Where to change the password on the computer. How to change the password on a computer: step by step instructions

Despite the fact that many users try to avoid setting unnecessary passwords, citing the difficulty in remembering them, it is important to protect personal information on the computer. The password that blocks access to your account is a reliable barrier to prevent accidental or intentional invasion of privacy.

How to set a password on a computer?

To make this procedure accessible to users with any level of knowledge, the Windows developers have made it as simple as possible, but reliable. To change an outdated and unreliable passcode, or install a new one, let's do the following sequence of tasks:

press the well-known “Start” button at the bottom of the screen and go to the standard “Control Panel”;
in the new window that opens, we find the “Accounts” subsection (here you can also configure parental control);
go into it and click "Change password";
if you want to change the icon that is displayed at the entrance near the password request window - click on the next selection item - “Change image” (see the picture below);
click on “Change password”, come up with your own combination and save with the “Change” button;
the settings will take effect after the reboot, a new password will be requested when trying to log in with your account.

How to change password in Windows 7

The method described above, with minimal interface changes, works on any Windows OS. In the "Seven" there is a new opportunity to change the password, perhaps you will like it more. To change the password of an account you are already logged into, press the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys at the same time, which will bring up a screen with the option to launch the “Task Manager”. At the moment we do not need it, we ignore this item and go to the fourth line from the top, with the name “Change password”. Click, enter a new code word, save the changes.

Windows commands to change passwords

Fans of using the command line will also not be left out. Especially for this, we will give examples of all combinations that will help you change your password in a more professional way:

open “Start” -> “Run” -> cmd + OK;
in the console that appears, write net user username password /domain, where username is the name of the account for which we are changing the password, and password is your new password (/domain is for networking only);
if as a result the notification “System error 5” appears, then you do not have administrator rights;
Another way to open a window with accounts using the command: enter control userpasswords2 in the console, then select the desired user and click the “Change password” button.

If you need to change your password because you forgot it, you should log in to the Administrator account with the appropriate rights. If the passcode is forgotten from it, special rescue builds of programs, such as Windows miniPE edition or the classic ERD Commander, disks with system images and many other service packages will help.

Installing an individual security key is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect personal information from unauthorized access. But if this practice is widespread in organizations, then individuals do not particularly think about how to at least learn how to set a password on a computer. In fact, the hardest part of setting a password is coming up with one. All other actions are performed quite simply and quickly.

The easiest way to hack the system is to sort through the password options. They do this with the help of special programs that quickly check whether you have used repeated or consecutive characters, your personal data, popular words or their modified form in the security key (2 instead of to, 4 instead of for, etc.) .

Ideally, if you come up with a phrase, insert a symbol between words, use a different case, or even slightly distort the spelling. True, such a cipher must be written down, otherwise you will have to look for how to remove the password from the computer.

You can name at least two more ways to come up with a complex code word. The first is to insert another word inside one word. The second is to take a well-known phrase and make a word from the first letters of the words that make up it. Proverbs, talk, catchphrases, your favorite quotes, etc. are great for these purposes. For greater reliability, dilute the resulting abbreviation with numbers and use a different case.

To check the reliability of a security key, you can use special services that will clearly demonstrate how difficult it will be to unravel the encrypted word using various programs and manual selection.

Protecting your account

Windows operating systems starting with XP use accounts that users create for themselves. It is logical that a password is set to enter a specific account - after all, this is where all files are stored.

To supply a security key for a specific user:

1. Go to the "Control Panel";
2. Open the "Accounts" menu;

1. Click the "Create a password" item;

Think up and enter your security code twice, which will be used to log into your account;
Specify a hint so that if you lose your security key, you can remember it.

This algorithm of actions is suitable for creating a password in Windows 7 and XP. Users who have the eighth version of the OS from Windows installed on their computers need to go a slightly different path:

1. Call the "Options" menu by moving the cursor to the right side of the screen;
2. Go to "Change PC settings";

1. Select the "Accounts" section here;
2. Go to the "Login Options" submenu;
3. Click "Add password";

Come up with a code, confirm it, and provide a hint.

After completing all the steps, reboot the system. The next time you log in, the computer will require you to enter a security code.

Using BIOS Features

You can set a password on your computer without using the control panel. In addition, the security code set for the account is not so omnipotent. Therefore, if you want to further protect your files, use the BIOS's security features. The password will be requested not to log into a specific user account, but to turn on the computer.

