How do I Change my Windows Password?

Windows comes with the capacity to secure your computer, files, and folders via passwords. Passwords are an easy and effective way to add security to any computer and operating system. Whether you operate your own computer at home, have a computer at work, or share a computer with other users, you may want to customize your Windows settings to protect specific files and folders from others either viewing or editing them. For those that would like to use this capability, it is extremely easy to change or create a Windows password. Here are some tips. It should be noted that changing your password on Windows will differ if you are on a stand alone computer or a computer that is connected to a network domain (workgroup).


Change your Windows password on a stand alone computer
It is quite easy to change your password on a stand alone computer. First make sure that you have an administrator account - if you don't then your administrator will need to change the password for you (detailed below).

Step 1. Once Windows has launched, click on the Control Panel and then click on Open User Accounts.

Step 2. Once the User Accounts window comes up, click on your account name - the one you would like to change.

Step 3. Select Change My Password

Step 4. Once you have selected Change My Password, you will first need to input your current password, then type in a new password. You will be required to input your new password twice to make sure that you did not make an error the first time around.

Step 5. Besides typing in your new password, you have the additional option of including descriptive text. This makes it possible to either type in a word or phrase that can help you to recall your password if it is forgotten.

Step 6. Once all information has been entered correctly, click on Change Password. You should then receive confirmation that your new password has been received and is active.

Change your user password on a domain or network
If your password protects your user account on a computer that is on a domain or network, you must be logged on either as an administrator or a member of the Administrator's group to change passwords. If you have permission to change your user password, the steps to do so are very simple.

Step 1. Launch Windows and click on the Control Panel.

Step 2. Once inside the control panel, click on the User Accounts. Inside the User Accounts window you should see a tab with users' names. Choose the name of the user whose password you would like to change. Once your user has been selected, click Reset Password.

Step 3. Once you click Reset Password, you will be asked to input the new password and then input it again to confirm it. Once all entries have been completed, you can click OK.

Step 4. You should receive confirmation that your new password has been activated.

Things to consider
If you are looking to change your network logon password, you will not be able to do so in User Accounts. This type of password can be changed by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL then selecting Change Password.