Change or Reset Your Windows Password

Change or Reset Your Windows Password

If you've forgotten or lost your password for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7, you might be able to change or reset it. To get started, choose your version of Windows from the tabs below.

Windows 11 Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7

If you know your current password and want to change it

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

Reset a Windows 11 local account password

If you've forgotten or lost your Windows 11 local account password and need to sign back in to your device, the following options might help you get up and running. For more information about local standard and administrator accounts, see Create a local user or administrator account in Windows.

Windows 11

If you added security questions when you set up your local account for Windows 11, you can answer those questions to sign back in.

After you've entered an incorrect password:

Select the Reset passwordlink on the sign-in screen. If you use a PIN instead, see PIN sign-in issues. If you're using a work deviceon a network, you might not see the options to reset your password or PIN. In that case, contact your administrator.
Answer your security questions.
Enter a new password.
Sign in as usual with the new password.

Note: If you don't see the security questions after selecting the Reset password link, make sure your device name is different from your local user account name (the name you see when you sign in). To see your device name, right-click Start, select System, and then scroll 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 computer (you can also rename it when you view the device name).

Reset the password for your Microsoft account, which 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's more than one account on the computer, choose the one you want to reset.
Below the password text box, select I forgot my password.
Follow the steps in the prompt to reset your password.

For more information, see Reset a forgotten Microsoft account password.

Troubleshoot sign-in problems

If you still can't sign in to your account, see Troubleshoot sign-in problems for more solutions.