How to Change a Computer Password Using Command Prompt

Changing the Password

1. Type net user into Command Prompt. Make sure you include the space between the two words.

2. Press ↵ Enter. Doing so will display a list of all user accounts registered to your computer.

3. Find the name of the account you wish to edit. If you're changing your own account password, it will be below the "Administrator" heading on the left side of the Command Prompt window; otherwise, the name will likely be beneath the "Guest" heading on the right.

4. Type net user [name] * into Command Prompt. You'll replace [name] with the name of the account for which you wish to change the password.

   1. When you type in the account name, you must do so exactly as it appears in the account name section of Command Prompt.

5. Press ↵ Enter. This will run your command; you should see a new line appear with "Type a password for the user:" written.

   1. If you instead see a group of lines that start with "The syntax of this command is:", type net user Administrator * in for an administrator account or net user Guest * for a guest account.

6. Type in a new password. The cursor won't move while you do this, so be careful not to accidentally press the ⇬ Caps Lock key.

7. Press ↵ Enter. You'll be prompted to re-enter your password.

8. Re-type your password. Again, it won't appear as you type, so take your time.

9. Press ↵ Enter. As long as the two word entries match each other, you'll see "The command completed successfully" display beneath the second password entry. The next time you attempt to log onto your PC, you'll need to enter your updated password to continue.