The fastest way depends on your operating system

On Windows 10 or 11, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, then select "Change a password." Type your current password, then your new one twice. On a Mac, go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), click "General," then "Login Items & Extensions," and look for "Password" or "Users & Groups." Click the lock icon, enter your current password, then set a new one. Both take about two minutes.

If you have forgotten your current password entirely, the process is different and requires either a recovery email, a phone number you registered, or a recovery key you saved earlier. That path is covered in the section below.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows users press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select "Change a password" to update in seconds without restarting.
  • Mac users open System Settings, navigate to the password section, unlock with their current password, and enter a new one.
  • A strong password includes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and should not contain your username or common words.
  • If you forget your password, you will need a recovery email, phone number, or backup recovery key to regain access.
  • After changing your password, you may need to sign back into apps and services that store your login information.

Step-by-step for Windows 10 and 11

Hold down Ctrl, Alt, and Delete at the same time. A blue screen will appear with several options. Click "Change a password" — it is usually the third option. You will see three fields: one for your current password, one for your new password, and one to confirm the new password by typing it again.

Type your current password in the first field. Then type your new password in the second field. Type the exact same new password in the third field to confirm it. If the two new passwords do not match, Windows will tell you and ask you to try again. Click the arrow or press Enter when both new passwords match. Your password changes when ready, and you stay logged in.

If you are on a work computer connected to a domain, your password may sync across multiple devices. If you use a Microsoft account (the kind that lets you sign in with an email address), the change also updates your Microsoft account password, which affects Outlook, OneDrive, and other Microsoft services you use.

Step-by-step for Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select "System Settings" (on newer Macs) or "System Preferences" (on older ones). Look for "General" in the sidebar and click it. Then find and click "Login Items & Extensions" or "Users & Groups," depending on your macOS version.

You will see a lock icon in the bottom-left or bottom-right corner of the window. Click it and enter your current password when prompted. Once unlocked, look for a "Password" tab or button. Click "Change Password." Enter your current password, then type your new password twice to confirm it. Click "Change Password" again to save the change.

On some older Mac versions, you may see "Users & Groups" instead. Select your user account from the list on the left, click the lock icon to unlock, and then click "Change Password." The steps are the same from there.

Creating a password that is actually strong

A strong password is at least 12 characters long and mixes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols like ! @ # $ % or &. Avoid using your username, your name, your birth year, or common words that appear in the dictionary. Do not use patterns like "123456" or "qwerty" — these are the first things attackers try.

A practical approach: think of a sentence you will remember, take the first letter of each word, and swap some letters for numbers or symbols. For example, "My dog ate three socks yesterday" becomes "Mda3sy!" — long enough, mixed characters, and tied to something you actually remember.

Write your new password down on paper and store it in a physical location only you can access — a locked drawer at home, not a sticky note on your monitor. If you use a password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password, or the built-in password storage in your browser, you can store complex passwords there instead, and the manager remembers them for you.

What to do if you have forgotten your password

On Windows, restart your computer and look for "I forgot my password" on the login screen. Windows will ask you to verify your identity using a recovery email address or phone number you registered when you set up your account. If you have a Microsoft account, you can also answer security questions you created earlier. Once verified, you can set a new password without knowing the old one.

If you set up a local account (not a Microsoft account) and have no recovery email, you will need a password reset disk or recovery key that you created before you forgot the password. If you do not have either, you may need to contact your IT department if this is a work computer, or use another administrator account on the same computer to reset it.

On Mac, restart your computer and hold Command+Q to exit the login screen. Then restart again and hold Command+R to enter Recovery Mode. Open Utilities from the menu bar and select "Reset Password." Choose your user account and set a new password. You can also use your Apple ID to reset your Mac password if you have one linked to your account.

Signing back into apps and services after you change your password

Your computer password and your online account passwords are separate. Changing your computer password does not automatically change your password for Gmail, Facebook, your bank, or any other website or app. You will need to update those separately if you want to use the same password everywhere — though security experts recommend using different passwords for different services.

Some apps stored on your computer, like Outlook or Slack, may ask you to sign in again with your new password the next time you open them. This is normal. Enter your new password and the app will remember it. If an app keeps asking you to sign in and you are sure you entered the password correctly, try signing out completely, closing the app, and signing back in.

If you use cloud storage like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, and you changed a Microsoft account or Google account password, those services will prompt you to sign in again on your computer within a few hours. This is a security measure to make sure the person using your account is actually you.

Changing your password on a Chromebook

A Chromebook does not have a traditional computer password. Instead, you sign in with a Google account. To change your Google password, go to myaccount.google.com on any device, click "Security" in the left menu, scroll to "How you sign in to Google," and click "Password." Enter your current password and then your new password twice.

When you sign back into your Chromebook, use your new Google password. The change takes effect when ready across all Google services and any other devices where you use that Google account. If you have a work Chromebook managed by your employer, contact your IT department — they may have locked down password changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I change my password?

If your password has not been compromised, changing it every 90 days is reasonable but not required. If you suspect someone has accessed your account, change it when ready. If you reuse the same password across multiple sites and one of those sites gets hacked, change your password on all of them right away.

Can I change my password if I do not remember my security questions?

On Windows with a Microsoft account, you can use your recovery email or phone number instead of security questions. On Mac, you can use your Apple ID. If you have none of these, you will need to contact support for your device or use another administrator account on the same computer.

What happens if I change my password while signed into other devices?

On Windows and Mac, changing your password does not sign you out of other devices automatically. However, if you use a Microsoft or Apple account, you can go to your account settings online and remotely sign out all other devices for security. This is useful if you think someone else has access to your account.

Will changing my password affect my files or programs?

No. Your files, programs, and settings stay exactly as they are. Changing your password only changes how you sign in — it does not touch anything stored on your computer. You will still see all your files and programs after you log back in with your new password.

Can I use the same password on my computer and my email account?

Technically yes, but it is not recommended. If someone guesses or steals your computer password, they also have your email password, which gives them access to password reset links for every other account you own. Using different passwords for different services means a breach in one place does not compromise everything.