How to Change Another User's Password in Windows

Change a different user's password in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista

What to Know

  • Windows 11, 10 & 8: Go to Control Panel > User Accounts > User Accounts > Manage another account > [user].
  • Select Change the password. Choose a new password and follow the on-screen steps.
  • Restart the computer and log in with the new password.

There are plenty of ways to find lost Windows passwords, but an easy method, assuming there's more than one user on the computer, is to change the password from within another account.

How to Change Another User's Password in Windows 11, 10, or 8

Follow these steps to change another user's password in Windows 11, 10, or 8.

Your Windows account must be configured as an administrator if you want to change another user's password. If not, you may need to reset your Windows password.

  1. Open the Control Panel.

    On touch interfaces, the easiest method in Windows 11, 10, or 8 is through its link on the Start menu (or Apps screen in Windows 8), but the control command or Power User Menu (Windows 8) is probably faster if you have a keyboard or mouse.

  2. On Windows 11/10, select User Accounts. It's called User Accounts and Family Safety in Windows 8.

    User Accounts in Control Panel

    If the View by setting is on Large icons or Small icons, then you won't see this link. Choose User Accounts instead and skip to Step 4.

  3. Select User Accounts.

    User Accounts in User Accounts window
  4. Several links down, select Manage another account.

    Manage another account link in User Accounts
  5. Select the user you want to change the password for.

    Local Account, Password Protected in Manage Accounts window

    If you don't see Password protected listed somewhere under the username, then that user doesn't have a password set up and should be able to log in without entering anything in the password field.

  6. Choose Change the password.

    Change the password link in Change an Account window

    Don't see a Change the password link? This probably means that the user you want to change the password for logs into Windows with a Microsoft account, not a typical local account. It's even easier to reset a Microsoft account password.

  7. On the Change [username]'s password screen, enter a new password in both the first and second text boxes.

  8. In the last text box, you're asked to type a password hint. This step is not required.

    Since you're probably changing this person's password for them because they've forgotten it, it's fine if you want to skip the hint. After the person regains access to their account, have them change the password in Windows to something more private and set up a hint then.

  9. Select Change password to save the password change.

    Change password button in Change Password window
  10. Sign out, or restart the computer, and have the person you reset the password for try logging in again.

Once signed on, be proactive and have the user create a Windows password reset disk or switch to a Microsoft account, either of which will provide an easier way to get a new password in the future.

When you change a Windows password from outside the account, the user you're changing the password for will lose all access to EFS-encrypted files, personal certificates, and any stored passwords like those for network resources and website passwords. However, most users don't have EFS-encrypted files and the loss of stored passwords probably isn't a big deal.

How to Change Another User's Password in Windows 7 or Vista

  1. Click Start and then Control Panel.

  2. Click the User Accounts and Family Safety link (Windows 7) or User Accounts link (Windows Vista).

    Windows 7 Control Panel

    If you're viewing the Large icons or Small icons view of Control Panel in Windows 7, you won't see this link. Instead, click on the User Accounts icon and skip to Step 4.

  3. Click the User Accounts link.

    User Accounts and Family Safety screen in Windows 7
  4. Toward the bottom of the Make changes to your user account area of the User Accounts window, select Manage another account.

    Windows 7 User Accounts screen
  5. Select the account that you want to change the password for.

    If the words Password protected are not listed under the user type then the user has no password configured, meaning he or she can log in to the account without a password. Obviously, in this case, there's nothing to change so just let the user know that they don't need a password and can set one up themselves next time they log in.

  6. Under the Make changes to [username]'s account heading, click the Change the password link.

    Windows 7 Change an Account screen
  7. Enter a new password for the user in the first and second text boxes.

    Windows 7 Change Password screen

    Entering the new password twice helps ensure that you've typed the password correctly.

  8. In the third and final text box, you're asked to Type a password hint.

    Since you're probably changing this user's password because he or she has forgotten it, you can probably skip the hint.

  9. Click the Change password button to confirm the password change.

  10. Close the User Accounts window.

  11. Log off or restart the computer and then have the user log in to their account with the password you chose for them in Step 7.

Once logged in, have the user create a Windows password reset disk to avoid a problem like this in the future.

FAQ
  • How do I log into Windows as administrator without an admin password?

    If it's still available, try logging in as the built-in Windows administrator. To do this, select Switch User at the Windows sign-in screen and type in "Administrator" as the user name but leave the password field blank. You can also access the built-in admin by booting Windows in Safe Mode.

  • How do I change my Wi-Fi password in Windows?

    You'll need to log into your router as administrator in order to change the Wi-Fi password. Be sure to have the user name, password, and router's IP address on-hand before attempting.

  • How do I change my HomeGroup password in Windows 10?

    Windows HomeGroup has been removed from Windows 10 as of version 1803, which saw its end of service in November of 2019. If you're using Windows 10 version 1803 or higher, you won't be able to adjust any settings or passwords for HomeGroup anymore.

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