Go into the BIOS and find the "Setting Password" tab. Depending on the modification of the BIOS, the placement of the tabs may be different, so carefully study the main window.

If you want to protect the system as much as possible from unauthorized entry by third parties, use security keys of two levels - for the account and in the BIOS. Then there is a high chance that an unwanted user will not be able to access your files.

Restoring access without a password

Memory can change, a piece of paper with a security key can be lost, but access to a computer is still necessary. Therefore, it is useful to know how to crack a password on a computer.

What to do if the password is lost

Bypassing the password on a computer that is set in the BIOS can only be done mechanically. To do this, you will have to disassemble the system unit, find a round battery on the motherboard, thanks to which all BIOS settings are saved, and carefully pull it out. Then you need to install it in place, assemble the system unit and start the system - the computer will not ask for any security key.

What's the catch? You just reset the BIOS settings to factory settings by disconnecting the CMOS battery. This method is suitable only for stationary computers, the access to the motherboard of which can be done quite easily. In the case of a laptop, you will have to completely disassemble it - it will be difficult to do without the help of specialists. Therefore, it is better to write down the password and keep it in a safe place.

If a security key has been set for a specific account, you can remove it using safe mode. To remove the password from your computer, restart it, and then press F8 when you turn it on. You will be taken to the boot mode selection menu.

Select "Safe Mode";
The OS boot will continue and you will see a list of accounts;
Log in to the built-in Administrator account. During normal boot you don't see it, but in safe mode it is available for entry;
Open the "Accounts" in the control panel;
Select the user you are interested in;
Open their profile and click "Remove or change password". Confirm your intention;
Reboot the system and you will have access to the desired account. You just managed to remove the password from your computer.

How to find out the security key

If you want to know your computer password, don't rush to trust the advice of various hacker forums, and even more so, don't download suspicious programs of dubious content from unknown developers. In this way, not only will you not recognize the security code, but you can also seriously harm the system.

However, there are still applications that are verified by users and do not affect the operation of the computer. One such program is called Ophcrack. This free utility can work as a regular application and as a LiveCD if login is not possible. According to the developers, it can be used to recognize 99% of text and digital codes.

After starting the application, you will see its main window, in which you need to select the information display mode. It is more convenient to use the text mode, and it works more correctly than the graphic one. Then you need to wait until the utility completes its work. The whole process takes 5-10 minutes.

Tests show that complex passwords that use numbers, letters and different cases are usually not guessed by the utility. However, she can easily cope with simple encrypted words.

There are more exotic ways to find out and change the password on a computer. For example, use various keyloggers installed on the machine whose security code you want to know. These spyware will collect information about what keys the user presses throughout the day. The report is sent to the email that you specify in the settings yourself. The method is quite dangerous and not one hundred percent effective, but if you are not afraid to risk the performance of the system, you can try.

How to change the password on a computer if you do not have access to any account? Only the BIOS and the start window for selecting users are available for entry. In this case, you will not be able to use the programs.

Password change and recovery

You can change the password on your computer by resetting it. To do this, you will need a bootable USB flash drive or LiveCD. After launching the main installer window, select "System Restore".

Then enable Command Prompt by selecting it in the next window.

Enter the following command in it: copy c:windowssystem32sethc.exe c:

This command is responsible for backing up the file that is responsible for sticky keys. Why is this? In the next step, we will replace the original file with an executable by typing copy c:windowssystem32cmd.exe c:windowssystem32sethc.exe.

After the reboot, we will get the following situation - pressing Shift five times, which is just responsible for activating the sticky keys, now launches the command line as Administrator.

To reset the password and set a new one, type the following command: net user Username NewPassword. You specify the username according to the name of your account, and come up with a new password.

You can also recover the password on your computer using the registry. Go into safe mode, open a command prompt, type "regedit" and press Enter.

In the registry editor that appears, select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, click File in the top menu, and then click Load Hive.

In the explorer that opens, select the Windows/system32/config folder and enter a new hive name.

The created item will appear in the registry. Go to the "Setup" menu, select "Setup Type". Double click on it to change it; in the line "Value" put the number 2. Here, find the item "Cmdline" and change the value by installing "cmd.exe".

