Below are the steps to change your username or password in major operating systems, online services, and other locations.
Changing the username and password in Windows 11
Change password
- Press the Windows key, type “sign-in options”, and then press Enter.
- On the Sign-in options page, click the Password option, and then click the Change button.
Unless you’re the administrator or root of the system, you need to know the account’s password before it can be changed.
Windows 11
Windows 10
Windows 8
Windows Vista and 7
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows 95, 98, and ME
Windows password via command prompt.
Apple macOS
Apple iPad and iPhone.
Linux and Unix and most variants.
BIOS passwords
Internet username and passwords.
Online forum account password.
Verify your account by entering your Microsoft PIN.
Enter your current account password.
To verify your identity, select the method to receive a code from Microsoft. Depending on your account profile, you may have more than one option.
Enter the verification code you received by the method selected in the previous step, and then click the Verify button.
Type your current password (A), type a new password (B), and click the Next button (C).
Click the Finish button to complete the password change.
Change username
- Press the Windows key, type “control panel”, and then press Enter.
- Select User Accounts.
You may only change local accounts names, not Microsoft or administrator account names.
Click User Accounts again.
Near the middle of the window, click Manage another account.
Select the account whose name you want to change.
Select Change the account name.
Choose a new account name (A) and then click the Change Name button (B).
Changing the username and password in Windows 10
Press the Windows key, type “sign-in options”, and then press Enter.
In the Password section, click the Change button.
Type your current password (A), type a new password (B), confirm your new password (C), and click the Next button (D).
Changing the username and password in Windows 8
Open the Charms menu by pressing the Windows key plus the C key and selecting Settings.
In Settings, select Change PC settings.
In PC Settings, select Users.
Select the Change your password option to change the password for your local Windows account.
Open the Charms menu from the Windows desktop by pressing the Windows key plus the C key and selecting Settings.
In Settings, select Control Panel.
Select User Accounts.
In the User Accounts window, select Change your account name to change the username for your local Windows account.
Changing the username and password in Windows Vista and 7
Open the Control Panel.
Click Add or remove user accounts.
Click the account you want to change.
Click Change the password.
Open the Control Panel.
Click Add or remove user accounts.
Click the account you want to change.
Click Change the account name.
Changing the username and password in Windows XP
Open the Control Panel.
Double-click the Users Accounts icon.
Select the account you want to change.
Select the option Change my name to change your username or Create a password or Change my password to change your password.
Open the Control Panel.
Double-click the Users Accounts icon.
Select the account you want to change.
Click Change My Name.
Enter the new name you want to use and click the Change Name button.
Changing the username and password in Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows 2000 users can change their username by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del while in Windows to open the Windows Security window. From this window, click the Change Password button.
Windows XP Home users can only change the administrator password through Safe Mode.
Enter your old password and the new password you want to use.
To change the username of an account on Windows XP, you need to have an account with administrator rights. Follow the steps below of you are logged in as an administrator or have an account with administrator rights.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Double-click the Users and Password icon.
- Make sure “Users must enter a user and password to use this computer” is checked.
- Highlight the account you want to change the username for and click the Properties button.
- In Properties, you can change the username.
Changing the username and password in Windows 95, 98, and ME
To change your password or password settings in Windows 95, 98, or ME, follow the steps below.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Double-click the Passwords icon.
- In the Password Properties window, click the Change Windows Password button.
You can change the user settings in Windows 95/98 through the Users icon in Control Panel. However, this does not allow you to change the actual username. If you need to change the username, we suggest you create a copy of your existing username and use the new username. Below are the steps to do this.
The Windows password can also be changed through the Users icon in Control Panel.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Double-click the Users icon.
- Highlight the user you want to make a copy of and click the Make a copy button.
- Follow the wizard in creating a new user account.
Changing the Windows password via command prompt
You can change a Windows account password through the Windows command line interface by following the steps below.
- Open an elevated command prompt.
- At the prompt, type the following command.
net user username password
Enter the Windows account name for username, and enter the new password for password. For example, if the Windows account is “JohnDoe” and you want to change the password to “newpass1234,” type the command below.
net user JohnDoe newpass1234
If you don’t want anyone to see the new password, use the following command instead, typing an * (asterisk) instead of the new password.
net user username *
Entering an asterisk instead of the actual password results in a prompt to enter the new password. However, the password you type is not displayed, preventing other people from seeing it.
