Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

This is an article on how to change your computer's password if you forget it. You can do this in a variety of ways on both Windows and Mac computers.

Steps

Method 1 of 7: Change the password of a Microsoft account online

1. 

   (Power) on the computer to turn on.

2. 

   (Source) and select Restart (Reboot), then start pressing the computer's BIOS key as soon as the screen goes black.
   • Your computer's BIOS key will vary depending on your computer's motherboard, so you'll need to find it according to your computer model. Common keys include "Function" keys (such as F12), key Esc and key Del.
   • If your computer finishes rebooting and shows the lock screen, you need to reboot and try another key.

3. 

   
   
   , choose Restart, and wait for the setup screen to appear.
4. You may first have to press a key to go to the settings page. This step is usually required by the message "Press any key to continue ...".

5. 

   , then choose Restart.

6. 

   
   
   . Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen.

7. 

   
   
   . Click the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen to open a list of choices.

8. 

   Click System Preferences… (System Preferences) in the drop-down menu to open this window.

9. 

   
   
   
   
   Click on options Users & Groups (Users and Groups) in the System Preferences window to open a new window.

10. 

    
    
    
    
    Click the padlock icon in the lower left corner of the Users & Groups window.
    • If the padlock icon is open, skip this step and move on to the next.

11. 

    
    
    Enter the administrator's password. In the displayed data entry field, type the administrator's password and press ⏎ Return.

12. 

    
    
    Select the locked account. Click the name of the account for which you want to reset your password.

13. 

    Click the button Reset Password… (Reset Password) is near the top of the menu.

14. 

    Enter your new password. Type the password you want to create in the "New password" field, and then re-enter the "Verify" field.

15. 

    
    
    Click Change Password (Change password) at the bottom of the window that appears to change the user's password. advertisement

Advice

• Windows 10 computers use a 4-digit PIN by default. If you don't remember the password but remember the PIN, click Sign-in options (Login Selection) on the lock screen, then click the phone's keypad icon and enter the PIN to login.
• If you use an old Windows XP computer, you can still recover the computer's password.

Warning

• If you can't access your account, you'll need to take your computer to a professional data recovery center. You may have to delete all data and reinstall your computer; If you backed up data to an external source (such as an external hard drive), you can use the data to restore your computer.