How to Change Your Password in Windows 11

Window 11 Change Password
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Windows 11 makes changing a password a straightforward process that only requires a few button clicks, the existing password, and the password you’d like to use moving forward. But there is one caveat: Logging in via Windows Hello, the passwordless authentication mechanism that allows you to use facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, a physical security key, or a PIN instead of a password, will make it so you can’t go back to using a password to sign in.

Microsoft previously allowed Windows users to switch between using Windows Hello and password-based authentication to access their PCs. That appears to have changed with Windows 11, however, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Microsoft has been trying to kill passwords for years, and it recently advised millions of people to delete their Microsoft account’s password in favor of one of the authentication options available via Windows Hello.

Local accounts that haven’t been set up to use Windows Hello can still rely on passwords to sign in, though. Here’s how to change your password in Windows 11.

How to change your password in Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app’s Accounts page. The quickest way to access this page is to launch the Start menu, search for “Password” and then select “Change your password.” This will automatically launch the Settings app to the appropriate Accounts page.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

2. Click ‘Password.’ Note that this option will only be available if you haven’t enabled any of the Windows Hello authentication tools; otherwise the Password section isn’t shown.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

3. Click ‘Change.’ A drop-down menu should appear telling you that “You’re all set up” and offering a button called “Change” that leads to the password setup screens shown below.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

4. Enter your current password.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

5. Enter your new password and hint. It’s worth noting that unlike other operating systems, Windows 11 doesn’t allow you to leave the “Hint” field blank, so you have to enter something. Choosing meaningless punctuation or a deliberately misleading hint can help make sure nobody else can guess your password based on this information.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

6. Click ‘Finish.’

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

You’ll now be able to log in to Windows 11 using your new password. Note that this is for local accounts only and, if you are using a Microsoft account, this won’t work and it won’t change that password for other computers or Microsoft services.

Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

  • TinyFatMan
    … Can’t go back to using a password to sign in….
    Nothing surprising in this world where we try by all unimaginable means to file the population as if it were made up of nothing but criminals.
    But the real criminals are those who use people's personal data to do what they want with it.

    Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google, etc. receive billions from the NSA, CIA, FBI and other even more secretive agencies to spy on all (except "leaders") on people.

    When we know that now the medical files of the population (except those of the "leaders"), what is more private, are in the computers of multinationals and that they do not give a damn about giving away those fingerprints, his photo, his DNA, etc. she's against it even more.

    What a wonderful world it will be tomorrow ... Soon quadrillion and quadrillions of "debts"
    And all people (except "rulers") have to have microchip gates in their bodies.

    It will be wonderful to log into Windows 18!
    This message will be destroyed within five seconds ...
    Reply
  • Blacksad999
    TinyFatMan said:
    … Can’t go back to using a password to sign in….
    Nothing surprising in this world where we try by all unimaginable means to file the population as if it were made up of nothing but criminals.
    But the real criminals are those who use people's personal data to do what they want with it.

    Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google, etc. receive billions from the NSA, CIA, FBI and other even more secretive agencies to spy on all (except "leaders") on people.

    When we know that now the medical files of the population (except those of the "leaders"), what is more private, are in the computers of multinationals and that they do not give a damn about giving away those fingerprints, his photo, his DNA, etc. she's against it even more.

    What a wonderful world it will be tomorrow ... Soon quadrillion and quadrillions of "debts"
    And all people (except "rulers") have to have microchip gates in their bodies.

    It will be wonderful to log into Windows 18!
    This message will be destroyed within five seconds ...

    Nice. You don't sound crazy AT ALL! lol
    Reply
  • ezst036
    TinyFatMan said:
    … Can’t go back to using a password to sign in….
    Nothing surprising in this world where we try by all unimaginable means to file the population as if it were made up of nothing but criminals.
    But the real criminals are those who use people's personal data to do what they want with it.

    Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google, etc. receive billions from the NSA, CIA, FBI and other even more secretive agencies to spy on all (except "leaders") on people.

    When we know that now the medical files of the population (except those of the "leaders"), what is more private, are in the computers of multinationals and that they do not give a damn about giving away those fingerprints, his photo, his DNA, etc. she's against it even more.

    What a wonderful world it will be tomorrow ... Soon quadrillion and quadrillions of "debts"
    And all people (except "rulers") have to have microchip gates in their bodies.

    It will be wonderful to log into Windows 18!
    This message will be destroyed within five seconds ...

    Boring.

    Pretty much all conspiracy theorists spread their nonsense from their ivory-towers built on top of a computer running MICROSOFT WINDOWS.

    Let us know when you switch to Linux or BSD, otherwise you might be a hypocrite.
    Reply
  • ezst036
    To try to get back on topic here, with respect to password changing in Windows 11 has anybody given the Offline Windows Password reset tool(chntpw) a try in the new Windows?

    I am curious if that works. - in case what if a user has forgotten their current Windows 11 password and are locked out?
    Reply
  • thisisaname
    Changing your password so easy we had to write an article telling you how to do it!!:mad:
    Reply