- For more information, see our net command page.
Changing the username and password in Apple macOS
Change password in macOS 10.6 or later
- Log in using an administrator account.
- In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
- In the View menu, select Users & Groups.
- You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked. Enter the administrator password.
- Select the user account you want to change.
- Click Reset Password or Change Password.
- In the New Password and Verify fields, type the new password.
- After entering the new password, click the Reset Password or Change Password button again.
Change password in macOS 10.3 to 10.5.8
- Log in using an administrator account.
- In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
- In the View menu, select Accounts.
- You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked. Enter the administrator password.
- Select the user account you want to change.
- Click Reset Password or Change Password.
- In the New Password and Verify fields, type the new password.
- After entering the new password, click the Reset Password or Change Password button again.
- If a dialog window pops up, click OK.
Change password in macOS 10.2 to 10.2.8
- Log in using an administrator account.
- In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
- In the View menu, select Accounts.
- You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked.
- Select the user account you want to change.
- Select the Edit User option.
- In the New Password and Verify fields, type the new password and click OK.
- If a dialog window pops up, click OK.
Change password in macOS 10.1.5 or earlier
- Log in using an administrator account.
- In the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
- In the View menu, select Users.
- You may need to click the lock button if it appears to be locked.
- Select the user account you want to change.
- Select the Edit User option.
- In the New Password and Verify fields, type the new password and click Save.
Changing the Apple iPad and iPhone passcode
Change passcode
- On the iPad or iPhone, access the Settings app.
- On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode.
- Enter your current passcode.
- On the Touch ID & Passcode screen, tap Change Passcode.
- Enter your current passcode again, then enter your new passcode.
- Enter your new passcode again to confirm.
Add passcode
- On the iPad or iPhone, access the Settings app.
- On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode.
- On the Touch ID & Passcode screen, tap Turn Passcode On.
- Enter a passcode to use when unlocking your device.
- Enter the passcode again to confirm.
- If prompted, enter your Apple ID password.
Remove passcode
- On the iPad or iPhone, access the Settings app.
- On the Settings screen, scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode.
- Enter your current passcode.
- On the Touch ID & Passcode screen, tap Turn Passcode Off.
- On the Turn Off Passcode? prompt, tap Turn Off.
- If prompted, enter your Apple ID password.
Changing the username and password in Linux and Unix and most variants
Almost all Linux and Unix operating systems, including variants like Debian, Kali, and Red Hat, can access the passwd command. Enter this command at the prompt to change your password. You need to know the current password before being able to change the password to a new password.
- Change passcode
- Add passcode
- Remove passcode
See the passwd command page for additional information about this command.
To change the username, you need to have root or super-user access.
To change the username of an account, use the vipw command. See the vipw command page for additional information about this command.
To change the user settings, use the chfn command. See the chfn command page for additional information about this command.
Changing BIOS passwords
The system password appears immediately after turning on the computer, and the BIOS password is changed through the BIOS setup.
- How to enter and exit the BIOS or CMOS setup.
The computer BIOS does not have a username, only a password.
Changing Internet username and passwords
Changing your Internet username or password is based on your ISP (Internet service provider) and their policy for changing the username and password. Often, most ISPs allow you to change your password whenever it’s needed. However, they often do not allow the account username to be changed.
Because every Internet service provider and web host is different, we suggest you contact the company for additional help with changing your username or password.
Changing online forum account password
Like the Computer Hope forums, most forums allow the users to change their password only through the profile or account settings. However, most companies do not allow you to change your username. Usually, you must create a new account to do this. If you need additional help with changing your username or password on another website, we suggest you contact the company or webmaster in control of that website.
If you cannot access an online account because you don’t know the username or password, look for a link on the account login page for retrieving a forgotten username or password. This option helps in determining what your username or password is or helps in resetting your account password.
If you know your current online account password and want to change it, log in to your account, access its profile or settings, and change the password. For example, if you want to change the password for an AOL, Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo e-mail account, log in to your mail account through an Internet browser. Then, access your account settings and look for an option to view or change the password.
- How to use the Computer Hope forums.
Related information
- What is my Windows username?
- How to reset a lost or forgotten Windows password.
- How to disable the Windows password prompt.
- How to change a user account to an administrator account.
- See the username and password definitions for further information and related links.
- Computer security help and support.
