How to Change Your Windows Password, PIN, or Hello Sign-In
Windows gives you several ways to sign in: a password, a PIN, and Windows Hello, which can use your face or fingerprint on supported devices. A PIN is not a weaker password, it is tied to this one device, which is why it can be short and still safe. Here is how to change each one.
Follow these steps
- Open Sign-in options. Open Settings, then Accounts, then Sign-in options. This one screen holds your password, PIN, and Windows Hello settings, so you do not need to hunt through different menus.
- Change your password. Under Password, choose Change, enter your current password, then your new one twice. Pick a password you have not used elsewhere, and store it in a password manager rather than writing it on a note near the computer.
- Set up or change your PIN. Under PIN, choose Set up or Change PIN, confirm your account password when asked, then enter the new PIN twice. A PIN only works on this device, so even if someone learns it, they cannot use it to sign in from another computer.
- Set up Windows Hello if your device supports it. Under Facial recognition or Fingerprint recognition, choose Set up and follow the on-screen steps. Windows Hello needs a PIN as a backup, so set that first if you have not already.
- Check what happens after sleep and on wake. In Sign-in options, review When should Windows require you to sign in again, and choose a setting that matches how you use the computer. Requiring sign-in on wake protects a laptop you carry around; a desktop at home may not need it as often.
- If you forgot your password, use the reset link. On the sign-in screen, choose Reset password or I forgot my PIN, and follow the steps for your Microsoft account, which usually involve a code sent to your email or phone. For a local account with no reset option, you will need the password hint or a previously created reset disk.
What NOT to do
- Share your PIN or password with someone to make sign-in easier. Anyone with it can sign in as you and access your files.
- Use the same password for Windows and your email or bank. If one account is exposed, the others fall with it.
- Turn off sign-in entirely so the computer opens without a password. Anyone who picks up the laptop then has full access to your files and accounts.
- Set a PIN that is easy to guess, such as a birth year or a simple sequence, especially on a laptop you take out of the house.
Once your password, PIN, or Hello sign-in is set, sign out and back in once to confirm it works while you still remember the old details. If you use a Microsoft account, keep its recovery email and phone number up to date, because that is how you get back in if you forget.