Open the "File" menu again, click the "Unload hive" line. After the reboot, a small window will appear in which you will need to enter the command net user already familiar to you User_name New_password. Done, you managed to change the password on the computer.

Quite often, in the process of working on a personal computer, the question arises of how to change the password on a computer. This moment is very important, especially in software products of the Windows family. With its help, not only access to work on a PC is provided, but also from it over a network. It is recommended to perform this procedure with a frequency of an average of once a month. This will allow you to obtain an acceptable level of security for your data.

There are two ways to change the password on a computer:

using the control panel;
using the menu from the keys "Ctrl + Alt + Del" (immediately, you must simultaneously press the first two keys, then, without releasing them, press the third).

In the first case, everything is very simple. A standard login is performed using the existing passcode. Then click and select "Control Panel" from the menu that opens. In the window that opens, find the label "Users". Click on it with the left mouse button twice. In the window that opens, there will be all the user accounts registered on the computer. Here you can change or delete the administrator password. To do this, you need to know him. Open the administrator profile window and find the item "Change access code" in it. To change, you need to fill in all three lines of the window that opens, and to delete only the first one, leave the rest empty.

If you need to perform this operation for your profile, then open the window of its parameters. Then we proceed directly to solving the question of how to change the password on the computer. To do this, go to the menu item - "Change password". You need to point at it and double-click on it with the same button. In the window that opens, you must enter the old password in the first line, and the new one in the bottom two. After the performed manipulations, you should save them, and for this you need to click the appropriate button. This method is suitable for all operating systems of this software developer.

Now let's move on to the second answer to the question of how to change the password on a Windows 7 or Vista computer. It's much easier. But it only works on these two systems. To begin with, a normal login is performed using the old PC passcode. Then, as indicated earlier, press "Ctrl + Alt + Del" (first you need to simultaneously press the first two keys, then, without releasing them, press the third). The corresponding menu will open, in which you need to select the "Change password" item. It’s worth mentioning right away: you can only make changes in this way for the active profile, that is, under which you are logged in. All others can be changed only in the previously specified way. After double-clicking on this menu item, a similar window for changing the password will open, which was described earlier, consisting of three lines. In the first one we enter the old password, and in the next two - the new one. Save and exit the menu.

This article shows the two most common ways to change the password on a computer running all operating systems of the Windows family, with the exception of 8. Which method to choose is a personal matter for each user.

In order to set a password for a user on Windows 7, there are several ways:

1 WAY. The first method requires a minimum of effort, namely, to press the key combination "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "Del". In the menu that appears, select "Change password".

Enter the old password (if you have not used a password before, leave the field blank) and a new password with confirmation. I recommend using a complex password of at least 6 characters with numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters and special characters (@,#,$...)

After that, a window about the successfully completed password change task will appear.

2 WAY. To change the password in the second way, you must click on the " Start" and user picture (or click "Start" - "Control Panel"(choose Small Icons)- "Account Management").

In the User Accounts window, click " Changing your password".

After that, enter the old password (if the password was not used, the field must be left blank) and enter the new password with confirmation. You can specify a password hint if you doubt that you will always remember it. At the end, don't forget to click " Change password".

How to set a password for an account in Windows XP.

In Windows XP, changing a user's password is no different from changing a password in Windows 7. The only difference is a different interface, but nevertheless I will describe step by step how to change a password in this operating system.

There are several ways to change your password in Windows XP:

1 METHOD Using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "Del".

2 METHOD In the user account settings.

1 WAY. Press the key combination "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "Del". In the Windows Security window, click " a change of the pin code" (also used to create a password if it has not been used before).

Enter the old password (if the password was not used, leave the field empty) and the new password with confirmation. I recommend using a complex password of at least 6 characters with numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters and special characters (@,#,$...).

If everything is done correctly, you will receive a message about the successful password change.

2 WAY. We press the button "Start" - "Control Panel" - "User Accounts"

Select the user whose password you want to change. In this example, this is Administrator.

Then press " change Password".

We enter the old password (if the password was not used, leave the field empty) and enter the new password twice (the second time in the Confirmation field). If you doubt that you will always remember the password, enter a suggestive phrase in the hint field to remember the password. At the end, don't forget to click the " Change Password".

I really hope that this article helped you quickly set or change your password and secure your computer from unwanted guests.

