounts, select User Accounts, and then select Manage User Accounts. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

On the Users tab, under Users for this computer, select the user account name, and then select Reset Password.

Type the new password, confirm the new password, and then select OK.

My computer is in a workgroup

If you type the wrong password when you attempt to log on, Windows displays a message that the password is incorrect. Select OK to close the message.

Select Reset password, and then insert your password reset disk or USB flash drive.

Follow the steps in the Password Reset wizard to create a new password.

Log on with the new password. If you forget your password again, you can use the same password reset disk. You don’t need to make a new one.

Note: If an administrator resets your password, you might lose access to some of your files.

Change your password

Press Ctrl+ Alt+ Delete, and then select Change a password.

Type your old password followed by a new password as indicated, and then type the new password again to confirm it.

Note: If you are logged on as an administrator, you can create and change passwords for all user accounts on the computer.

Warning: If you use an administrator account to change a password for another account, any encrypted files or e mail messages for that other account will no longer be accessible to the person who was using that account.

Find, add, remove, edit, backup, restore Stored Usernames and Passwords in Windows 10

The Stored User Names and Passwords Tool in Windows 10 lets you securely manage user names and passwords as a part of your profile. It lets you automatically enter saved user names and passwords for various network resources, servers, websites, and applications, to authenticate yourself. In this post we will see how to add, remove, edit, backup, restore Stored Usernames and Passwords & Credentials in Windows 10/8/7.

Find stored Usernames & Passwords in Windows 10

To directly access the Stored User Names and Passwords Control Panel applet, via WinX Menu, open Command Prompt (Admin), type the following rundll32 command, and hit Enter:

The Stored User Names and Passwords box will open.

Here you will be able to see the saved passwords and user names.

To add a new credential, press the Add button and fill in the required details as follows:

To delete a saved password, select the credential and click on the Remove button.

To edit a password, click the Edit button. Here you will be editing the details.

It could be a Windows logon credential or a Website or Program password.

It is always a good idea to back up the stored user names and passwords. To do this, click on the Backup button to open the following wizard.

Select and browse to the backup location, click Next, and follow the wizard to its completion.

Should the need arise, you can always restore the backup, by clicking on the Restore button and browsing to the backup file location and selecting it.

TIP: Read about the Credentials Manager and Windows Vault here.

PS: This post will show you how to manage passwords in Internet Explorer. While you can add, backup, restore Windows Credentials, there is no way to add or edit Web Credentials. Microsoft recently enumerated the changes it incorporated in Password Policy and Autocomplete Forms in Internet Explorer, to reduce the confusion in users about their passwords being recalled on one site but not another. Check this post to see how Internet Explorer 11 now stores Passwords.

Where Are Passwords Stored in Windows?

Managing your passwords can be a hassle, especially if you tend to forget them. Luckily, Windows stores most of your local accounts, so you can quickly look them up. If you’re wondering how to find your saved email passwords in Windows, take a look at these short tutorials and find out where passwords are stored in Windows.

Where are passwords stored in Windows 10?

First, let’s look at how to find passwords stored on your computer in Windows 10. There are a few ways to do this. Here’s how to locate them using the credential manager:

Go to the Windows Control Panel.

Click on User Accounts.

Click on Credential Manager.

Here you can see two sections: Web Credentials and Windows Credentials.

Under Web Credentials, you can find the passwords you use to log in to various websites. Windows Credentials hosts the rest of your logins on the computer.

Once you find the account you were looking for, click the arrow on the right..

In the drop-down tab, click Show next to the password.

In the pop-up prompt, enter your administrator password. That’s it — you’re done!

If you’re not sure what your administrator password is, don’t worry. There is a way to access it on your computer, so read on for a tutorial. Now, let’s take a look at another way to access your accounts by going through the command prompt.

Type command prompt in your Windows search bar.

Click Run as an administrator in the window on the left.

A user account control window might pop up, asking if you allow the app to make changes on your device. Click Yes.

Command Prompt window will appear.

In the window, type in this command:

Stored User Names and Passwords window will pop up.

To access your administrator password, you’ll need to access the Windows 10 registry. However, you must be extra careful — one wrong click could seriously disrupt your computer’s operating system. So, where are passwords stored in Windows 10 registry? You’ll need to use the command prompt to access them.

Navigate to Windows Command Prompt again.

Type in regedit and hit Enter.

The Registry Editor window will appear.

Go to HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > Winlogon

Now, scroll down to DefaultPassword and double-click it.

A window will pop up, revealing the stored password.

As mentioned earlier, this method is risky since tampering with the Windows registry can damage your operating system. If you’re nervous about meddling with the registry, here’s a simple guide to get a hold of your logins using the Microsoft recovery page.

Where are passwords stored in Windows 7?

If you have an earlier version of Windows, don’t worry. Here’s how to access your accounts on Windows 7:

Go to the Start menu.

Click on the Control Panel.

Go to User Accounts.

Click on Manage your network passwords on the left.

You should find your credentials here!

But what if you can’t log in to your computer in the first place? Forgetting your computer password is definitely annoying, but fortunately there are a few relatively easy ways to recover your Windows 7 credentials. Check out our tutorials on how to reset your Windows 7 password.

Other ways to recover your passwords

The Windows operating system isn’t the only place where you can find your credentials. If you have enabled your browser to save your passwords, it’s possible to view and edit them later on. Check out our blog posts on how to access your logins in Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Google Chrome. However, keep in mind that saving your credentials in your browser isn’t always the best idea.

There is another great way to ensure you never lose your passwords. Use a password manager — it keeps them safe, all in the same place. NordPass syncs your credentials across all of your devices, so you never have to worry about forgetting your logins again.

Keep your passwords organized with NordPass.