How to Change Your Computer Password in Windows and Mac

The fastest way depends on whether you use Windows or Mac

On a Windows computer, you change your password through Settings. On a Mac, you use System Settings. Both take about two minutes. The steps are slightly different, but the idea is the same: you open the account settings, confirm your current password, type the new one twice, and you're done. If you've forgotten your current password, the process is longer — you'll need to use a recovery method — but most people who change their password know the old one first.

The reason to change your password regularly is straightforward: if someone has guessed it, seen it written down, or found it in a data breach, changing it locks them out. A strong new password — one that mixes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols — makes it much harder for someone to guess the next one.

Key Takeaways

• On Windows, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Password, then click Change and follow the prompts with your current password.
• On Mac, go to System Settings > General > Password, enter your current password, then create and confirm your new one.
• Your new password should be at least 12 characters long and include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
• If you forget your password before changing it, you can use a recovery email or phone number to reset it instead of changing it.
• After you change your password, you may need to sign back into apps and services that store your password — they won't know the new one automatically.

How to change your password on Windows 10 or 11

Open Settings by pressing the Windows key and typing "Settings," then press Enter. Click on Accounts in the left menu. Select Sign-in options. Under the Password section, click the Change button.

Windows will ask you to enter your current password to confirm it's really you. Type it in and click Next. Now type your new password in the first box. Type it again in the second box to confirm you didn't make a typo. Click Next, then Finish. Windows will tell you the change was successful.

If you're using a Microsoft account (one that ends in @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, or @live.com), Windows may ask you to verify your identity through email or phone before letting you change the password. This is a security step — it makes sure someone who stole your computer can't just change the password and lock you out.

How to change your password on Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings. Click General in the left sidebar. Scroll down and click Password. Enter your current password when prompted, then click the unlock icon if it appears.

Type your new password in the New Password field. Type it again in the Verify field. If you want to add a password hint — something that reminds you of the password but doesn't give it away — you can type that in the Hint field, though it's optional. Click Change Password when you're ready.

Your Mac will confirm the change when ready. Unlike Windows, Mac doesn't usually require a second verification step unless you're using an Apple ID to sign in, in which case you may see a prompt to verify through your Apple account.

What to do if you've forgotten your current password

If you can't remember your password and you're locked out of your computer, you can't use the "Change Password" method above — you'll need to reset it instead. On Windows, restart your computer and select "I forgot my password" on the sign-in screen. Windows will walk you through verifying your identity using a recovery email or phone number you set up earlier.

On Mac, restart and hold Command + Q at the login screen to open the reset options. You can reset your password using your Apple ID, a recovery key, or a recovery contact you've designated. If you didn't set any of these up before you forgot your password, you may need to take your Mac to an Apple Store or contact Apple Support.

This is why it's worth setting up a recovery email and phone number now, before you need them. You can do this in Windows Settings under Accounts > Your Info, or on Mac in System Settings > General > Password.

How to create a password that's actually hard to guess

A strong password is at least 12 characters long and uses a mix of uppercase letters (A–Z), lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and symbols (!@#$%^&*). An example of a strong password is "BlueMoon#2024!Sunrise" — it's long, it mixes character types, and it doesn't use dictionary words in order.

Avoid passwords that use your name, your birth year, your pet's name, or common words. Avoid repeating characters ("1111") or sequences ("1234"). Don't reuse a password you've used on other websites or accounts — if one site gets hacked, someone could try that password on your computer next.

If you're worried about remembering a long, complicated password, consider using a password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password, or the password manager built into Windows and Mac. These programs store your passwords in an encrypted vault and fill them in automatically when you need them. You only have to remember one strong master password.

What happens after you change your password

Your computer will log you out of some apps and services after you change your password. Email clients like Outlook or Gmail, cloud storage like OneDrive or iCloud, and messaging apps may ask you to sign back in with your new password. This is normal — these apps store your old password and need the new one to stay connected.

You don't need to do anything special to make this happen. The next time you open one of these apps, it will prompt you to enter your password again. Just type your new password and you're back in. If an app doesn't prompt you after a few hours, you can manually sign out and sign back in to force it to update.

If you use your computer password to sign into websites through Windows Hello (facial recognition or fingerprint), those sign-ins will still work — they don't depend on your password. But if you've saved passwords in your web browser, those are separate from your computer password and won't change.

Why you might want to change your password right now

Change your password if you think someone else knows it — for example, if you shared it with someone who no longer has permission to use your computer, or if you typed it in front of someone and now regret it. Change it if you've used the same password on multiple websites and one of those websites announced a data breach. Change it if you haven't changed it in over a year.

You don't need to change it every month just because a calendar says so. Security researchers have found that forcing people to change passwords frequently actually makes them weaker — people choose simpler passwords if they have to change them often. A strong password that you change once every year or two is better than a weak password you change every month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my password if I'm using a PIN or fingerprint instead?

Yes. A PIN and a fingerprint are separate from your password. You can have all three at once. Changing your password doesn't affect your PIN or fingerprint, and you can still use those to sign in. If you want to change your PIN or fingerprint instead, that's a different setting in the same menu where you'd change your password.

What if I change my password and then forget the new one when ready?

You can reset it using the recovery method for your operating system (email or phone on Windows, Apple ID on Mac). This is why setting up a recovery email or phone number before you need it matters. If you haven't set one up yet, do it now while you remember.

Do I need to change my password if I'm the only one who uses this computer?

Not urgently, but it's still worth doing once a year. Even if nobody else has physical access to your computer, your password could be exposed in a data breach at a website you use, or someone could guess it remotely if it's weak. A strong password changed annually is a reasonable balance between security and convenience.

Will changing my password affect my files or programs?

No. Your files, programs, and settings stay exactly the same. The only thing that changes is the password you use to sign in. You might need to sign back into some apps and websites, but your actual data is untouched.

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

Technically yes, but it's not recommended. If someone guesses or steals one password, they get access to both your computer and your email. Using different passwords for each means a breach in one place doesn't automatically compromise the other. A password manager makes it easier to keep track of different passwords.