Protecting your account

To supply a security key for a specific user:

Go to the "Control Panel";
Open the "Accounts" menu;

Click the "Create a password" item;

Come up with and enter your security code twice, which will be used to log into your account;
Specify a hint so that if you lose your security key, you can remember it.

Call the "Options" menu by moving the cursor to the right side of the screen;
Go to "Change PC settings";

Select the "Accounts" section here;
Go to the "Login Options" submenu;
Click "Add password";

Come up with a code, confirm it, and provide a hint.

After completing all the steps, reboot the system. The next time you log in, the computer will require you to enter a security code.

Using BIOS Features

Go into the BIOS and find the "Setting Password" tab. Depending on the modification of the BIOS, the placement of the tabs may be different, so carefully study the main window.

Restoring access without a password

Memory can change, a piece of paper with a security key can be lost, but access to a computer is still necessary. Therefore, it is useful to know how to crack a password on a computer.

What to do if the password is lost

What's the catch? You just reset the BIOS settings to factory settings by disconnecting the CMOS battery. This method is only suitable for desktop computers, access to the motherboard of which can be done quite easily. In the case of a laptop, you will have to completely disassemble it - it will be difficult to do without the help of specialists. Therefore, it is better to write down the password and keep it in a safe place.

Select "Safe Mode";
The OS boot will continue and you will see a list of accounts;
Log in to the built-in Administrator account. During normal boot you don't see it, but in safe mode it is available for entry;
Open the "Accounts" in the control panel;
Select the user you are interested in;
Open their profile and click "Remove or change password". Confirm your intention;
Reboot the system and you will have access to the desired account. You just managed to remove the password from your computer.

How to find out the security key

Tests show that complex passwords, which use numbers, letters and different cases, are usually not guessed by the utility. However, she can easily cope with simple encrypted words.

There are more exotic ways to find out and change the password on a computer. For example, use various keyloggers installed on the machine whose security code you want to know. These spyware will collect information about what keys the user presses throughout the day. The report comes to e-mail, which you yourself specify in the settings. The method is quite dangerous and not one hundred percent effective, but if you are not afraid to risk the performance of the system, you can try.

Password change and recovery

You can change the password on your computer by resetting it. To do this, you will need a bootable USB flash drive or LiveCD. After launching the main installer window, select "System Restore".

Then enable Command Prompt by selecting it in the next window.

Enter the following command in it: copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\

This command is responsible for backing up the file that is responsible for sticky keys. Why is this? In the next step, we will replace the executable by typing copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe.

After the reboot, we will get the following situation - pressing Shift five times, which is just responsible for activating the sticky keys, now launches the command line as Administrator.

To reset the password and set a new one, type the following command: net user Username NewPassword. You specify the username according to the name of your account, and come up with a new password.

You can also recover the password on your computer using the registry. Go through safe mode, open a command prompt, type the query "regedit" and press Enter.

In order to ensure maximum safety of information on a PC or laptop, you will need to put passwords on them. However, as practice shows, such a measure is not always enough. But there is still a way out. You need to change the password from time to time, then the protection increases significantly. Moreover, this procedure does not take much time, and there are many benefits from it. But not everyone knows how to change the password on a computer, but this can be done in several ways.

Through the start menu

The easiest and most accessible method is to go to "Start", open the control panel, and then select the "User Accounts" section, where in the user login settings you need to check that there is a check mark next to the "Use welcome page" item. If the welcome screen is used, then you will need to uncheck the box. This measure allows you to increase the security of logging into the system.

Then, in the list of accounts, go to the settings of the user for whom you want to create a password, click the "Change password" link and enter a new password, and then confirm it.

The hard way

For experienced users, the following method is suitable. You need to open "Start", then "Run", after which you should enter the cmd command in the line that opens, as a result of which the command line will open, in which you will need to enter this phrase: net user username password. Moreover, username is the name under which the account was registered in the system, and password is the new password. If everything was done correctly, then the phrase "Command completed successfully" appeared on the command line.

Use the control userpasswords2 command

You can also change the password as follows: you need to open "Start", then "Run", where in its line you should enter the control userpasswords2 command, thanks to which the account management window will open, where you can select a user and assign him a password. Now you know how to change the password on your computer and your data will be protected.

