In my experience so far, I have seen people choose a simple four-digit PIN over a complex password to protect their Windows PCs. The PIN is short, simple, and easy to remember. But once in a while, you require the account password to change the system settings, and in such a scenario, many people seem to forget the password they had set. But there’s nothing to worry about. You can easily change your computer’s password in Windows 11, and we have mentioned 8 different methods in this tutorial. So without any delay, let’s go ahead and learn how to set a new password in Windows 11 without knowing the old password.
Change Your Password in Windows 11 (2022)
In this tutorial, we have included 8 ways to change the password in Windows 11. If you remember the current password, changing your PIN or password is a piece of cake. However, if you don’t remember the old password of your Windows 11 PC, we have some handy solutions for you as well. So let’s dive in.
1. Change Password in Windows 11 (for Users Who Know Current Password)
If you know the current password of your Windows 11 PC, you can change it from the Settings app with ease. Just follow the steps below to learn how it works:
1. Press the Windows 11 keyboard shortcut “Windows + I” to open the Settings app. Now, move to Accounts -> Sign-in options.
2. Here, click to expand the “Password” section and then click the “Change” button.
3. After that, enter the current password of your Windows 11 PC and click on “Next”.
4. On the next page, you can change the password easily. You can also add a hint to help you recover your account in case you forget the password.
5. Finally, click on “Finish“, and you are done. You have successfully changed your Windows 11 password.
2. Change PIN in Windows 11 (for Users Who Know Their Current PIN)
Some users set a PIN instead of a password to quickly log into their PCs. In case you want to change the PIN in Windows 11, follow our tutorial below.
1. Similar to the above method, open the Settings app and move to Accounts -> Sign-in options.
2. Here, click to expand the “PIN (Windows Hello)” section and then click the “Change PIN” button.
3. On the next page, enter the current PIN in the first field and then set a new one right below. Enter the new PIN in the second and third text fields. Finally, click on “OK“, and that’s it. You have successfully changed the PIN on your Windows 11 PC.
3. Change Microsoft Account Password Linked to Windows 11 PC
If you have linked an online Microsoft account to your Windows 11 PC, you can change its password as well. Even if you have forgotten your Microsoft account password, don’t worry. Just follow our guide to change the password.
1. If you remember the password of your online Microsoft account, head over to account.microsoft.com/security and change the password.
2. In case you have forgotten the password, go to account.live.com/ResetPassword.aspx and enter your Microsoft email address or phone number.
3. After that, verify your identity through the phone number or recovery email account.
4. Once you have verified that the account belongs to you, you can change the Microsoft account password with ease. You can create a new password and log in with the same on your Windows 11 PC. Moreover, after logging on, you can remove the online Microsoft account from your Windows 11 PC and switch to a local account.
4. Change Password in Windows 11 Without Knowing Current Password
If you don’t remember the current password and still want to change the password of your Windows 11 PC, you can do so with other built-in tools and commands. Having said that, bear in mind that this method only works with local accounts on Windows 11. So here’s how you can go about it.
Change Password using the ‘netplwiz’ Command
1. Press “Windows + R” to open the Run dialog box. Here, type netplwiz and hit Enter.
2. Next, select your account from the pop-up window that appears and click on “Reset Password“.
3. On the next window, set a new password for your Windows 11 PC, and you are done. You have successfully changed your password in Windows 11 without knowing the current password.
Change Password Through Command Prompt
Besides the netplwiz command, you can also change the password in Windows 11 through Command Prompt. You don’t need to remember the earlier password as well for this to work. Again, this will only work for local accounts, so follow the steps below:
1. Press the Windows key and type “cmd” in the search box. Now, select “Run as administrator” from the right pane. In case you wish to always run apps as an administrator on Windows 11, head to our linked article.
2. In the Comand Prompt window, run the below command, and it will display all the user accounts. Then, note down the account name for which you want to change the password from the second column. For example – the account name here is Test.
net user
3. Now, run the below command to change the password in Windows 11. You need to replace accountname with the actual user name displayed in the second column. And set your own password in place of newpassword. Hit Enter after that, and you are done.
net user accountname newpassword
Change Password from the Control Panel
You can also open the Control Panel in Windows 11 and change the password without remembering the old password. But note that it just works for local accounts, and you will have to follow the steps in section #3 to change your online Microsoft account password. Follow the steps below for detailed instructions.
1. Press the Windows key and type “control”. Now, open the “Control Panel“.
2. Next, click on “Change account type” under “User Accounts”. You will need admin privileges to make this change.
3. After that, click on the local account for which you want to change the password.
4. Here, click on “Change the password“.
5. On the next page, set a new password for your Windows 11 computer, and you are done.
Change Password Through Computer Management
Computer Management also lets you set a new password for Windows 11 without having to remember the current password. However, this method also works only with local accounts on Windows 11. Here’s how to go about it.
1. Press the Windows key and type “management”. Now, open “Computer Management“.
2. Next, expand the “Local Users and Groups” menu on the left pane and open “Users”.
3. Here, select the user account for which you want to change the password in the right pane and right-click on its name. Now, choose “Set Password” from the context menu.
4. Click on “Proceed” in the pop-up window that appears.
5. Finally, set a new password for your Windows 11 PC.
5. Forgot Your Windows 11 Password and Locked Out of Your PC? Here’s How to Change the Password
If you have a local account and you are locked out of your PC because you don’t seem to remember the current password, fret not. We have written a dedicated tutorial on how to reset your Windows 11 password in case you have completely forgotten the password. The best part is that you don’t lose any data in this process. So I suggest going through our linked guide and following the step-by-step instructions over there. You will be able to change the password in Windows 11 from the lock screen.
Set a New Password on Your Windows 11 PC
So these are the 8 easy methods that can help you change the password in Windows 11. No matter if you have an online account associated with your PC or a local account, we have mentioned solutions for all sets of users. Anyway, that is all from us. If you want to perform a clean install of Windows 11, we have a handy guide linked here. And to learn about the differences between Windows 11 Home vs Pro editions, go through our detailed comparison. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.
Change password