what to know
- Windows 11, 10 and 8: Open Control Panel . Select User Accounts (Windows 11/10) or User Accounts and Family Safety (Windows 8).
- Select User Accounts > Change my account in PC settings > Sign-in options .
- In the Password section, select Add . Enter your new password and password hint twice. Select Next > Finish .
This article describes how to create a password on a computer running Windows.
The exact steps required to set a password on your computer vary depending on the version of Windows you are using.
You can create a password from the control panel. Once completed, use it to log in to Windows from that point on, unless you deleted your Windows password one day or set your computer to log in automatically.
Open the control panel. The easiest way is to enter the word "control" into the Start menu or Run dialog box. Another method in Windows 8 is to press Win + X to go through the power user menu.
Select User Accounts (Windows 11/10) or User Accounts and Family Safety (Windows 8).
If you are viewing applets by icon instead of in category view on Windows 11 or 10, continue to step 4 after selecting a user account . If you're using Windows 8 in this view, you won't even see this option; open User Accounts and skip to step 4.
Open a user account .
Select Change my account in PC settings .
Select a login option . If you are using Windows 11 you will only see this if you select your account on the left
Under Password area , select Add .
Enter your new password in the first two text fields. You must do this twice to ensure you entered your password correctly.
In the Password reminder field, enter something to help you remember your password if you forget it, and then select Next .
Select Done to complete setting the new password.
You can now exit any window you opened to set your password, such as Settings or PC Setup .
It's always a good idea to create a password reset disk after creating a new password. If your password is really complex and you don't want to make a reset disk, consider storing it in a password manager.
Control Panel is used to set passwords on Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
Open Control Panel from the Start menu.
Select User Accounts and Family Safety (Windows 7) or User Accounts (Windows Vista).
If you don't see this link when you create or reset a password in Windows 7, it's because you are using Control Panel in a view that only displays icons or applet links, and this link is not included. Open your user account instead and proceed to step 4.
Select a user account .
In the Change your user account area, select Create a password for your account .
Type the password you want to use in the first two text boxes.
Enter useful content in the "Enter password hint" text box. This step is optional, but we strongly recommend you use it. If you try to log into Windows and enter the wrong password, this prompt will pop up to hopefully jog your memory.
Select Create password to confirm your new password.
You can now close any open windows that access the change password page.
If your computer has Windows XP, follow these steps to set a password:
Navigate to Start > Control Panel .
Select a user account .
If you are in the category view of the control panel, you will need to select it again on the next screen.
Select your username in the or Select an account to change area.
Select Create Password Link.
In the first two text boxes, enter the password you want to start using.
Select Create password to confirm your new password.
The next screen may ask you if you want to make files and folders private? . If other user accounts will be set up on this computer and you want to keep your personal files private, select Yes, keep private .
You can select No if you are not concerned about this security or if this account is the only one on your computer.
You can now close the User Accounts window and the Control Panel window.
To find your Wi-Fi password in Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Network and Sharing Center . Go to Connections , select your Wi-Fi network, select Wireless Properties , and then select the Securities tab. Check the "Show characters" box to view your password.
If you are logged in with a Microsoft account, to reset your Windows password, you need to reset your Microsoft account password. Go to Microsoft's Recover your account page, enter your email, and follow the prompts to verify your identity and set a new password.
To remove your Windows password, go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options . Open the Password menu, select Change , enter your current password , and then select Next . In the box that appears, leave everything blank and click Next again. Select Done to delete your password.
