How To Change Password On Windows 10 – Ultimate Guide

Good passwords are the cornerstone for creating you’re a safe and secure account. Without setting up a good enough password for your computer, you increase the chances of a privacy leak. If you haven’t set up a decent password, maybe it is too obvious like your birthday, then you should think about changing it.

Windows 10 offers several methods to change your password or set up different passwords for different sections of your PC to bolster security. In this article, we have discussed different ways to change password on Windows 10.

How To Change Password on Windows 10?

As mentioned in the introduction, there are various layers of passwords that can be set up in Windows to protect your Microsoft account and protect the local data on your PC. You may need to set up or change some of these passwords, like if the password is compromised or you want to use a more secure one, in Windows 10.

Below we have given methods to set up or change passwords on Windows 10 in detail. Hopefully, they will be helpful for you to change your password.

Method 1: Change Account Password

Before you change your account password, keep in mind that if your account is connected to a Microsoft account, then changing the password will mean that you are changing the password for various Microsoft services like OneDrive or Outlook. Follow the steps given below:

1. Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings app.
2. Click on the Accounts option.
3. Next, select the Sign-in options.
4. Click on the Password option in the Manage how you sign in to your device section.
5. Next, select the Change option.

6. If you are changing your password, then you will have to confirm your current password and then enter the new password. Users who are adding a password will directly skip to adding the new password page.
7. After entering the current password and then changing it to a new one, click on Next and Finish.

Another thing you should keep in mind when changing your password is that you won’t be able to set the old password again as the new password.

Also, use the same steps to change password on Windows 10 locally. The only difference will be that in the 6^th step, the Microsoft page to change the password won’t open and, in its place, another Windows 10 page will open with similar options.

You may like to check out this article on what to do when Windows 10 product key is not working.

Method 2: Change The Windows Hello PIN Password

If you are using the Windows Hello Pin, in addition to the normal password to protect your Windows 10, then follow the steps given below to change it:

1. Open the Sign in options again in the Accounts section of the Settings app.
2. Click on the Windows Hello Pin option in the Manage how you sign in to your device option.
3. Select the Change option.
4. Enter your current PIN and then enter the new PIN. You can check the Include letters and symbols box if you like using those unconventional PINs that are like normal passwords.

5. Finally, click on OK to save the new PIN.

Changing the Pin doesn’t affect your existing account password. The Windows Hello PIN is an additional security feature to the account password.

Method 3: Change Account Picture Password

Picture passwords are a special kind of password that allows the users to save a certain gesture on a picture to unlock the password. This gesture can be saved as the Account Picture Password, and you can also change it. To change it, follow the steps given below:

1. Open the Sign in options again.
2. Select the Picture Password option in the Manage how you sign in to your device section.
3. Click on the Change option.
4. Enter the current account password and click on OK.
5. Select the Choose new picture option or if you have just forgotten your previous Gesture, then click on the Replay option to remember.

6. Choose the new image that you want to use as your password and click on Open.
7. Select the Use this picture option to confirm the picture.
8. Setup the new Gesture to use as a password and then confirm it by doing it again.
9. Finally, click on Finish.

Tip: If you have forgotten the Gesture of the Picture Password in the Sign-in screen, then you will have to click on the Sign-in options button to use another method to sign in. This is because there isn’t any way to change the Gesture of Picture Password from the sign-in screen.

Method 4: Set Up Screen Saver Passwords

With the sign-in passwords, you can also set up screen saver passwords, which is an inherited feature from Windows Vista. In Windows 10 screen saver password can be used to further bolster your security. The password enabled screen savers are great for those users that leave their PC unattended at work or elsewhere.

Once the screen is unresponsive for a period, the screensavers will appear, and to use the PC again the user will have to use the password to unlock the screen saver first. To enable Windows 10 screen saver passwords, follow the steps given below:

1. Open the Settings app again.
2. Select the Personalization option and then click on the Lock screen option.
3. Next, click on the Screen saver settings This will open the Screen saver dialog on your screen.

4. Select any screen saver you like and check the On resume, display logon screen option.
5. Change the value in the Wait section to set the exact period of inactivity to kick in the screen saver.

6. Finally, click on Apply and OK to save the changes.

Now, you can use the password enabled screen savers and leave your PC unattended without worrying about it.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it. Now you know how to change password on Windows 10 as well as setup password enabled screen savers. Follow the steps given above and you shouldn’t face any issue changing your password. If you have any further questions, ask them in the comment section.