How Do I Change My Password in Windows?

Change Your Password in Windows 7, Vista, & XP

Updated December 11, 2014

There are several very good reasons you might want to change the password to your Windows computer. Personally, I'd like to think you want to change your password simply because you know it's a smart thing to do every so often to keep your PC secure.

Of course another good reason to change your password is if your current password is too easy to guess... or maybe too hard to remember!

Regardless of the reason, changing your password is very easy, no matter which version of Windows you have.

"How Do I Change My Password in Windows?"

You can change your password in Microsoft Windows via the User Accounts applet in Control Panel.

The steps involved to change your password differ somewhat depending on which operating system you're using so here are some guides specific to your version of Windows:

See What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you're not sure which of those several versions of Windows is installed on your computer.

Note: If you've already created a password reset disk, you don't need to create another one after changing your password. If you haven't yet created one, now is as good a time as any. See How To Create a Password Reset Disk for more information.

Tip: Trying to change your password in Windows (because you forgot it) but can't get in to Windows (again, because you forgot your password)?

Most people use a Windows password recovery program to crack or reset the password but you should also see my complete list of ways to find lost passwords in Windows for some other options as well.