How to Change Your Laptop Password

To change your laptop password on Windows, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and choose Change a password; on a Mac, go to System Settings > Users & Groups. You’ll need your current password, and the whole thing takes under a minute.

Do it after a laptop comes back from a repair shop, after you’ve shared it at work, or if anyone has watched you type it.

Windows 11

1. Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
2. Click Password, then Change.
3. Enter your current password, then the new one twice, and add a hint that only you understand.

If you sign in with a Microsoft account (your email address), you’re changing that account’s password everywhere: Outlook, OneDrive and other Windows PCs you use. You can also change it at account.microsoft.com.

Windows 10

The steps are almost the same: Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Password > Change.

The fastest way on both versions is Ctrl + Alt + Delete > Change a password. It works from anywhere, even with apps open.

Mac

1. Open System Settings > Users & Groups (on older macOS: System Preferences > Users & Groups).
2. Click the info (i) button next to your name, then Change Password.
3. Enter the old password, the new one twice, and a hint.

Your Mac may ask whether to update your login keychain too. Say yes, so saved Wi-Fi and website passwords keep working.

Change your PIN instead

Most Windows laptops use a PIN (Windows Hello) for everyday sign-in, not the full password. To change it:

1. Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello).
2. Click Change PIN, enter the old PIN and then the new one.

A PIN only works on that one laptop, so it’s safer than a password that also opens your email. Avoid birthdays, 1234 or your M-Pesa PIN.

Still sitting on the default password a seller set? Follow our guide to set a password on a laptop properly.

Remove a password (and why not to)

On a local account in Windows, you can change the password and leave the new-password boxes blank, which removes it. A Microsoft account can’t have a blank password.

We don’t recommend it. A laptop with no password means anyone who picks it up gets your email, photos, saved logins and M-Pesa messages synced from your phone. If typing a password feels slow, set a short PIN or fingerprint instead.

Tips for a good new password

• Use three or four random words with a number: easy to remember, hard to guess.
• Don’t reuse your email or banking password.
• Write it down somewhere safe at home, not on a sticker on the laptop.

If you can’t remember the current password at all, see forgot laptop password.

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