Many users sooner or later think about the security of data on the computer. Especially if you need to protect them from people who work directly at the same computer with you. Therefore, the question of how to change the password on a Windows 7 computer is quite popular. The process is very, very simple.

"Start" - "Control Panel" - "User Accounts" - "Change Your Password".

detailed instructions

Click the left mouse button on the "Start" and the same on the "Control Panel".

Find the "User Accounts" item in the list that appears and left-click.

Now left-click "Change your password".

You will see a window where you can change your password. To do this, you will need to enter the old one, and below set the new password that you want to set, and re-print it. Print the old Windows 7 for security (suddenly you moved away from the computer, and someone else changes the access code), and repeat the new one in case you made a mistake when entering it for the first time (if they do not match, Windows will not allow you to complete the operation, erase both and re-enter). How to set a password on Windows 7 should already be intuitive, but just in case, I still attached a screenshot.

Hello blog readers! If you do not know how to change the password on a computer or laptop, then after reading this article, this gap in this knowledge will be filled.

Depending on which operating system is on your computer, the password change process will vary slightly. In this article I will talk about all OS: Windows XP, 7, 8.

For Windows XP

Consider what steps you need to take to change your password in Windows XP.

So, the first way:

We go to the "start" menu, for this, left-click on the start button in the lower left corner of the screen. Next, click on "Control Panel". In the control panel, click on "User Accounts". In the window that opens, select the item "Change user login".

Uncheck the box next to the line "Use a greeting line". If the checkbox is not checked, then immediately go to the next item. To save your changes, click Apply Settings.

Now, in the appropriate fields, enter the old password, the new password and confirm the correctness of entering the changed password by clicking "OK". If there was no password, then skip the "Old password" field and proceed to create a new one.

Method two:

We go to the Start menu. Select the line "Control Panel". Click on "User Accounts". Select "Change account" and click on your account. You can also get into these settings if you click on your account when you just logged into "User Accounts".

Click "Create a password". Enter your old password and the one you want to change it to.

If you already have a password, click "Change password". When you create a password, you will be prompted to make your details private. If several people work on the computer, then I recommend doing this.

There are at least 3 more ways to change or create a password. I think that two is enough for this and I will not load unnecessary information.

For Windows 7

Now I will show you how to change the password on a computer if Windows 7 is installed. The methods discussed above are similar to the Windows XP operating system. But there are still small differences, I think it's worth talking about them.

Go to "Start" - "Control Panel". At the top right of the window, we check that the "View" parameter is "Small icons" (it's more convenient for me).

Find and click "User Accounts".

If there is a password, then to change it, click "Change your password". If you decide to make a password, then click "Create a password for your account."

Further actions are similar to the considered Windows XP operating system. Enter a new password and password confirmation. Then click "Create Password".

By the way, I forgot to say above. In the tooltip, you do not need to enter information that may be known to many. For example, if your password is your birthday, then you shouldn't use the "My birthday" prompt. It will be easy for an understanding person to pick up such a password.

For Windows 8

There is one system left in which I will show how to change the password on a computer. This system has undergone a lot of changes, so creating a password in Windows 8 is very different from its other predecessors.

Move the cursor to the upper right corner of the screen and wait a while until the panel appears. Select the gear icon labeled "Settings".

At the very bottom there will be a button "Change computer settings". We click on it.

Click on "Users" on the left.

We find the button we were looking for "change password". It will be located on the right, click on it.

In the window that opens, you must enter the password that is currently set on your computer, and then press "Enter". If of course he is.

In the next window, enter a new password. Re-enter the same password to eliminate the error. Also enter a password hint in case you forget it (don't forget about the tip above).

Click on the "Finish" button. As you can see, in order to change the password in Windows 8, we had to perform completely different actions than in Windows XP and Windows 7. But for us there are no unsolvable tasks;).

And finally, a few tips for choosing a password. The password should be easy for you to remember, but it is better not to use options such as your date of birth or a combination of numbers like 12345, as these passwords can be easily guessed by hand.

In order for your password to reliably protect your computer from unauthorized access, ideally it should contain several letters of different case: upper and lower, and some numbers. Oh yes, for those who think that if you create a complex password you will sleep peacefully, then you are mistaken. Any password is easy to "knock down". A complex password is needed for the situation: if someone looks at your keyboard from behind, thereby confusing curious people.

Now you can finish the article. Bye Bye.