by Instructions for different OS versions.
Artyom Kozoriz
Please note that you must use a local Windows account with administrator rights to follow most of the instructions in this article.
How to put a password on a Windows computer
If other people have access to your computer, it is wise to protect Windows with a password. So your settings and data will be safe: without special knowledge, no one can view or change them. The system will ask for a password when the device is turned on, when changing an account, or after waking up from sleep mode.
How to set a password on Windows 11
1. Go to the start menu and open Settings.
< p>2. Go to “Accounts” → “Login Options”.
3. Expand the “Password” section and click “Add”.
4. Enter your password twice, provide a hint for it, and click Next.
How to set a password on Windows 10
1. Open the Start menu → Settings (the gear icon) and navigate to the Accounts section.
2. Select Login Options from the sidebar, expand Password, and click Add.
3. Fill in the fields using the prompts of the system, at the end click “Finish”.
How to set a password on Windows 8.1, 8
1. In the right sidebar, click Settings (gear icon) → Change PC settings. In the menu of the window that opens, select “Accounts” (or “Users”), and then “Login Options”.
2. Click on the “Create password” button.
3. Fill in the fields, click “Next” and “Finish”.
How to set a password on Windows 7 and earlier
1. Open “Start” → “Control Panel” → “User Accounts”.
2. Select the desired account and click “Create a password” or immediately click “Create a password for your account”.
3. Fill in the fields using the system prompts and click on the “Create a password” button.
How to remove a password on a Windows computer
If outsiders do not have physical access to your device, it may be better to disable protection. This will eliminate the need to enter a password every time you start the system, log into your account and wake up your PC from sleep.
How to remove the password on Windows 11
1. Launch “Settings” from the “Start” menu and go to “Accounts” → “Login Options”.
2. Expand the “Password” item and select “Change”.
3. Enter your current password and click Next.
four. Leave all the fields blank and just click “Next” and then “Finish”.
How to remove the password on Windows 10
1. In the Start menu, click on the gear and go to the Accounts section.
2. Select Login Options from the sidebar, then expand Password and click Change.
3. Enter your password that you set earlier and click “Next”.
4. Leave all fields blank, and then click Next and Finish.
How to remove the password on Windows 8.1, 8 and earlier
1. Use the keyboard shortcut Windows + R and type netplwiz (or control userpasswords2 if the first command doesn't work) at the command prompt. Press Enter.
2. In the window that opens, select the account for which you want to remove the password from the list, and uncheck the box next to “Require username and password”. Click OK.
3. Enter the password, confirm it and click OK.
After that, Windows will stop asking for the code combination, but only when the computer is turned on. If you lock the screen (Windows key + L), log out, or hibernate the device, you will still be prompted for a password later on the display.
If the “Require username and password” option is not available or you want to completely remove the Windows password, try another method for more advanced users.
Open the account management section according to one of the instructions at the beginning of this article.
If the window that appears says that you are using a Microsoft online profile (sign in with email and password), disable it. Then use the system prompts to create a local profile, but do not fill in the encryption fields during the process.
After you disable your Microsoft account, the system will stop syncing your settings and files across computers. Some applications may refuse to work.
If the local profile is initially active in the account management menu, then simply change the current password, leaving the fields for the new one blank.
When deleting the old code, the system will never ask for it until you will not add a new one.
How to reset your Windows password
If you forgot your password and can't log in to your local Windows administrator profile, you don't have to reinstall the OS at all. There is a simpler way out: reset protection. In modern versions of Windows, all you need to do is enter a couple of commands; earlier versions will require a second computer, a USB drive, and a free password reset utility.
How to reset your password on Windows 11 and 10
1. Click on the “Power” icon on the lock screen, then hold down the Shift key and select “Restart”.
2. When the computer restarts in recovery mode, go to Troubleshooting → Advanced Options and open Command Prompt.
3. Paste the command copy C:windowssystem32utilman.exe C:windowssystem32utilman2.exe into it and press Enter.
4. Then type copy C:windowssystem32cmd.exe C:windowssystem32utilman.exe and then press Y to confirm and Enter.
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5. Close command prompt and select Continue to load Windows.
7. Repeat the net user command, then add your account name (as shown in the output of the previous command) and a new password separated by spaces. For example, net user akozoriz lifehacker.
8. Close the command prompt and log in to your account using the new password.
9. After that, you can disable or change the cipher, as described in the previous sections of the instructions.
How to reset the password on Windows 8.1 and earlier
Create a bootable USB flash drive on another PC
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1. Download the Lazesoft Recover My Password installer to any available computer.
2. Run the downloaded file and install.
3. Connect your flash drive to your computer. If necessary, make a copy of the files stored on it, as all information will have to be deleted.
4. Open Lazesoft Recover My Password, click Burn Bootable CD/USB Disk Now! and create a bootable flash drive using the program's prompts.
Boot the computer using the flash drive
1. Insert the prepared USB drive into the computer whose password you forgot.
2. Turn on (or restart) the PC and, as soon as the system starts to boot, press the button to go to the BIOS settings. This is usually F2, F8, F9, or F12, depending on the hardware manufacturer. Most often, the desired key is displayed on the screen during BIOS boot.
3. While in the BIOS menu, go to the Boot section if the system did not redirect you there immediately.
4. In the Boot section, install the USB flash drive in first place in the list of devices that appears on the screen. If you do not know how to do this, look around: there should be hints about the controls nearby.
5. Save your changes.
If the BIOS is also protected by a code that you don't know about, then you won't be able to reset Windows password protection with Lazesoft Recover My Password.
Perhaps you'll see a more modern GUI instead of the classic base system. In addition, even in different older versions of the BIOS, the settings may vary. But in any case, the procedure will be approximately the same: go to the Boot boot menu, select the desired USB drive as the source and save the changes.
After that, the computer should boot from the flash drive on which the Lazesoft Recover My Password utility is written.
Reset your password in Lazesoft Recover My Password
1. Select Lazesoft Live CD (EMS Enabled) and press Enter.
2. Reset your account password with Lazesoft Recover My Password tips.
3. Restart your computer.
After these steps, Windows will no longer prompt you for the old password, and you can set a new one by following the instructions at the beginning of the article.
Cover: rawf8/Shutterstock Contributed by: Maxim Volotsky, Artyom Kozoriz
